Posts Tagged science
I Wonder: Real Medicine
Posted by Marsh in 10:23, Pseudomedicine, Skepticism, science on January 4th, 2010
Sometimes I wonder about wonder. I’ll clarify – lately I’ve been hearing the same kind of sentiment expressed in many different ways, and from sources ranging from woo-peddlers to people I love and respect: ‘The thing that gets me about skeptics and skepticism is they take the wonder out of life’. The notion of taking the wonder out of life has never sat easy with me – for one thing, I feel like life becomes more wonderful when you take the mysticism and superstition out of it. What’s more, once you’ve removed those extraneous distractions you’re able to appreciate the world for how it really is, and see the wonder that exists in reality. And in my eyes, somewhat ironically, one of areas where the wonder of a mysticism-free reality is most apparent is the very same area that tends to get the most criticism leveled at it: the defence of real medicine against the pseudomedical.
Right now, here at the Merseyside Skeptics Society, we’re well underway with our plans for the 10:23 campaign – a campaign which will become more vocal in the early parts of this year, and one which has had a somewhat mixed response in some circles. The reason for much of the criticism (excepting that of the predictably irate and irrational homeopathic community), arises where perhaps the intention behind the campaign is misunderstood. Because we’re looking to ‘take on’ homeopathy and the claims made by homeopaths, this is seen by some as an act of aggression and negativity. Plaintiff calls of ‘Leave them alone, everyone has a right to believe what they want!’ and ‘People should be free to choose what they like’ ring out in our general direction. But I think these complaints perhaps miss the point being made – it’s not a case of attacking pseudomedicine, it’s a case of defending conventional medicine from the attacks of those of the alternative industries. While doctors and surgeons and nurses save lives, homeopaths and chiropractors and acupuncturists lambast what they see as the failures of medicine, to the detriment of the reputation of real healthcare. Read the rest of this entry »
Evidence Check Evidence Check (or; What The Papers Say)
Posted by Mike in 10:23, Government, Homeopathy, Pseudomedicine, Public Health on December 7th, 2009
Over the last couple of weeks, the Commons Committee on Science and Technology held a couple of their “evidence check” sessions, looking at homeopathy. Sessions such as this are held to examine whether there is evidence to support government policy.
The oral hearings take the form of witnesses with relevant backgrounds being quizzed by committee members. Witnesses for the first of these sessions included the legendary Ben Goldacre, Edzard Ernst from the University of Exeter, and Tracey Brown from the charity Sense About Science. Speakers in favour of homeopathy included Paul Bennett from Boots, Peter Fisher from the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital, and Robert Wilson from the British Association of Homeopathic Manufacturers.
The big thing that came out of this hearing, from a rhetorical point of view, was the admission by Paul Bennett that Boots did not believe homeopathy to be effective – but they sell it anyway because of consumer demand. This lead to us here at Merseyside Skeptics drafting An Open Letter to Alliance Boots, calling upon them to withdraw the product. If you haven’t done so already, or even if you have, please check out the letter. Digg it, tweet it, repost it, write about it. Help up make some noise!
Ahem.
The pro-homeopathy witnesses, when challenged, mentioned a number of studies which they claimed supported the idea that homeopathy has strong effects beyond placebo. So I thought I’d look up a few of the studies mentioned and see what those studies actually say.
Darwin, Evolution, Hitler and the Public Misunderstanding of Science
Posted by Chris in Evolution, Skepticism, science on November 24th, 2009
Chuck D
Some of you may know that this year is the anniversary both of 200 years since Charles Darwin’s birth and 150 years since the publication of his seminal work, On the Origin of the Species. That book was in fact published 150 years ago TODAY, 24thNovember 1859. I’m afraid that this has turned into more of an essay than a blog post and for that I apologise. I hope you think it’s worth it! Given the occasion I think an essay on Darwin is forgivable… First, I want to make a few specific comments about a newspaper article on the abuse of evolutionary theory. I will then provide a brief summary of an article that answers many of the points raised in terms of science in general. I’ll move onto a specific discussion on evolution before providing the other side of the evolution-ethics debate (too-rarely promoted) in the final section.
The Trouble with “Darwinism”?
An article on the Times website recently highlighted the links between high school shootings and the theory of evolution. A point by point rebuttal of the article is not really necessary. The piece is well-written and (on the whole) accurately reported. However, it is also solely directed towards getting a controversial, narrow point of view across and is, therefore, extremely biased. While an article on the good and evil associated with the theory of evolution would provide a fascinating read, the tramping out of menacing photographs of youths pointing guns at cameras, students in tears in the aftermath of a shooting and a shrine set up to the dead alongside quotes from those same gun-toting students, ignorant American celebrities and those who have a vested interest in discrediting evolutionary theory only serves to obscure and sensationalise the debate. The author is simply piggy-backing on the emotional outcry that followed those earlier stories. The dubious links between scientific theories and hypotheses and their application to the real world were the story of the twentieth century and continues to dog us to this day. Read the rest of this entry »
Skeptics in the Pub: Simon Singh
Posted by Mike in Skeptics in the Pub on November 12th, 2009
Trick or Treatment? Alternative Medicine on Trial
by Simon Singh
When: Thu, Jan 21, 2010 6:30 – 8:30 PM
Where: The Vines (aka The Big House), 81 Lime Street, Liverpool, L1 1JQ
Summary
Prince Charles is a staunch defender and millions of people swear by it; most UK doctors consider it to be little more than superstition and a waste of money. But how do you know which treatments really heal and which are potentially harmful? Simon Singh and his co-author Professor Edzard Ernst investigated the evidence for and against alternative therapies and published their conclusions in “Trick or Treatment?”, an honest, impartial and hard-hitting examination and judgement of more than 30 of the most popular treatments. Singh, who has also authored “Fermat’s Last Theorem” and “Big Bang”, will discuss how and why he got involved in writing about alternative medicine. In particular, he will discuss the origins, philosophy and testing of acupuncture and homeopathy, two of the most popular forms of alternative medicine. Singh, who is currently being sued for libel by the British Chiropractic Association, will also comment on his ongoing legal battle and the impact of libel laws on scientific journalism.
Read the rest of this entry »
Public Opinion On Science: Who To Trust And When?
Posted by Chris in Climate Change, Pseudoscience, Skepticism, science, vaccination on November 11th, 2009
MSS-member and recent émigré to Canada Chris Hassall takes a look at how public perception of science is distorted, and the role of skepticism in combating the distortion.
People go about their daily lives making decisions on the basis of beliefs about the way the world works. Their epistemological framework is a complex architecture of foundations and interconnecting supports on which rest concepts held to be “true”. While some beliefs may have little consequence for the person holding that belief, others have the potential to seriously impact the lives of both the believer and, through the actions that those beliefs precipitate, the rest of mankind. When we come to examine issues of such magnitude, we see a difference between the beliefs held by the general public and those which are held by the majority of experts in the respective fields. To understand why this is the case, it is informative to consider two claims that have been made in recent years and the variation in the reception that each has received from the public. Read the rest of this entry »
Skeptics with a K – Episode #008
Posted by Mike in Podcast, Skeptics with a K on November 7th, 2009
Seances and twitter, Mr T ‘s graduation, syndicated culture and lunacy. All this plus the homeopaths guide to physics, drugs classification and the result of our T-Shirt Competition in the latest edition of Skeptics with a K.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
