General Discussion

Locrian

(4,523 posts)

19. I get your concern...

Mon Jan 6, 2014, 08:39 AM

Jan 2014

And I do agree that some is dangerous...

That said - what *also* bothers me is the tendency for people to follow the herd in terms of trusting the 'information cascade' without actually doing the research. That applies to "woo" *and* to "mainstream" stuff too.

Anyone who reads a story on a 'study' that says to the effect "*they* say this...." w/o researching

a) who did the study
b) who benefits from the study
c) what did the ACTUAL study say

is just as guilty as a 'woo believer'. There are too many people blindly following authority just as much as following woo. And too many pretending to be 'scientific' w/o doing even a basic review of the data. (disclaimer - not all, but a significant number are using argument by authority).

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As a scientifically minded person. The propensity for the left to go for "woo"... [View all] Locut0s Jan 2014 OP

Are you a scientist in real life pnwmom Jan 2014 #1

Are you a politician in real life?... Locut0s Jan 2014 #2

A lot of people here have been claiming a scientific expertise pnwmom Jan 2014 #3

Science isn't some impenetrable Gray edifice... Locut0s Jan 2014 #5

I agree. And I know enough scientists personally pnwmom Jan 2014 #6

So you are saying that debunking pseudoscience is speaking for scientists?... Locut0s Jan 2014 #7

You may find this interesting Shankapotomus Jan 2014 #21

the link doesn't work but the concept makes a great deal of sense to me. Voice for Peace Jan 2014 #58

link fixed Shankapotomus Jan 2014 #87

"There is no such thing as political expertise" Lizzie Poppet Jan 2014 #43

Scientific literacy is different than being formally trained as a physicist. Gore1FL Jan 2014 #52

Is scientist a job or a method? The Straight Story Jan 2014 #4

Where in the OP does the poster claim to be a scientist? intaglio Jan 2014 #22

I think there should be equal opportunity skepticism. pnwmom Jan 2014 #25

Question Big Pharma, yes. NuclearDem Jan 2014 #29

No they see credulous persons like yourself intaglio Jan 2014 #36

In any large group of individuals, some will always be closer to various fringes. eShirl Jan 2014 #8

This is true... Locut0s Jan 2014 #10

not necessarily observer bias eShirl Jan 2014 #14

Ok agreed... Locut0s Jan 2014 #16

or unquestioning obedience to your doctor, rather than prayer Voice for Peace Jan 2014 #60

Some Woo That You May Choose To Reconsider cantbeserious Jan 2014 #9

Well, Quantum Enigma is not woo intaglio Jan 2014 #35

Both Topics Interlaced And Related At The Quantum Level cantbeserious Jan 2014 #38

Whargarble eom intaglio Jan 2014 #40

Non Responsive Post cantbeserious Jan 2014 #44

So was yours intaglio Jan 2014 #45

English Written Clearly - One Might Try It Sometime cantbeserious Jan 2014 #46

you haven't read any of my previous posts intaglio Jan 2014 #47

Have Read Them All - All Judged Non Responsive By Woo Fighter - Fight On cantbeserious Jan 2014 #49

Non-responsive Whargarble intaglio Jan 2014 #50

Non Responsive Post cantbeserious Jan 2014 #82

So you cannot be bothered to write more than one phrase or sentence intaglio Jan 2014 #84

Is that you Deepak Chopra? gcomeau Jan 2014 #63

Ad Hominem Attacks - The Worst Of The Logical Fallacies cantbeserious Jan 2014 #67

Please go learn what an "ad hominem attack" is. gcomeau Jan 2014 #68

Once Again - An Ad Hominem Attack - Vacuous Accusations cantbeserious Jan 2014 #72

Wow, you really do like to use terms you don't understand don't you? gcomeau Jan 2014 #73

Wow - Deflection Of The Highest Order - Well Played cantbeserious Jan 2014 #74

Pointing out what is happening is "deflection" now? gcomeau Jan 2014 #75

Yup. Woo Woo credo #10 SidDithers Jan 2014 #76

Your comment that: "In all cases highlighted by Dr Tucker the children were either schooled...... LongTomH Jan 2014 #79

Check James Randi's site for detail. intaglio Jan 2014 #85

I won't ignore it, despite your ad hominem LongTomH Jan 2014 #89

Quantum physics works the same whether the observer is a human or a computer FarCenter Jan 2014 #81

Tell That To The Authors, Not The Poster cantbeserious Jan 2014 #83

You are the one proposing that these books be taken seriously intaglio Jan 2014 #86

Just an idea truebluegreen Jan 2014 #11

Anti-science Beliefs Jeopardize US Democracy etherealtruth Jan 2014 #12

I think you are right. I was too quick to jump the gun... Locut0s Jan 2014 #13

Look at the polling regarding belief in evolution etherealtruth Jan 2014 #15

"Republican science denialism tends to be motivated by antiregulatory fervor and fundamentalist pampango Jan 2014 #17

It rings rather true etherealtruth Jan 2014 #18

Industry, abetted by its paid scientists, has a long history of hiding pnwmom Jan 2014 #26

and Locrian Jan 2014 #33

I get your concern... Locrian Jan 2014 #19

This is true... Locut0s Jan 2014 #20

exactly - thanks for getting it Locrian Jan 2014 #24

Your points a,b,and c are very valid and extremely important etherealtruth Jan 2014 #30

Woo is just..... BrainDrain Jan 2014 #23

Then acupuncture is not "woo," despite the repeated claims here. pnwmom Jan 2014 #27

The "woo" in acupuncture is the attempts to explain how it works. jeff47 Jan 2014 #54

The western doctors who use it acknowledge they don't know how or why it works. pnwmom Jan 2014 #71

Again, the woo is the attempts to explain how it works. jeff47 Jan 2014 #77

The biggest UFO nuts I've met klook Jan 2014 #28

It's not just a "left" thing ProudToBeBlueInRhody Jan 2014 #31

Politics... the greatest woo of them all. LanternWaste Jan 2014 #32

Ha! I think you may be right. ZombieHorde Jan 2014 #53

You are not a doctor. NOBODY asked you for medical advice. Romulox Jan 2014 #34

I agree. I think one of the big problems is that... stevenleser Jan 2014 #37

There is nothing wrong with disagreeing. What is wrong is the obsession some have with liberal_at_heart Jan 2014 #39

I rec this post. Voice for Peace Jan 2014 #61

I would agree if I didn't think they were helping to perpetuate frauds... Humanist_Activist Jan 2014 #70

I'm surprised that you can make the leap to "anti-scientific" for people who embrace alternative Sheldon Cooper Jan 2014 #41

Fair enough LeftishBrit Jan 2014 #57

yes. thankyou. Voice for Peace Jan 2014 #62

Why shocked at woo on the left? thesquanderer Jan 2014 #42

Einstein (a pretty cool scientist): "The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious... polichick Jan 2014 #48

For cripes sake... gcomeau Jan 2014 #64

For cripes sake, nobody said it was. Think harder. polichick Jan 2014 #80

The left is more idealistic and chafes at the constraints of reality FarCenter Jan 2014 #51

Woo is literally killing people. Vashta Nerada Jan 2014 #55

I don't think it's a predominantly left-wing attitude at all LeftishBrit Jan 2014 #56

My opinion.. the right has way more woo, just a different sort. Voice for Peace Jan 2014 #59

Not just more ... but, widely accepted! etherealtruth Jan 2014 #65

Woo isn't specific to a party. Just ignore the nutters. Xithras Jan 2014 #66

Good post. nt laundry_queen Jan 2014 #90

I don't think liberals are any more prone to woo. lumberjack_jeff Jan 2014 #69

Oh good grief, stop with the woo!!! Will hide any post I see with that word. madfloridian Jan 2014 #78

Let me offer you a slightly different view of this nadinbrzezinski Jan 2014 #88

And the other physics theory that is so interesting pnwmom Jan 2014 #91

I have re-read that one a few times nadinbrzezinski Jan 2014 #92

Yes! I was just writing something about that yesterday. pnwmom Jan 2014 #93

I have no doubt that god does not exist nadinbrzezinski Jan 2014 #94

"The more you learn, the more you know you don't know." pnwmom Jan 2014 #95

When I turn off my computer where does the information stored in RAM go? FarCenter Jan 2014 #96

Not at the quantum level nadinbrzezinski Jan 2014 #98

I think questioning if money is influencing science is fair game but beliefs that fly in the face Quixote1818 Jan 2014 #97