Answer to Question 1
Some evidence is anecdotal, but there is much evidence that is hard data. Proxies
are stand-ins for unmeasurable direct data. There were no thermometers installed hundreds
of thousands of years ago, but plenty of measurable effects that allow the mean temperature
at that time to be determined. Can we accord such evidence the same standing as a
thermometer reading? No, but the agreement of evidence from many sources, the gestalt, is
an indication of how compelling these data are.
Answer to Question 2
Absolutely. See the answer to 9 . Unless we can show that the model fails
somehow, any experimental test is meaningless scientifically.
