Talk:Debunker

message: both articles have half same content, this one has a bad namespace. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ollj (talk • contribs)  
: Maybe.  Some people seem to consider them to be different, though.  Bubba73 (talk), 22:50, 20 August 2006 (UTC)
replies: text:  They certainly are different.  Two separate definitions of the word "skeptic" are in widespread general use, and the terms "scientific skeptic" and "debunker" are shorthand for these two definitions.   We can use the word "skeptic" to refer to people who only adopt beliefs which are supported by sufficient evidence.  Scientists are good examples of these.  We can also use the word "skeptic" to mean "skeptic-activist;" those people who make it their business to expose scam artists and dishonest religous promotors, and who teach the public the basics of rational thinking via authoring books and giving lectures.   Good examples of the second type of skeptic are the many members of groups like JREF and CSICOP.   There is some overlap between the two meanings of "skeptic" of course.  Some scientists are debunkers.  And most (but not all) debunkers are faithful practitioners of Scientific Skepticism.   On the other hand, the vast majority of scientific skepticism practitioners never spend time engaging creationists in public debates, or trying to expose the tricks that scam artists use to take money from the gullible.  --Wjbeaty 03:02, 21 October 2006 (UTC)
replies: text:  Good point.  You can be a scientific skeptic without being a debunker.  A debunker takes an active role. Bubba73 (talk), 03:23, 21 October 2006 (UTC)
replies: text:  Worse than that.  Some debunkers have a POV that is not scientific or objective, and have often been accused of insincerity or ulterior motives, e.g. financial ones.  I think "sock puppets" is the term used here on Wikipedia for such people.  Don't merge; in fact the article should note that "debunking" is not always justified or done in good faith.  In some circles the term "skeptibunker" is used to deride so-called skeptics and debunkers who do not stick to facts and objectivity but use every political trick in the book to try to discredit ideas they find inconvenient.  Definitely don't merge.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.237.0.4 (talk) 16:00, 14 April 2011 (UTC)
replies: text:  Therefore, Dont't merge.  Bubba73 (talk), 04:30, 2 November 2006 (UTC)
replies: text:  Wise decision. All debunkers are skeptics, but not all skeptics are debunkers. Debunkers are activists. -- Fyslee/talk 18:51, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

text: as well debunkers stop people from taking money from people by exploiting dreams and hopes and beliefs--Kr4ft (talk) 07:14, 26 January 2009 (UTC)
thread_title: merge with [[scientific scepticism]]

message: In the list of "debunkers", there's a lot o debunking claims. As this article currently defines debunking as "the act of disproving a proposal or hypothesis", I assume by debunking we mean a "successful disproving", and not just and attempted (sometimes self-published) disproving, that may be recognized in the some groups while still refuted (or even ignored) in others.
What's our criteria for saying "Mr. M debunked Theory X"? That he published a paper on a scientific journal disproving X? That he published a paper on a journal specialized on skepticism? That he published it on his web page? That the "debunked person" recognized his/her mistake?
What's the difference between debunking something and claiming to have debunked something?
Without this answers, I'm worried about the future of the (POV-titled) Well-known debunkers section. --Damiens.rf 20:35, 4 November 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Criteria for "Debunking" 

message: I've taken a lot of weird stuff out of the article and stubbed it down.  Please try to expand with reliably sourced material.  --TS 15:38, 8 January 2009 (UTC)
thread_title: Stubbed down

message: adam savage and jamie hyneman are listed as physics majors but i cannot find a source that confirms this and their approach to the shows is more indicative of a special effects background rather than that of an academic and exhaustive experimenter  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 131.104.242.4 (talk) 01:16, 19 October 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  non-existent physics degrees 

message: I see that Wikipedia contains a classification for articles which is "Alternative Medicine" which the talk page notes this article carries.
This is part of the problem facing scientists and educators. There is no such thing as alternative medicine, there is only medicine and claptrap. If something actually works beyond the well known placebo effect it gets adopted as a medical procedure, compound, or process and it is scientifically studied. "Alternative" beliefs, notions, occultism, superstition, and wishful thinking are not medicine, ergo harboring an article classification as "Alternative Medicine" is a major flaw in Wikipedia. Damotclese (talk) 22:09, 28 February 2012 (UTC)
thread_title:  Alternative Medicine Does Not Exist 

message: Half the body of the article concerns so-called "backfire effects" as written about in the Debunking Handbook. So what is this handbook? Well, it doesn't appear on Amazon, at all. The link is a free PDF file which contains all of 7 numbered pages. (Is it a book or a pamphlet?) In an article where the focus should be on such great names as Sagan, Randi and Houdini we find this material - pseudo-science itself! - invented by a couple of present day tourists. This is a travesty.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 121.91.6.91 (talk) 03:28, 24 September 2012 (UTC)
replies: text: I'm very troubled by this section. It is longer than the rest of the article, yet covers a minor, arguably tangential aspect of debunking. Looks like someone trying promote the Debunkers Handbook. I'm not sure it could be justified as a See Also link, much less a major section of this article.--SPhilbrick(Talk) 19:43, 24 September 2012 (UTC)
replies: text: The Handbook itself doesn't present a problem, but the article certainly can use expansion. In doing so, the WP:UNDUE to backfire effect would be balanced out. (Note, the reference would not be a "See also" which means see other articles in WP. I bet you were thinking of an WP:EL section.)--S. Rich (talk) 20:23, 24 September 2012 (UTC)
thread_title:  Inclusion of Lewandowsky/Cook, Debunking Handbook 

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thread_title:  External links modified 

message: So "debunking" can mean anything from "exposing the falseness of" to "exposing a sham". According to Merriam-Webster online dictionary: ""Debunk" itself often suggests that something is not merely untrue, but also a sham"". So that means there is the accusation of being a "fraud exposer" but that is not the case when someone "just happens to render invalid" some claim by doing the actual research (for example Joe Nickell and his paranormal investigations). It simply can't be the case that every person just happening to have different conclusion is automatically a "debunker" if he says that conclusion to the public. For example Nickell is not a fraud exposer, he merely states humans have limitations. "Sham: To trick; to cheat; to deceive or delude with false pretenses".  — Preceding unsigned comment added by Beoldhin (talk • contribs) 08:44, 11 January 2017 (UTC)
thread_title:  Fraud exposer or not a fraud exposer? 

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thread_title:  External links modified 

message: In the section "Backfire effects." At present, the illustration's heading reads:
The authors of the Debunking Handbook warn that a failed debunking can actually worsen misconceptions. They recommend simple, positive, and emotionally sensitive education (e.g., bolstering the learner's ego, or avoiding threatening words).  
But this is accompanied by a painting. The painting is about an argument, but I doubt that the issue in that argument is among the issues that debunkers focus on. The painting is "A Nautical Argument" by Hemy. It's a fine painting. I would guess that the argument is between two ship captains, about the best route to bring a ship into a harbor, under some particular condition of tides or storms; or maybe there was a shipwreck and a lawyer is trying to understand what arguments could be raised in court, regarding the loss from that shipwreck. I recognize that beliefs exist among sailors, and perhaps some scholar has shown that the captains are arguing about something that isn't easily proven one way or the other. Can someone verify that this particular painting was about "debunking"? Oaklandguy (talk) 22:57, 20 September 2019 (UTC)
thread_title:  Illustration that isn't necessarily about debunking 

message: Can Mick West be added as a debunker, for is work in the Navy UAP videos and other things?  Bubba73 You talkin' to me? 04:21, 15 May 2022 (UTC)
thread_title:  Add Mick West?