Details
Category: Swift
Hits: 20895

Scientific skepticism is, perhaps above all else, a process for looking at claims and evidence. Skeptics value that process above any particular conclusion that it may come to. Conclusions are tentative and need to be updated and almost perpetually refined. It is therefore folly to invest one's ego in any particular static conclusion, although that is the common "default mode" of human behavior. By investing in the process, however, we are free to alter our tentative conclusions as new evidence or arguments come in.

Saying that we value the process, however, is only the beginning. Understanding how to evaluate complex bodies of evidence is a lifelong endeavor in and of itself. That is why I don't understand those who criticize skeptical writing and lectures as "preaching to the choir," as if once someone self-identifies as a skeptic the battle is over. Rather, we need to continuously educate ourselves and each other about the findings of science as well as the many complex ways in which to think about claims and evidence.

With that in mind, I would like to address a habit of argument that is unfortunately common, even among skeptics - referencing a single study as support for a position, or as if the conclusion of the study can then be taken as an established premise.

Details
Category: Swift
Hits: 29754

Would you believe it? Just one month ago I blogged here about my experience trying to cure my cold using Coldcalm, a homeopathic remedy manufactured by alternative-medicine giant, Boiron. You may remember this video, wherein I questioned Boiron about the fact that their "medicine" has no active ingredients in it, and asked for a refund:

 

Just today, I opened my mailbox to find one refund cheque from Boiron in the exact amount I paid: $10.29. Interestingly, the company felt it necessary to send me my refund by certified mail, costing them an extra $6 in postage.

Boiron

It would seem that if a person wanted to make a dent in Boiron's bottom line, they would only have to buy a package of Coldcalm (or one of their other homeopathic remedies) and demand a refund for being sold sugar pills in lieu of medicine, thereby costing the company not only the wholesale price of the product, but also a hefty postage fee. Not that I would ever recommend such a thing.  

But there's better news. In response to six class action lawsuits, Boiron has decided to add a disclaimer to their products, stating that their claims have not been evaluated, and describing the almost-unbelievable homeopathic dilution process. It's a step in the right direction, but it doesn't address the customers who have already bought Boiron remedies, thinking they are actual medicine, only to learn that it's got nothing in it. Encourage Boiron to lengthen their return policy so everyone can get their money back when they realize they've been duped. Click here to take action

 

Carrie Poppy is the co-host of the investigative podcast Oh No, Ross and Carrie. She plans to spend her $10.29 on a beet burger.

Details
Category: Swift
Hits: 21672

We are bombarded daily with more information than ever before in human history. Even our youngest have 24/7 access to a world of knowledge. We make information a part of our culture and our everyday lives. Especially in the age of the Internet, it is important to understand how people seek information and how they process it once they get it. For decades, psychologists have considered different models that attempt to describe the seeking and processing of information, and how this affects critical thought. One of these models, The Heuristic-Systematic Model (HSM) described by communications researcher Shelly Chaiken in the 1980’s, views human information processing as a dual-process. We can make quick, gut feeling, and often biased decisions about information or we can critically evaluate them, looking for evidence and weighing the alternatives. Human information processing is then broken into heuristic and systematic seeking/processing. [You may recognize this dual-process as what Daniel Kahneman describes as system 1 and system 2 thinking.]

Details
Category: Swift
Hits: 19302

psychicreaderWell, the infamous Marks family of Fort Lauderdale, professional gypsies who use the venerable “bazhoor” – rhymes with “azure” – to separate the terminally beguiled from their money, is in the headlines again. Rose Marks, currently considered the head of the family, is depending on her lawyer Michael Gottlieb, who explains that Rose and her eight family members were only helping their “clients” via their devout religious convictions. In the current atmosphere of jaw-dropping naivety about mystical religious claims, so well promulgated and flouted in the colorful Republican contest for the White House, the Florida gypsies were just trying to remove the obviously bad “vibrations” that radiated from their clients' cash and jewelry, explains Rose. Those evil spirits, whether of the Christian or the Romany variety, can be tough to banish, and sometimes the money and the baubles must be kept in treatment for a long time, as we all know.

Details
Category: Latest JREF News
Hits: 5579

ohloneThis Friday, April 13, James Randi will be speaking at Ohlone College in Fremont, CA. The night's topic: "Prophecy, Divination, and Faith Healing". As of this writing, the event is sold out, though there may be room at the door. For more details about the event, click here.

Randi is extremely excited about this event, and he relishes the opportunity to speak to campus groups all over the world. If you would like to explore bringing James Randi or other JREF speakers to your area, just contact the JREF's field coordinator Brian Thompson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

  1. Last Week At Science-Based Medicine
  2. JREF Media Roundup, April 6, 2012
  3. Updates from the Field
  4. 2012 Pigasus Awards Announcement