On November 28, three members of ASR’s Steering Committee — David Bailey and Lisa Johnson — attended the Whole Life Expo at the Convention Centre in Toronto. The expo is billed as “Canada’s largest showcase of natural health, alternative medicine, and eco-friendly lifestyles.”
Being a skeptic can be tricky; who should you trust?
Article by:
shadeydave @
1:21 am |
September 15, 2010
Filed under: Critical Thinking,Newsletter Articles,Skepticism
Filed under: Critical Thinking,Newsletter Articles,Skepticism
Open your mind, you new-age freak!
News, scams, and herbal supplements
Recently some vitamin supplement scams have been passed off as legitimate news articles from reputable-looking sites. Here are two examples:
Vaccines and autism: Is the message finally getting through?
Article by:
Dave Bailey @
8:14 pm |
Filed under: Antivaccination,Conspiracy Theories,Critical Thinking,Newsletter Articles,Skepticism
Filed under: Antivaccination,Conspiracy Theories,Critical Thinking,Newsletter Articles,Skepticism
Most skeptics will be familiar with the unfortunately popular notion that there is a link between vaccinations and autism. For the most part we see it as a manufactured controversy that has had only negative effects, such as decreased confidence in science-based medicine, increased and misplaced confidence in alternative medicine, and the suffering and death of children who have not received vaccinations or have not been protected by herd immunity.
Open Your Mind to Skepticism
Many of you are probably aware of the seemingly prevailing attitude that skeptics are closed-minded cynics. Some of you have no doubt experienced this accusation first-hand. But is it true?
What we’re up against: The issues skeptics examine
Article by:
ASR Resources Department @
3:42 pm |
August 8, 2007
Filed under: Critical Thinking,Skepticism
Filed under: Critical Thinking,Skepticism
Skepticism, in the sense that we use the word, is an approach of critical inquiry. It does not claim that we can know nothing. Nor is it opposed to belief. We all have and need beliefs to get through life.
A closer look at psychics
On February 13, 2004, Toronto-area skeptics attended a reenactment of highlights from the December 3, 2003 instalment of Larry King’s phone-in show. Skeptic Deirdre Breton, sporting a blonde wig, played purported psychic Sylvia Browne. David Gower wore Larry King’s suspenders. Francesca Groves stood in for the callers by adopting a variety of accents.
Tags: Cold Reading —
A magician’s perspective on ‘real’ magic
Long-time skeptics are well aware of the important role that magicians play within the skeptical community. A professional magician’s skills (used solely for purposes of entertainment) enable him or her to develop a keen awareness of the pitfalls and foibles of those darker, more malicious forms of deception, paranormal and pseudoscientific fraud. Granted, both the trained skeptic and the scientifically astute magician are able to view the world through a clearer lens of understanding than that of the average person. But the magicians, by virtue of their training, see a certain dark side to human nature: the illegitimate claim of self-proclaimed psychics to have been blessed with paranormal talents. This is truly an extraordinary claim, demanding extraordinary proof. These alleged talents (“gifts” as they are sometimes reverentially referred to) are akin to “black magic”: no scientific explanation is offered, and indeed no logical explanation is even considered possible.
Mental defence mechanisms and controversy (or, Why debating fails)
Older Posts » The strategies of mental defence mechanisms are learned during childhood, when the child needs a way to escape from the debilitating effects of fear. At the time, the fear is simple and “childish” — the boogie man, the monster under the bed and so on. Yet these threats are reasonable enough to the child, given his or her limited knowledge of the world. However, the anti-monster techniques are used later by adults who don’t want to think about real-world problems such as war, famine, torture and so on.
Tags: Argumentation —