Editor:

I want to express my agreement with, and appreciation of Rasoul Sorkhabi’s column (“Oil is first discovered in the mind,” Oct. 21).

The claim that we are going to run out of oil is not a serious scientific viewpoint, but rather a political scare tactic used by environmentalist pressure groups-not to preserve precious natural resources, but to preserve vast tracts of “pristine” arctic wasteland.

In fact, as Sorkhabi explained so eloquently, there is no reason to fear the depletion of oil reserves.

And were oil to become scarce, we would likely find some better source of energy-just as when wood became scarce in medieval Europe, coal was discovered as an alternative energy source. When some thought coal was running out, people in 19th-century America learned how to derive energy from oil.

There is no reason to fear the depletion of our oil reserves. We should use it while it is available and convenient.

In the meantime, let’s search for either other energy sources or improving and increasing our use of nuclear power.

Andrew Vidrine

Senior, Philosophy