Fossil fuels prompt lively debate at BCoE presentation
March 23, 2015
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Controversial author Alex Epstein provoked mixed emotions and lively debate while presenting his views on fossil fuels and the future of energy production at a March 18 presentation on Mississippi State University’s campus.
The author of “The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels” and “Fossil Fuels Improve the Planet” was invited to speak as part of the Bagley College of Engineering’s Distinguished Lecture Series.
His visit sparked interest across the Bagley College, which has a world-renowned reputation for alternative energy research and a recently reinstated petroleum engineering degree program that is the only one of its kind in the state.
“It’s important for the college to expose our students to a variety of ideas and facilitate intellectual debate,” interim dean Jason Keith said. “Energy issues will be important to the world and it’s important that our next generation of engineers understand the many facets of the debate.”
Epstein, who holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Duke University, makes a case for the continued and increased use of fossil fuels by saying these products are the world’s most reliable forms of energy—energy that is necessary to maintain our quality of life and power the technological advances that will improve it.
Throughout the lecture Epstein sought to illustrate how environmentalists and alternative energy advocates have unfairly vilified fossil fuels and highlight the unique benefits offered by this type of fuel.
Following Epstein’s presentation, a panel of Mississippi State University experts joined him on stage to provide a variety of viewpoints in answering audience questions. Todd French, an associate professor and biofuel researcher, represented the Bagley College of Engineering, while John Bickle, head of the philosophy and religion department; Renee Clary, an associate professor of geology; and K. Raja Reddy, a research professor in plant and soil sciences, represented other disciplines central to the fossil fuel debate.
For more information about the Epstein event and the Bagley College of Engineering, visit www.bagley.msstate.edu.