From: pdc@dcs.ed.ac.uk (Paul Crowley)
Newsgroups: sci.skeptic
Subject: Re: sci.skeptic: The Frequently Questioned Answers
Date: 19 Nov 92 14:32:18 GMT
Reply-To: pdc@dcs.ed.ac.uk (Paul Crowley)
Organization: Do they make a washing powder called Caliban Automatic?

An excellent list of succinctly answered questions.  A few comments.

Quoting paj@gec-mrc.co.uk in article <skeptic-faq_722005554@gec-mrc.co.uk>:
[conspiracy theories]

You seem to be talking about Grand Conspiracy theories.  Petty
Conspiracy theories (Bush arranged the invasion of Kuwait/the
Republican Party arranged for the release of the Iranian hostages to be
delayed/the Tory Party was complicit with the supply of the 'Supergun'
to Iraq, etc) sometimes turn out to be true.

>The usual rejoinder to someone who says "They laughed at Columbus,
>they laughed at Galileo" is to say "And they also laughed at Coco the
>Clown".  This may be a quote from Carl Sagan.

Or a quote by Stephen J Gould: "To resemble Galileo, it is not enough
that one be persecuted; one must also be right." (may not be exact)

>The Koestler Chair of Parapsychology at the University of Edinborough
>is, as far as I know, still active. The current incumbent is, I think,
>named Robert Morris; his main assistant is Deborah Delanoy.

Edinburgh.  I'll confirm all this when I get the chance.

>Unfortunately careful tests of dowsers have revealed absolutely no
>ability to find water or anything else by extra-sensory perception.
>Dowsing success stories can be explained by noting that wherever you
>dig you will find water.  You just have to dig deep enough.

It also seems worth noting that people are probably quite good at
finding water; it isn't randomly distributed.  People who are generally
familiar with big cities could probably dowse for a McDonalds in a new
city and think nothing of it.

>3.1.3  But isn't it possible that aliens are visiting Earth?

The funniest part of these theories is the idea that spacecraft would
travel millions of light years over billions of years in order to play
silly buggers with the US government.

[crop circles]
>Meaden has changed his theory to first accomodate complex circles,
>ovals and even triangles (!), but now admits that most circles are
>hoaxes and the theory can only explain simpler patterns.

It seems that simple crop circles have been observed for quite some
time; the idea of hoaxing complex ones has only arisen recently.  This
is not an idea to be rejected out of hand.

>4.10: Does religious healing work?

Well yes, of course.  Don't underestimate the difference a patient's
mental state can make to their recovery.  This is not to propound the
theory that's been circulated on leaflets here in Edinburgh, that "all
diseases are really mental".  It's just that feeling low or pessimistic
can depress your ability to recover.

>4.11: What harm does it do anyway?

>People have died when alternative practitioners told them to stop
>taking conventional treatment.

This is fairly rare.  Most people try both.

>[...] it is a waste of time and money

This isn't really the issue, is it?  My problem with religious healing
is this: it encourages ignorance and delusion.

>5.2: Could the Universe have been created old?

I don't think so.  In order to find out what an old Universe would have
been like, God would have had to 'run the process' in His imagination. 
Such a thing would be indistinguishable from the real Universe.  I see
no important distinction between "The Universe is exactly as if it were
ten billion years old" and "The Universe is ten billion years old".

>5.5: What is evolution?  Where can I find out more?

>I can also recommend books and essays on the subject by Stephen Jay Gould.

And Richard Dawkins.  "The Blind Watchmaker" is the sort of book that
makes you want to find a creationist to argue with.

>[Perhaps the FAQ lists on talk.origins could be cross-posted?]

No; it'll only encourage people to discuss it here rather than talk.origins.

>New Age

It's probably worth dealing with the Neopagans somewhere around here
too.  Neopagans disown New Age beliefs with a fervour that would make a
Jehovah's Witness proud, but they share a lot of the beliefs in your
list; the main difference seems to be a marked reluctance to actually
*give* *money* to all the charlatans who try and sell them things. 
They've got various sorts of Goddesses (and some Gods though they don't
seem to be as important) and are also keen on the Moon.  A real pagan
would do them better justice.

In other words, a New Ager is a pagan with more money and even less sense.

>There is no suggestion that his [Duesberg's] theories are the result of
>a political agenda or homophobia.

This surprises me.
  __                                ____
\/ o\ Paul Crowley pdc@dcs.ed.ac.uk \  /
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