Morgan Freeman: I think people resisting the idea of climate change are stupid

Freeman: We don’t see that as a political potato at all. There’s been a lot of talk about the 1 percent as opposed to the 99 percent, but I don’t think that really figures into the idea of a world of economics, as it were. Do you know what I mean? The question itself — it’s just sort of under the realm, the idea of genetics. There’s also environmental input, nurturing input and two or three others.

Younger: There are a lot of factors. Genetic is the smallest of factors how well you do in life, and clearly your environment is the most important thing. We do touch on some interesting new research, which is quite controversial, which touches on different periods in countries’ histories, where different mixes of people create a more or less economically productive society.

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If you look at a lot of environmental or sociological problems that would seem to have scientific solutions — for instance, climate change — people sometimes are resistant to looking into scientific answers. Do you think the scientific method has fallen out of favor and are you trying to bring it back with the series?

Freeman: My answer to that is too simple, I have to let James talk about it. I think the people who are resisting the idea of climate change are stupid. [laughs]

Younger: I think the show, it’s difficult to make a show about climate change when, what you’re going to do is say, Yes, it’s real, get used to it. I think that’s true but it’s not necessarily good entertainment, because the people who believe it are going to be bummed out and the people who don’t believe are not going to change their minds. So we’re taking a different tack: We’re not trying to change people’s minds, we’re trying to open people’s minds, engage their sense of philosophy and wonder about how the world works. So really, we try not to ever preach to people on any side of a subject. But we also aren’t afraid to say anything about anything. Is poverty genetic? Well, we aren’t afraid to ask the question. A couple seasons ago we asked, Is there a superior race? We’re not afraid to ask the question. So we go anywhere with the scientific method and we’ll allow people to make their own minds up.

http://www.salon.com/2014/06/03/morgan_freeman_i_think_people_resisting_the_idea_of_climate_change_are_stupid/