Denialism

Category: Skepticism

  • Galileo, Semmelweis, and YOU!

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    MarkH
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    To wear the mantle of Galileo, it is not enough to be persecuted: you must also be right. –Robert Park I used to spend a lot of time on the websites of Joe Mercola and Gary Null, the most influential medical cranks of the internets (to call them “quacks” would imply that they are real…

  • Rationality served up hot and fresh

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    MarkH
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    One of my favorite pet websites is RationalWiki, which is slowly transforming into it’s 3.0 iteration. It originated as a parody/rebuttal site to the execrable Conservapedia (and no, Conservapedia is not a parody, just an example of Poe’s Law at work). Eventually, it expanded to developing articles that examined irrationality in general, such as fundamentalism,…

  • The truth is out there…WAY out there

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    MarkH
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    Oh. My. F-ing. God. All the news that’s fit to print??? I know some of my readers don’t think much of the New York Times (yes, PP, I’m talking to you), but despite some of my reservations, it’s still the Paper of Record. That’s why I was, er, um, was nauseated was flabbergasted threw up…

  • Skeptic’s Circle Number 87 is up

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    MarkH
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    It’s a must read over at action skeptics. Dirty limerick skepticism! Of note, Orac on quackademic medicine, and Greta Christina on the science of sexuality.

  • Skeptics’ Circle Number 85

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    MarkH
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    Andrea’s Buzzing about the latest skeptic’s circle. I’d point out in particular Blake Stacey’s discussion of the real expelled, scientists who challenge creationism. And I’d also recommend the Pap smear to Skepchic. It makes sense in context.

  • Eat it raw! It’s…magic!

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    MarkH
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    In case you haven’t heard, cooking food is bad–at least according to the raw food movement. This movement has developed over the last 5-10 years, and is still fairly fringe, but fad diets, restaurants, stores, and websites devoted to raw foods are flourishing. Let’s see what they’re up to. According to one popular website, we…

  • In bizarre religions ritual, cult members murder their child

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    MarkH
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    Hat-tip to PZ for shining some light onto local idiocy. The basic story is an old one—family kills kid by refusing medical care for a curable condition. In this case, it’s a child with type I diabetes. This hits close to home for two reasons: I’m an internist, and my nephew is a type I…

  • What a horrible idea

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    MarkH
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    This idea is so bad that I might even agree with a Scientologist about it (OK, not really). A company I will not name or link to has developed a home genetic test for bipolar disorder. What could be so horrible about making it easier for people to diagnose diseases? Well, first there is a…

  • How listening to my wife CAN SAVE YOUR LIFE!!!!

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    MarkH
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    Most of us around here know about internet memes, hoax emails, and other sources of scientific and medical rumor. After all, we’re geeks (or at least, I am). My wife, however, is not. She is a typical (and wonderful) woman, from a particular ethnic group, and particular part of town (and well-educated). I’m a fairly…

  • A leap year Skeptics’ Circle

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    MarkH
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    At Conspiracy Factory. In particular I like Skepchik’s take on a pretty horrifically sexist Oprah poll which seems to present the only options for women in a stressful situation are to cry now or cry later or act like a big strong man. Hmm. PalMD has really been fighting the good fight lately with this…