Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/929459
32 WINES&VINES February 2018 VIEWPOINT you wouldn't think the best thing in the wine industry comes in a box. The references for this article are available online at winesandvines.com/features. Pereat mundus dum ego salvus sim: Let the world perish as long as I am safe. But they are no safer than you and I; they simply value their wealth and the status quo. Directly and conclusively linking climate change to weather has admittedly been dif- ficult, a fact the heretics point out on a regu- lar basis. But asking for direct scientific evidence in this case is like attempting to vindicate that poor eyesight or arthritis are caused by old age. They are not, but they are certainly related. I believe the argument for and against man- made climate change is reminiscent of Pascal's Wager. Blaise Pascal was a French fideistic philosopher who proposed a wager to his col- leagues who did not believe in God. The wager, and you had to bet, was his way of demonstrat- ing the importance of seeing the world the way you would like it to be. Pascal wrote: "You can wager there is no God. If you are right, what do you gain? Ab- solutely nothing. What do you lose? Infinitively everything. You can bet there is a God, and if you are wrong, what do you lose? Absolutely nothing. If you wager there is a God and you are right, what do you gain? Infinitely every- thing including eternal salvation. Faced with the choice of no detriment and such a gain, who would not at least want there to be a God?" The analogy seems appropriate. What do you (and the rest of us) lose if you bet against man-made climate change and are wrong? Everything, including a livable planet! Only when the deniers and capitalists are brought on board will significant progress be made. Mahatma Gandhi discussed the concept of svadharma outlined in the Bhagavad Gita. The idea is that that each member of a society has a collective duty, a responsibility, indeed an obligation to work to bring forth the values he or she endorses. The modern equivalent: If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem! Dr. Bruce Zoecklein is enology professor emeritus at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va. What do you (and the rest of us) lose if you bet against man-made climate change and are wrong? Everything, including a livable planet! C M Y CM MY CY CMY K WVDirectory_Third_Page_Square_Premier_Wine_Cask_Outlined.pdf 1 2017-10-29 8:22 PM