David Deming facts for kids

Quick facts for kids David Deming
David Deming speaking to the United States Senate in 2006.
Born	1954 (age 70–71) Terre Haute, Indiana, US
Alma mater	Indiana University Bloomington, University of Utah
Scientific career
Fields	Geology, Hydro Geology, Political Commentary
Influences	Robert Heinlein, A.E. Van Vogt

David Deming (born 1954) is an American geologist and geophysicist. He is a professor at the University of Oklahoma in Norman. He finished high school in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1972. Later, he earned a degree in geology from Indiana University Bloomington in 1983. He then received his Ph.D. in geophysics from the University of Utah in 1988.

Before joining the University of Oklahoma in 1992, Deming worked at the U.S. Geological Survey in California. From 1992 to 2003, he was a professor in the School of Geology and Geophysics at the University of Oklahoma. Professor Deming is known for his strong opinions. He has written over thirty research papers and a textbook called Introduction to Hydrogeology. He also helps edit academic journals like Petroleum Geoscience and Ground Water.

David Deming's Ideas

Energy and Our Planet

David Deming believes that human progress comes from new technology. He thinks that as the world's population grows, our ability to find and use resources also grows. This is because new inventions help us do more with less. He has said that past predictions about running out of resources have been wrong. This is because they didn't consider how much technology would advance.

Deming also believes that the idea of "sustainability" can be misleading. He argues that today's technologies are always changing. So, we shouldn't expect them to last forever. Instead, he thinks we should keep inventing new and better ways to do things. He feels that technological progress is a natural part of human development.

He does not agree with "Peak Oil" theories. These theories suggest that oil production will reach a peak and then decline. Deming points out that predictions of oil shortages have been made for a long time, but they haven't come true. He says that estimates of oil reserves have actually increased over the years.

Deming thinks that alternative energy sources like wind and solar power are not yet ready to meet all our energy needs. He says they can be expensive and sometimes unreliable. He believes that fossil fuels (like oil and natural gas) are still important. They are abundant, reliable, and affordable. He also sees nuclear power as a way to provide a lot of energy for a long time.

He believes that cheap and plentiful energy from fossil fuels helped the United States become an industrial leader. He argues that human progress depends on having lots of affordable energy. He thinks we should stay positive, keep increasing our prosperity, and invest in education and research.

Climate Change Views

David Deming has questioned predictions about global warming. He has said that news reports sometimes create "media hysteria." He believes that journalists might not fully understand how scientific knowledge works.

In a 1995 study, Deming looked at temperature data from boreholes (deep holes in the ground). He concluded that the warming seen was still within the range of natural changes. He felt it was hard to say for sure that human activities were the cause.

In 1998, he wrote that current temperatures are actually colder than the average over the last 10,000 years. He also compared claims of 100% scientific agreement on global warming to an election where one person got 100% of the votes. He believes that science should always be open to new ideas and questions.

In 2006, Deming spoke to the US Senate. He said that the amount of warming in the past 150 years is not fully known. He also stated that we don't know if it's caused by humans or nature. He suggested that if the climate does warm, it might even be helpful for people. He warned against making big energy decisions based on what he called "misinformation."

He has also said that "too little is known about how the climate system works." He believes that no one has ever been harmed by global warming. In a debate, he argued that global warming is a scientific question, not a moral one. He also called the film An Inconvenient Truth a "propaganda film." He believes that carbon dioxide is not a pollutant and that warmer temperatures can be good for people.

In 2007, Deming wrote that the planet's temperature hadn't increased much for almost nine years. He said that hundreds of people died from cold weather, not global warming, that year.

Fairness in Society

David Deming has shared his thoughts on fairness in society, especially regarding jobs and opportunities. He believes that differences in job statistics don't always mean there is unfair treatment.

In 1995, he suggested that some differences between men and women in thinking skills might be natural. However, he also said that every person is unique, and treating people unfairly is wrong.

In 1998, he wrote that there might be natural differences that lead more men to choose fields like engineering. He noted that women often have better verbal skills, while men tend to be better at visual-spatial skills and math. He used an example of male and female rats in mazes to make his point.

Deming believes that in a free society, people make choices based on their abilities and interests. He argues that this can lead to different numbers of men and women in certain jobs. He has said that while there was unfair treatment against women in the past, he doesn't believe it's happening openly in the US today.

He also argues that fairness doesn't always mean having the exact same numbers of men and women in every situation. He pointed out that women in US colleges often get better grades and live longer than men. He questioned why, if fairness means equal numbers, there aren't similar discussions about other areas where men and women have different outcomes.

Gun Rights

David Deming has strong views on gun rights. In 1994, he co-wrote an article saying that the Second Amendment of the US Constitution protects an individual's right to own guns. He believes that this right exists whether it's written in the law or not. He has also stated that gun ownership is a "net benefit to our society."

Taking Responsibility

In 2008, Deming wrote about personal responsibility. He said that Americans should stop "whining like spoiled children" and take charge of their own lives. He believes that people should look to themselves for solutions to their problems, rather than relying on others.

Images for kids

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  David Deming speaking to the United States Senate in 2006.