Never ask a man if sexism exists. Never ask a white person if racism exists. Never ask Scott McGreal over at Psychology Today if there is a scientific taboo against ESP. Ask four-time president of the Parapsychology Association, Dean Radin:
Category: Skepticism
Pseudoscience, Pseudo-skepticism and Rejection Bias
Everyone has heard of pseudoscience— unscientific ideas masquerading in the guise of science. But its corrolary is less well known. Pseudo-skepticism is also unscientific ideas masquerading in the guise of science. Pseudo-skeptics are also known as debunkers but I prefer the former term as it rightly notes that pseudoscience and pseudo-skepticism are two sides of… Continue reading Pseudoscience, Pseudo-skepticism and Rejection Bias
Heretical Science
Nobel Laureate Brian Josephson’s lecture on heretical science. He pokes holes in popular skeptic arguments against telepathy, whether water can have a memory (homeopathy), cold fusion and intelligent design. 1 hour, time well spent. Available on the University of Cambridge web site. I loved the name of the talk so much, I added that as… Continue reading Heretical Science
Rupert Sheldrake, Dogs and Owners, and Skeptics
Simon Thorpe is the Deputy Director of the Brain and Cognitive Research Center in Toulouse France. Below is a video talk from him about paranormal phenomena, where he in particular discusses Rupert Sheldrake’s study into whether dogs know when their owners are coming home.
The Inverse Correlation Between Knowledge and Confidence
“It has often and confidently been asserted, that man’s origin can never be known: but ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge: it is those who know little, and not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by science.” – Charles Darwin, The Descent… Continue reading The Inverse Correlation Between Knowledge and Confidence
On Bias and Hyperbole
Bertrand Russell, in his 1918 Mysticism and Logic and Other Essays (a free eBook), noted that a person who is inclined to believe in mysticism becomes favorable to any arguments supporting such beliefs: When the intensity of [mystic] emotional conviction subsides, a man who is in the habit of reasoning will search for logical grounds… Continue reading On Bias and Hyperbole