Posts tagged with “Skepticism”
2009.05.02
H1N1(A) AKA Swine Flu
There's concern about this new strain of swine flu going around, and I get that -- but people need to be cautious about anyone claiming to have cures or preventative measures to combat the swine flu. Homeopathic remedies don't work -- they're more placebo than anything else. And while a boost in morale is good and all, when it comes down to it and your life is on the line, they don't cut it.
2009.02.11
Faith Healing
Faith healing is bogus. Prayer does not heal people, and it cannot miraculously make people better. There are two arguments when it comes to medicine, in my view:
- If there is a God, he gave us science which led to Doctors and modern medicine. We should go to these Doctors to make us better when we are ill, and thank them when we are healthy.
- There isn't a God. We found science to be the best method of making discoveries about the world around us. Our discoveries have led us to modern medicine, and Doctors.
I've been following the Kara Neumann case for some time. I find what the parents have done to be absolutely atrocious. It's completely inexcusable.
2008.12.18
Via Survey of Character and Faith
I like what the authors of this survey are trying to do: create a survey that, instead of measuring the negative aspects of one's character, shows the positive aspects. I know a lot of people who think that psychologists essentially diagnose what's wrong with people and then try to fix them. The DSM-IV surely doesn't help tear down the illusion either, since it's the criteria we use to identify disorders in patients. So creating a survey that shows people their strengths is commendable.
However, I have a tiny disagreement with one attribute on this strength survey: faith.
I don't disagree that people may find strength in religion. I do disagree that not having faith implies a lack of strength. I know many atheists (myself included) who find strength in their lack of belief in a God(s). Some of the faith based questions are ambiguous, and simply ask about spirituality. One of the statements adds an element of meditation alongside prayer. I do meditate; it's something I picked up from Buddhism, and I consider myself a secular Buddhist, or a Buddhist without a God or some other divine power. This one was a little less of a problem, since meditation doesn't necessarily imply faith. However, there was one question which directly asked belief in God or some divine power. Answering negatively on this one pretty much ensured that faith would not be one of my strengths.
The questions on the survey ask about behaviors that most people find desirable. But I think it's inaccurate to view someone without faith as weak in some way, as lacking in strength in some way. Just because atheists do not believe in religion, or go to church, or pray, does not mean that they suffer from some weakness. Some people of faith may disagree, but they would be wrong to disagree. A lot of the atheists I know place that faith elsewhere, though "faith" is probably the wrong word: science, reason, humanity, love, goodness as derived from ourselves and not some higher power.
So while I agree with the intentions of the survey, I do not agree with the choice to view lack of religion as something that is not considered strong.
Naturally, faith was at the bottom of my list. My top five character strengths were:
- Curiosity and interest in the world
- Creativity, ingenuity, and originality
- Judgment, critical thinking, and open-mindedness
- Perspective (wisdom)
- Honesty, authenticity, and genuineness
I like my list as is stands.
2008.01.29
Science Rocks
This semester, I'll be doing two of my own research projects (one with a group) and I will also be working on another project with a professor. These upcoming weeks, I'll be blogging about them and my progress. At the end of the term, I might be able to post the findings which could be exciting (if I receive proper permissions). I've been busy coordinating with my professor these past few days, and spring term just started. Woo!
Of course, none of that really qualifies as an excuse for my blogging absence. For that, I can only plea pre-term need to game and release as much energy as I could before starting academic work. On the plus side, with the term on the go and my four psychology classes, I'll have plenty to blog about as I tend to get really excited about what I'm doing. It is a good test of my own knowledge.
In other news...
I've been following the 2007 TU24 news on the badastronomy blog with much amusement and dismay. Some people had claimed that the asteroid would effect the Earth somehow and create massive storms... Phil has the entire story. Essentially, the asteroid passed us and nothing happened. Now those same people are claiming that the effects just have yet to come. Well, if the effects are coming, they're sure taking a really long time! If the asteroid had posed a threat to us, the event would have happened already. The asteroid is moving gloriously away from us, and nothing will happen. For all of the scientific aspects of why the asteroid poses absolutely no threat, I strongly recommend reading Phil's posts. I do love the fact that science triumphed. (This is a triumph...)
However, I wonder how/why it is that people latch onto doomsday scenarios and stick to them, even in the face of point-blank evidence. Perhaps that's a question I should research for my thesis.