Luke_A_Somers comments on You're Entitled to Arguments, But Not (That Particular) Proof - Less Wrong

57 Post author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 15 February 2010 07:58AM

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Comment author: Luke_A_Somers 10 December 2011 06:12:50PM 0 points [-]

There are several factors that can limit] tree growth. Sometimes, low temperature is the bottleneck. So, the tree ring data can in any case be considered a reliable indicator of a floor on the temperature. It isn't any colder than this point.

They try to pick trees that are more likely to find low temperature the bottleneck. Sometimes it isn't.

That doesn't mean that the whole series is useless, even if they happen to be using it wrong (and I don't know that they are).