Alex Epstein (American writer)

For the Israeli writer, see Alex Epstein. For the reality show contestant, see Alex Epstein (The Apprentice).
Alex Epstein
Nationality United States
Field Energy, Environment, Industry, Fossil Fuels, Philosophy
School or
tradition		 Objectivism
Alma mater Duke University
(B.A.) 2002
Influences Thomas Sowell, Ayn Rand

Alex Epstein (/ˈælɪks ˈɛpstaɪn/; born 1980)[1] is an American author, energy theorist and industrial policy expert.[2] He is the founder and President of the Center for Industrial Progress, a for-profit think tank located in Laguna Hills, California, and a former fellow of the Ayn Rand Institute.[3][4][5] Epstein is also the New York Times bestselling author of The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels, which champions the use of fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas.[6][7] Epstein is an adjunct scholar at the Cato Institute.[8]

Personal life

Alex Epstein grew up in Chevy Chase, Maryland, and attended Montgomery County Public Schools.[1] In childhood his favorite subjects were mathematics and science, and in high school he became interested in politics and humanities. He cites Ayn Rand as his greatest influence, having been especially impressed by her novel Atlas Shrugged. Among his other favorite writers is Thomas Sowell.[9]

From 1998 to 2002, Epstein earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from Duke University, where for two years he was the editor and publisher of The Duke Review[10] and where he also studied computer science.[9]

Epstein lives in Southern California.[1]

Career

Ayn Rand Institute

After university, Epstein knew that he wanted to be a professional intellectual but also that he did not want to go to graduate school or to work at a university. He became a freelance writer, and two years later joined the Ayn Rand Institute, a non-profit organization in Irvine, California, that promotes Ayn Rand's novels and her philosophy of Objectivism.[9] Epstein was a writer and fellow at the Ayn Rand Institute between 2004 and 2011, where he specialized in business issues.[11] There he became interested in energy issues.[9]

Center for Industrial Progress

In 2011, Epstein founded the Center for Industrial Progress (CIP), an advocacy group/think tank whose mission is, “to bring about a new industrial revolution.”[12] The CIP has taken positions on numerous policies and legislation regarding energy, notably having supported the Keystone XL Pipeline in 2014.[13]

Epstein and the CIP challenges the belief that the consumption of fossil fuels has a negative effect on society, arguing that recent gains in public health and safety were achieved not in spite of mankind’s reliance on carbon energy but, in large measure, because of it.[14] The CIP was also critical of the U.N. Climate Summit, citing its lack of focus and questioning the effort to cut carbon emissions and reshape the world economy while disregarding the impact on growth.[15][16][17]

In 2012 Epstein debated American environmentalist Bill McKibben while representing the CIP at an event held at Duke University.[18]

In 2016 Epstein testified before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee at the invitation of the committee's chairman, James Inhofe (R-OK). Epstein suggested that rising carbon dioxide levels "benefit plants and Americans." His remarks prompted committee member Barbara Boxer to protest Epstein's appearance. "You're a philosopher and not a scientist," Boxer protested, "and I don't appreciate being lectured by a philosopher and not a scientist."[19][20]

The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels

In 2014, Epstein’s book The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels was published by Penguin Random House. The book posits that experts and laymen alike greatly underestimate the benefits of fossil fuels while greatly overestimating their costs.[21] The book makes the distinction between "humanists"—"someone on a human standard of value, [who] treats the rest of nature as something to use for his benefit"—and a "nonhumanist", who "treats the rest of nature as something that must be served."[4]

Reception

The book received mixed reviews, with Jay Lehr of The Heartland Institute saying, "Written in a conversational style that is easy to read and understand, this book can serve as a layman's guide, refuting the absurd claims that man controls the climate, while explaining why the current abundance of oil and gas due to hydraulic fracturing will leave all efforts to impose wind and solar energy in our rear-view mirrors."[22]

Critical reviews can be found in Our World, a publication of the United Nations University,[23] Inside Higher Ed,[24] The Huffington Post,[25] and the UK newspaper The Guardian.[26] Most of these critical reviews note Epstein's close association with conservative advocacy groups, funding by the Koch Brothers and Epstein's pro-carbon opinions that run counter to the prevailing scientific conclusion that the rise of greenhouse gasses is bad rather than good for the future of the globe. The Guardian's review, for example, concludes that "[u]nfortunately for everyone concerned, the 'moral case for coal' doesn’t track with what trained climate scientists and reputable energy experts tell us. If we continue to emit carbon, the climate change which is already in train will become catastrophically worse, and the only way out is to transition as quickly as possible to renewables."[26]

In 2014, Epstein was interviewed by Peter Thiel at an event hosted by the energy startup Tachyus. Thiel also provided a blurb for the book[27]

In December 2014, political commentator John McLaughlin called Epstein "most original thinker of the year" for his book during McLaughlin's yearly The McLaughlin Group roundup.[28]

Epstein's work has been featured by reviewers and commentators in outlets like Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, The Daily Caller, Al Jazeera, Press-Enterprise, and others.[29][30][31][32] In 2013, Rolling Stone placed Epstein and the Center for Industrial Progress on their list of top Global Warming Deniers.[33]

Bibliography

References

  1. 1 2 3 "The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels". The Heritage Foundation. November 17, 2014. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Making the Case for the Benefits of Fossil Fuels". Bloomberg.
  3. ↑ Richardson, Valerie. "Pro-fossil fuel advocate roughed up by climate change activists". Washington Times.
  4. 1 2 Armstrong, Arl Alex Epstein on the Moral Case for Fossil Fuels. "The Objective Standard". January 14, 2015
  5. ↑ Alex Epstein “The Ayn Rand Institute” January 13, 2015
  6. ↑ Best Selling Science Books. "The New York Times". December 15, 2014
  7. ↑ Broughton, Delves Philip Making ‘The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels’. "The Wall Street Journal". January 13, 2015
  8. ↑ http://www.cato.org/people/alex-epstein Retrieved February 4, 2016
  9. 1 2 3 4 Lipana, Joshua (November 17, 2011). "Interview with Alex Epstein, Founder of Center for Industrial Progress". The Objective Standard. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Energy". Ayn Rand Institute. September 23, 2008. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  11. ↑ "Alex Epstein". Ayn Rand Institute. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  12. ↑ About Us “Center for Industrial Progress” January 1, 2015
  13. ↑ Hassan, Sara House passes bill on Keystone XL pipeline “Al Jazeera America”. January 13, 2015
  14. ↑ Lewis, Marlo Some Free Market Talking Points on the Keystone XL Pipeline Amendments. "GlobalWarming.org". January 13, 2015.
  15. ↑ Rogers, James UN calls for ‘all hands on deck’ to tackle climate change “Fox News”. January 14, 2015
  16. ↑ Rogers, James UN touts Climate Summit successes Fox News February 5, 2015,
  17. ↑ Zurbin, Robert Fossil Fuels and Morality. "National Review". January 16, 2015.
  18. ↑ "DEBATE: McKibben vs. Epstein—Are Fossil Fuels a Risk to the Planet?". EcoWatch.
  19. ↑ "CLIMATE: 'Moral Case for Fossil Fuels' sparks angry Senate debate". www.eenews.net. Retrieved 2016-04-19.
  20. ↑ "Examining the Role of Environmental Policies on Access to Energy and Economic Opportunity". U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. Retrieved 2016-04-19.
  21. ↑ Caplan, Bryan The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels: The Thesis "Library of Economics and Liberty". January 14, 2015
  22. ↑ Lehr, Jay Book Review: The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels. The Heartland Institute. January 13, 2015
  23. ↑ "Review: "The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels" — Really? - Our World". ourworld.unu.edu. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  24. ↑ "Higher Education Blogs | Blog U". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  25. ↑ "Fossil Fuel Immorality". The Huffington Post. December 17, 2014. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  26. 1 2 "There is no 'moral case for coal' in Australia, just an imported PR line". The Guardian. October 22, 2015. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  27. ↑ The Moral Case Rising “Center for Industrial Progress”. January 16, 2014
  28. ↑ "The McLaughlin Group 12/26/14".
  29. ↑ Stossel, John Fossil fuels are no catastrophe. They have made our lives better Fox News. January 14, 2015
  30. ↑ Stossel, John Best of 2014 Fox Business January 14, 2015
  31. ↑ Epstein, Alex 9 Graphs That prove Using Fossil Fuels Hasn't Harmed The Planet The Daily Caller. January 16, 2015.
  32. ↑ Epstein, Alex Fossil Alex Epstein: The moral case for fossil fuels Al Jazeera Press-Enterprise. January 16, 2015.
  33. ↑ Fossil Global Warming's Denier Elite. Rolling Stone. January 16, 2015.

External links

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