I do not promote anyone with a scientific and rational mind to use scare tactics. With that said, those that promote pseudo-science and irrational thought will most certainly use this. Even I have been a victim.
Most recently I was asked to attend a certain multilevel marketing meeting to promote a 5-herb miracle drug. An MD (general practitioner) invited me, and it consisted of a video filled with fallacies, a talk given by a Reiki practitioner about the amazing supplement, and a chart showing how much money could be made for selling this snake oil (which Reiki woman mentioned, made it worthwhile even if the drug didn't work). I wrote to the person that invited me when I got home about the lack of proper science and the fallacies, but they said I just "didn't believe" in the science. I pointed to a few websites and blogs that dealt with this company and their product, upon which the scare tactic of " we know about these specific people, and we have a lot of money to sue them (and you)". That is the truth-- they do have a lot of money, and they can make threats to me for being critical of their flawed arguments. It is not fair that so many people will lose money and health by taking a placebo that eventually stops having the intended "placebo" effect.
I could mention names in this blog. I could mention the company, the product, and the people I know associated with it. I could tear them apart with science and studies. I could be another item on a Google search that they mark down on their chart as an enemy. Yet, I could be targeted and made to fall. Already this company has duped so many in this state. The owner of a certain business I teach at is going through a divorce, partially brought about by his wife's year-long secret of being part of this company (and failing at the business model). How big of a group would I need to critique this scheme and save people from a huge mistake?
BTW-- I started this section of my website because of this specific incident. I feel powerless against such a giant organization that uses fake science and business tactics to win over the less skeptical. I can of course disclose all the above to those that feel brave in such a situation (and have less to lose) privately...
When can people be held responsible for their ignorance?
Good science always!
Skepticism, at the heart, is about asking questions and finding answers in order to form a better understanding of something. On this website, and many others, you will already find information about the scientific method, which is the method of inquiry we all use to establish what we know at a given moment. You can thank thousands of people who lived before you for using science to make sense of the world around you (and keep you alive in a world full of bacteria, viruses, and flora and fauna that are also trying to survive, and do not care about your agenda). Science is not a noun, it is a verb, and it is always in motion. With that said, we do not all know how to use it properly, and often are met with conflicting evidence and differing opinions. Science has given us the tools to seek what we currently know, but we must train ourselves to weed through the arguments made for a certain knowledge in order to validate it. Traditionally, great minds build from one another, and a peer review process boasts or refutes the ideas of one in order to separate the more rational and factual from the personal biases of the thinker.
One way that can help to separate the wheat from the chaff (rational from irrational), is to recognize logical fallacies. If you are able to expose the pitfalls someone has taken in their argument, you can refute the validity of their claims. This is in light of not having conflicting evidence (one person may be very well prepared to defend their position, yet unaware that they have built it out of false notions-- the other needs to expose these notions). This is your first step in defending the scientific method. Without the rigor of editing and reviewing, we would not have the technology and education we have today (we would not have survived-- those that are wrong need to know and fix it).
Rather than list the logical fallacies, there are a few websites that make it very clear what they are and how they are used.
It is worth noting that it doesn't matter if you win an argument-- rarely do those that make logical fallacies change their mind or admit defeat (they remain ignorant). You can only take comfort in the fact that you used a tried and true process to help get to the root of what someone is trying to understand. The natural world doesn't care if you think you are wrong or right-- it just is.
Good Science!
This section of Humanity + Maine (now a blog) grew out of a need to educate the public about the greater need for critical thought about the discrepancy between evidence-based science and pseudo-science. We are amazing creatures, but we do not understand what we see until we understand how we see.I urge everyone to discover the Skeptic's Guide to the Universe podcast, and learn how the New England Skeptical Society has been promoting science and critical thought for many years. It is through their work, and others like them, that our global society can improve by the methods that have built our civilization: the scientific method.My job, as director of this site and a Maine resident, is to shine the light on what I see happening in my community, and be critical of the implications it has on the population. I am trained in behavioral science, and have researched for my own graduate studies for the past two years. Nonetheless, exposing my findings/ideas in a public space such as this will be a peer review opportunity that all research and findings must go through. We learn together. May the evidence speak.
Now that humanityplusmaine.org is gone, the contents of the site will appear in two blogs: this one and the Humanity + Maine blog. This particular blog will focus exclusively on skepticism and will cover many topics. I apologize for rants that get past editing, but I will not apologize for rational thoughts backed by evidence.
Good Science for All!
