pseudoscience

Shadow People! 

Shadow People?

Yes, Shadow People! They could be creeping up behind you... right now!

I think the recent Skeptoid podcast episode on Shadow People was the first I'd heard of this new (?) supernatural threat. We've probably all had the experience of thinking we see a flicker of movement in a dark shadow; some people even claim to have seen ghostly humanoid figures in their darkened bedrooms at night. Therefore: Shadow People, those spectral demons (or interdimensional beings, or ghosts of the departed, or something) that haunt the living (or flit away to avoid the living, or astrally project themselves into random places, or something).

They often wear hats. Really.

There's no need to rehash Shadow People details here; as you'd expect, thoughtful discussions of the topic quickly begin and end with the damning fact that there's no evidence for such a thing. And that's pretty much the end of that story, until someone can show the smoking gun (or smoky fedora, as many stories would have it).

Rather, what interested me about the Skeptoid piece was that it goes into a topic that really fascinates me: the awesome power of the human brain to create its own reality – and the way in which "open-minded" believers in the supernatural are so often close-minded toward the brain's wonders. Readeth thou more

Nancy Reagan consulted with astrologers? How sublunary. Miyuki Hatoyama, wife of new Japanese premiere Yukio Hatoyama, goes so much further. 

As reported in outlets such as this CNN article, the good Ms Hatoyama relates in her many TV appearances and books that she knows Tom Cruise from a previous life, when he (and presumably she too) was Japanese. While busy chatting about politics and cooking on the talk shows, she still finds time for the occasional astral trip to Venus via "triangular UFO", as well as moments to "take a piece of the Sun and eat it".

So she sounds like a hard customer to please at those state dinners, though with that Venus trip on her resume, she sure beats "I can see Russia from my porch" Sarah Palin in foreign policy experience. (Despite the kinship to Tom Cruise, though, there's been no report that Ms Hatoyama embraces Scientology. Some things are just too weird for her.)

We all have a collection, great or small, of critical thinking tools to detect baloney. And yes, "everyone" includes the New Agers and Creationists too, even if their Altoid tin-sized thinking kits are half-missing, rusty, and only dragged out to debate used car salesmen or faraway American Idol judges. 

Those of us who treasure our kits are always questioning what we should pack inside. Fortunately, just as there's no shortage of recommendations on how to stuff the perfect outdoor survival kit or travel gadget kit, we're lucky to enjoy a wealth of smart thinkers willing to share the contents of their baloney detection toolboxes. 

Here's an overview of a few great ones: Readeth thou more

Purpose of this page

Discovery Institute Discoveries: Detailed List by Year (DIDDLY) is a new resource on this site to assist in educating the public on research performed by The Discovery Institute, a US-based think tank with a voice in the public discussion of scientific, social, and educational issues.

DIDDLY will catalog all discoveries, scientific or other, which have been made directly by, or through the support of, the Discovery Institute. Readeth thou more

The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe
Podcast and resources for separating truth from untruth.

Skeptoid
"Skeptoid is a podcast dedicated to furthering knowledge by blasting away the widespread pseudosciences that infect popular culture." Popular and for good reason.

Via the Richard Dawkins website:

Brian Dunning, creator of the Skeptoid podcast and author of the companion books Skeptoid: Critical Analysis of Pop Phenomena and Skeptoid 2: More Critical Analysis of Pop Phenomena, takes his debunking skills to the video arena with a freely-distributable 40-minute work, Here Be Dragons: An Introduction to Critical Thinking. Get the DVD or watch it on YouTube:

Brian's goal is to present a basic primer for skeptical thinking, and I think he does a great job of it. Listen yourself, for a look at why people believe silly stuff, and what we can do to battle nonsense.

Most interesting to me was a clear, 10-point list of "red flags" that warn of approaching pseudoscience nonsense. I'll list them here as a handy guide; watch the video for more detail and great examples of each.

Red flags warning of pseudoscience

1. Appeal to Authority

Celebrity endorsements, lab coats, fancy degrees or certifications... all distractions that point to the impressiveness of the claimant, not the truth of the claim. Readeth thou more

You may know of blogger and podcaster Steve Pavlina. One of many writers on the topic of "personal development", Steve is ahead of the blogging crowd on name recognition, and is frequently mentioned among the elite of "Internet celebrities".

I've paid attention to his work on and off; there's often some good inspirational or practical content in there, along with some feel-good fluffiness that doesn't speak to me (though I begrudge neither the appeal it may have to others, nor Steve's success in gaining fans).

The thing that dropped Steve from my must-listen podcast list was a positive mention by him, many months ago, of his wife Erin's work as a "psychic medium". "Great, Steve", I thought, "your wife is a charlatan and you're happy with that. Bravo." It lowered the fellow a few notches in my book (though in all fairness to him, I know that brutal objectivity about one's better half is a perilous path to tread : ).

In early June, a new entry appeared in iTunes: Steve Pavlina podcast #021, "Being Pyschic". I let it sit ignored for a long time, but my eye hit it repeatedly. "Being psychic? I know his wife has something going on with the woo - but is Steve serious about this too?" Finally, I gave it a listen.

The Pavlinas are beyond serious - way beyond. Maybe I'm just not experienced enough in what transpires out there in the woo industry, but I found it pretty jaw-dropping. Get ready: Readeth thou more