Denialism

Category: General Discussion

  • Were the ancients fools?

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    MarkH
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    Often in the discussion of cult medicines such as homeopathy, acupuncture, and reiki, supporters fall back on “the wisdom of the ancients”. This raises a question. Since “the ancients” had it wrong (i.e. their belief systems could not effectively treat disease), were they just stupid? Any of my historian readers already know the answer, but…

  • Please Welcome PalMD

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    MarkH
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    Everyone please welcome PalMD of WhiteCoatUnderGround. I’ve been enjoying his writing for quite some time and think that he gets what the mission of denialism blog is all about. He has of course introduced himself, and I think in just a few posts you’ll see why he’s a wonderful asset to the sb team.

  • Chris Mooney on ignoring the cranks

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    MarkH
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    Now that PZ, Brian, and ERV have all weighed in on whether Chris Mooney’s piece on crank enablers is right or not, let me lay out my operational strategy as an anti-denialist writer. It is true that repetition of denialist arguments is a strategic error, and that the repeition itself can reinforce their arguments. One…

  • Some Generalizations

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    MarkH
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    One of the few advantages of having no time is that when I do get around to sorting through my RSS feeds of various denialists is that I end up seeing patterns I didn’t observe as much when I tracked these jokers day-to-day. So, inspired by BPSDB I decided I’m going to share some generalizations.…

  • Merry X-Mas

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    MarkH
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    I had an interesting X-mas week, hanging out with the parents, seeing patients at my mom’s general practice and a very different set of patients in clinical studies at the NIH with my father. That, studying, and fulfilling the role of the good son by fixing every piece of technology in the parents’ house has…

  • Sitemeter and Privacy

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    MarkH
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    Dan Solove brings up some privacy issues with using sitemeter on blogs: But Site Meter also lists the IP address of each visitor, something that the public really doesn’t need to see. An IP address is a unique numerical identifier that is assigned to every computer connected to the Web. It doesn’t reveal your name,…

  • Surely we can get KBR under RICO

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    MarkH
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    Reading about the latest atrocity by KBR that is the cover up of a rape of a US citizen by its contractors (apparently one of many), I ask the lawyers a question. Surely there is enough on KBR (formerly known as the evil wing of Halliburton – now independent) now to get a RICO indictment…

  • It Is Time For A Presidential Debate On Science

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    MarkH
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    We must adapt to the fact that over the last few decades it has become critical that our politicians and policymakers understand science and implement policy that is consistent with scientific facts. And it is past time that we made science enough of a priority to merit a presidential debate on science. The need is…

  • Defense Day

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    MarkH
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    Well today is my thesis defense day. For those who are unfamiliar with the process, this is how it works at least at my university. When you start out in a lab you do the experiments your boss tells you to do, with the goal of picking up a project. This usually involves taking up…

  • O Pangloss!

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    MarkH
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    Can I tell you how boring I find the fine-tuning argument? Paul Davies is the latest to use it and in the NYT no less. Davies’ argument depends on whether you believe his initial assertion that science fundamentally rests on faith: The problem with this neat separation into “non-overlapping magisteria,” as Stephen Jay Gould described…