Al Gore's Global Warming Theories

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses Dan M. Kahan's article "The Cognitively Illiberal State" that offers an explanation for why people are accepting of Al Gore's global warming theories, even though, as he claims, they are not proven facts. The paper explains Kahan's assertion that it is due to the fact that Gore presents his theories as values that people want to embrace, together with effective rhetoric and feelings of guilt. The paper further explains Kahan's view that this "cultural cognitive illiberalism" becomes the vehicle for self-interest and profit from the laws and legislation enacted in the name of preserving the planet.

From the Paper:

"In October, 2007, former Vice President of the United States, Al Gore, was awarded a shared Nobel Peace Prize for his work on global warming. In a New American article by William P. Hoar, the question of why Gore was awarded such a distinguished prize was examined. It was, posited Hoar, honoring Gore for his life-long commitment to the issue of global warming, which, admittedly, until recently, few people had taken him seriously about. The issue of global warming has come to the forefront of public attention because in fact, irrefutably, the polar glaciers are melting, and areas where glaciers that formed thousands of years ago are in fact seeing newly created land mass as those glaciers have disappeared."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Hoar, William P. "Al Gore Takes the Prize." The New American 26 Nov. 2007: 42+. Questia. 28 Apr. 2008 <http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5025008778>.
• Kahan, Dan M. "The Cognitively Illiberal State." Stanford Law Review 60.1 (2007): 115+. Questia. 28 Apr. 2008 <http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5024775979>.

More papers on Al Gore's Global Warming Theories:

• Research Paper # 109868 : "The Truth Behind Global Warming"
• Persuasive Essay # 112113 : "The Inconvenient Truth"

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