Scientists are to blame

An Italian court's decision to jail six scientists for failing to warn of a deadly earthquake could force experts to go ''beyond common sense'' when assessing potential quake risks, a Christchurch expert says.

Isn't it great how the courts can find scientists guilty of failing to conduct science?

More proof the courts are not necessarily a place where one would find justice, let alone common sense.

Perhaps too many scientists have been pushing the line the science is settled, and it's setting unreasonable expectations?

In New Zealand, a lot of money is being spent on building strengthening. Perhaps billions. If a big enough earthquake causes the buildings to fall down anyway, will the scientists be to blame?


Court ruling underscores Man's ability to reason

And hunting around the internet, here is another POV (quote also below the break) that suggests the crime was not about failure to predict the earthquake, but more about the scientists downplaying the risks and putting politics above science.  Might be worth reading the details of the judgement. when it is available.

You all keep imagining competent but naive scientists that made a difficult decision regarding a prediction based on their professional experience
This is not exactly the case
They are highly paid members of a board of an institution that exists to provide a board members fro members to sit on and they are more politician than scientist by a mile.
They colluded with Bertolaso, the then head of the Civil Protection agency (another incredibly corrupt white elephant) to deliberately downplay the risks
They also bullied and legally silenced another scientist who had been trying to raise the alarm (fine, his prediction was a few days and kms off but so? he needed to be immediately silenced?)
Over 300 people died a few days later, sleeping cozily in their bed thinking that they were safe and some deluded scientist had been thankfully shut up
Most probably in the end they will get a year or two which will be prescribed anyway so it isn't as though they will actually be spending time in jail. They will basically end up paying a hefty monetary compensation to the public. Sounds fine with me.
Now, they should start looking into locking up the government officials and politicians that are the real cause of the disastrous management of the Aquila earthquake