trentmkelly/rationalwiki huggingface dataset:
Collateral damage

{{Sources needed}}{{langnav}}
'''Collateral damage''' is a ''sanitised term'' ([[euphemism]]) used by the military to mean ''unintended targets'' (civilians) killed in an ''armed situation'' ([[war]]).<ref>A definition that isn't rife with snark and italics can be found at [http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/collateral%20damage Merriam-Webster].</ref> It is often the accidental result of ''servicing the target'' (killing enemy troops). Sometimes this takes place through ''incendiary residence'' (napalm misses the target and burns nearby children). In many cases an entire village will undergo ''neutralization'' (every man, woman, and child dies) and the officer in charge must file an ''adjustment report'' ("We have accidentally destroyed an innocent village"). Reporters who try to write stories about collateral damage often must submit to a ''security review'' ([[censorship]]). If they refuse, they can often be persuaded by ''inquiry systems'' (whips and hot brands). If not, they must be ''demoted maximally'' (killed).

As a euphemism, the term prevents speakers from having to picture what harming civilians looks like, minimizing the responsibility of those that committed it and dehumanizing the victims.<ref>[[George Monbiot]], [http://www.monbiot.com/2014/10/21/cleansing-the-stock/ "Cleaning the stock"]</ref><ref>Magedah Shabo, Techniques of Propaganda and Persuasion. ISBN 978-1-58049-874-6</ref> "Collateral damage" is abstract and palatable, while "[[Loaded language|murdering civilians unintentionally]]" isn't.

== Examples ==
*{{wpl|Jamie Shea||,}} [[NATO]] spokesperson at time of the [[Kosovo]] War, was referring to repetitive massacres and burnings beyond recognition of both [[Serbia]]n and [[Albania]]n civilians done by NATO pilots as collateral damage.

==See also==
* [[Political correctness]]
* [[Drone]]

==External links==
* USAF Intelligence Targeting Guide - [http://fas.org/irp/doddir/usaf/afpam14-210/part20.htm Attachment 7: Collateral Damage]

==References==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:War]]
[[category:Euphemisms]]
{{stub|language}}

Categories: War, Euphemisms
College Credit for Creationism

{{crenav}}
'''College Credit for Creationism''' is the tagline of a renewed assault on [[education]] standards in the [[United States]].

A group of [[Christianity|Christian]] schools, including the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) and others, sued the University of [[California]] and several of its officials in their individual capacities. The cause of their complaint was the refusal of the University to give credit for the [[creationism]] taught by the ACSI schools in place of [[biology]] and specifically [[evolution]].

At issue in particular was the non-recognition of the [[Bob Jones University]]-produced "[[science]]" textbooks which are short on science and long on [[pseudoscience]] and [[ideology]]. The issue is not a [[separation of church and state]] matter, but rather the surprising claim that in denying them credit for learning pseudoscience, the University was discriminating against students of the ACSI schools on the basis of [[religion]].

The court granted partial summary judgement dismissing the suit against the university officials in their individual capacity, and then granted summary judgement in favor of the University of California.<ref>[https://ncse.com/news/2008/08/victory-california-creationism-case-001374 Victory in California creationism case.] ncse.org, 12 August 2008.</ref> The case was appealed to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which affirmed, and in 2010 the [[Supreme Court]] declined ''certiorari'', thus bringing the case to an end.<ref>[http://ncse.com/news/2010/10/end-acsi-v-stearns-006258 The end of ACSI v. Stearns.] ncse.org, 19 October 2010.</ref>

==External links==
*[https://ncse.com/creationism/legal/acsi-v-stearns ACSI et al. v. Stearns et al.] at the National Center for Science Education

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{crebox}}

[[Category:Creationism]]
[[Category:Pseudoscience]]
[[Category:Education]]

Categories: Creationism, Pseudoscience, Education
College of Inner Awareness, Metaphysical and Spiritual Studies

{{pseudosciencenav}}
The '''College of Inner Awareness, Metaphysical and Spiritual Studies''' is the rebranded and watered down version of The College of Metaphysical Studies, an [[Diploma mill|unaccredited college]] formerly located in Clearwater, [[Florida]] that specializes in teaching [[metaphysical]] philosophy and metaphysical ministries. They currently teach [[homeopathy]] and various other "natural" healing techniques as well as "[[New Thought]]" subjects. Basically, it's chock full of [[crank magnetism]] within the large and amorphous field of [[New Age]], including [[spiritualism]], [[shamanism]] (probably of the [[Native American#Woo|plastic variety]]), [[neopaganism]], all kinds of [[paranormal]] [[woo]], and out-and-out [[magic]].<ref>[http://www.cms.edu/generaled.html College of Metaphysical Studies &mdash; General Information] and [http://www.cms.edu/faq.html College of Metaphysical Studies &mdash; FAQ]</ref> The founder of The College of Metaphysical Studies, Dr. Paul Daniele, died in 2009 leaving the school in disarray, ultimately closing under a voluntary dissolution in 2013.<ref>[http://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/CorporationSearch/SearchResultDetail?inquirytype=EntityName&directionType=Initial&searchNameOrder=COLLEGEMETAPHYSICALSTUDIES%20N060000006480&aggregateId=domnp-n06000000648-bf77d575-076b-4b59-a87c-7f0405006c7e&searchTerm=college%20of%20metaphysical%20studies&listNameOrder=COLLEGEMETAPHYSICALSTUDIES%20N060000006480 The College of Metaphysical Studies Inc.] Florida Department of State. Retrieved on 12 March 2018.</ref> The "school" reopened with no physical campus save for a post office box in Largo, Florida.

The school presents fields of study in two divisions, Natural Healing and Ministerial Education (Pastoral Studies). The Natural Healing unit offers a number of degrees at the associate, bachelor and master's degree levels in fields such as "Metaphysical Healing Arts," "Natural Healing Studies," and "Biofield Healing." The Pastoral Studies unit offers degrees in "Metaphysical Healing Arts," "Metaphysical Science," and [[Theology]].

==External links==
*[http://www.cms.edu/degreeandcur.html Official site]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Crank schools]]
[[Category:Florida]]
[[Category:Scams]]

Categories: Crank schools, Florida, Scams
Colorpuncture

{{altmed}}{{Cquote|Like acupuncture, colorpuncture presupposes that the balanced flow of energy through the meridian system will support good health. However, colorpuncture achieves this by introducing vibrational information into the body in the form of different colored light frequencies via the meridian system.|||[[Acupuncture Today]]<ref name="at">[http://www.acupuncturetoday.com/mpacms/at/article.php?id=27983 Esogetic Colorpuncture: A Complete Aculight Therapy System for Body, Mind and Spirit]</ref>}}

'''Colorpuncture''' is a piece of cross-over [[woo]] combining [[acupuncture]] and [[colour therapy]]. Rather than sticking needles in the [[meridians]], you shine a flashlight at them. It's rooted in the idea that the body's cells communicate with each other through [[photon]]s (this is nonsense) and that acupuncture meridians absorb coloured light and distribute it throughout the body. Needless to say, it has not been proven to work, and is, quite probably, complete and utter [[bullshit]]. Its singular saving grace (other than being amusingly stupid) is that there is no risk of deadly infections such as {{wpl|necrotizing fasciitis}}.<ref>[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3616356/ Adverse Events of Acupuncture: A Systematic Review of Case Reports]</ref>

Colorpuncture was [[PIDOOMA|developed]] in the 1970s by German [[naturopath]] and acupuncturist Peter Mandel.<ref name="at"/>

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

{{stub|Quantum woo}}
[[Category:Alternative medicine]]
[[Category:Cancer woo]]
[[Category:Quantum woo]]
[[Category:Woo]]
[[Category:Orientalist woo]]

Categories: Alternative medicine, Cancer woo, Quantum woo, Woo, Orientalist woo
Colossians

{{Biblenav}}
'''Colossians''' is an epistle of [[Paul of Tarsus|Paul]] to the church at Colossae, in Phrygia, in what is modern [[Turkey]]. In a controversial passage Paul asserts that his own sufferings complete what is lacking in the sufferings of [[Christ]] for the benefit of the Church,<ref>{{bible|Colossians|1|24}}</ref> which has been developed by the [[Catholic Church]] into the doctrine of the Treasury of Merit.  This eventually became corrupted into a practice of paying money to get loved ones' [[soul]]s out of [[purgatory]] and that in turn sparked [[Martin Luther]] to nail his 95 Theses to a church door one Halloween.

Paul goes on to say the ordinances of the [[Moses|Mosaic]] code were "nailed to the cross"<ref>{{bible|Colossians|2|14}}</ref> and [[Christians]] were no longer subject to consuming only certain meats or drinks or observing holidays and new [[moon]]s and [[sabbath]]s, <ref>{{bible|Colossians|2|16}}</ref> because ''…there is neither Greek nor [[Jew]], [[circumcision]] nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all…<ref>{{bible|Colossians|3|11}}</ref>

It is questionable whether Paul wrote it, for reasons including its language and style, although many Christians still insist it is the work of Paul.<ref>[https://www.ibr-bbr.org/files/bbr/bbr23b05.pdf Reconsidering the Authorship of Colossians], Maria A Pascuzzi, Bulletin for Biblical Research 23.2 (2013) 223–246</ref><ref>{{wpa|Epistle to the Colossians}}</ref><ref>[http://www.tektonics.org/af/colauth.php The Authorship of Colossians], Tekton Apologetics</ref>

==See also==
*[[RationalWiki:Annotated Bible/Colossians]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{BibleGuide}}

[[Category:New Testament]]
[[Category:Pauline Epistles]]

Categories: New Testament, Pauline Epistles
Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow

{{globalwarmingnav}}
'''Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT)''' is a fact-free [[anti-environmentalism|anti-environmentalist]] pressure group founded by David Rothbard and Craig Rucker in 1985.<ref>http://www.cfact.org/about/</ref> They both have the academic backgrounds, lifestyles, addresses and [[PR]] guru mugshots of serious [[lobbyist|lobbyists]]. Three of the primary funders of CFACT are the Carthage Foundation, Exxon Mobil, and the [[Richard Mellon Scaife|Sarah Scaife Foundation]].<ref>[http://www.desmogblog.com/committee-constructive-tomorrow CFACT Profile], DeSmog Blog</ref> A whole host of prominent deniers have sat on its board of advisers at some time, including [[Sallie Baliunas]], [[Roger Bate]], [[E. Calvin Beisner]], [[Michael Fumento]], [[Idso family|Sherwood B. Idso]], [[Patrick Michaels]], and [[Frederick Seitz]]. The organization funds Climate Depot, [[Marc Morano]]'s online [[denialist]] outlet. In 2009, they helped to organize the Copenhagen Climate Challenge, the denialist response to the [[United Nations]]' Copenhagen Summit.<ref>Louise Gray. [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/copenhagen-climate-change-confe/6765032/Copenhagen-climate-summit-Behind-the-scenes-at-the-sceptics-conference.html Copenhagen climate summit: Behind the scenes at the sceptics' conference.] ''The Telegraph'', Dec. 9, 2009</ref>

==External links==
*[http://www.cfact.org/ cfact.org]
*[http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Committee_for_a_Constructive_Tomorrow CFACT Sourcewatch Profile]
*[http://www.exxonsecrets.org/html/orgfactsheet.php?id=25 Exxon Secrets Factsheet]

==References==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Global warming denialists]]
[[Category:Denialist organizations]]
[[Category:Misnomers]]
[[Category:Propaganda]]
{{stub|Denialism}}

Categories: Global warming denialists, Denialist organizations, Misnomers, Propaganda
Common Purpose (UK)

{{conspiracynav}}
'''Common Purpose''', or '''CP''', is a [[UK]]-based educational charity that focuses on providing personal development and networking for potential future leaders. Businesses and organisations typically pay to send individuals on leadership courses costing up to as much as £5,750.<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7929210.stm</ref>

To various conspiracy theorists, such as The [[British Constitution Group]], [[Brian Gerrish]], [[John Harris]]<ref>http://www.tpuc.org/node/107</ref> and other cranks, Common Purpose is the new [[Illuminati]] - a nefarious shadowy organisation dedicated to exerting its politically correct pro EU agenda on the rest of us. Common Purpose is dedicated to undermining [[democracy]] by quietly installing a network of elite trained stooges in powerful positions across government. According to these people, Common Purpose intends to 'Create a political and social paradigm shift in the UK'<ref>http://cpexposed.com/about_common_purpose/</ref> to further the agenda of an [[EU]] superstate.

==External links==
*[http://www.commonpurpose.org.uk/ Common Purpose]
*[http://cpexposed.com/ Common Purpose Exposed]
*[http://stopcp.com/ Stop Common Purpose ]

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{stub|Conspiracy theories}}
[[Category:Humanitarian organizations]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]

Categories: Humanitarian organizations, United Kingdom
Common purpose (law)

{{sources needed}}{{law}}
'''Common purpose''' is a legal doctrine stating that all participants in a crime are responsible for its consequences, even if it wasn't the original intention. For example, if a gang of criminals agrees to rob a building by knocking out the security guard, they are all deemed guilty of murder if the knocker-out kills the guard. One of the more notorious uses of common purpose was the trial of the {{wpl|Sharpeville six}}, a group of protesters in [[Apartheid]]-era [[South Africa]] sentenced to death when the mob they were part of murdered a local politician.
{{stub|law}}
[[Category:Law]]

Categories: Law
Conditional fallacy

{{lognav}}
A '''conditional fallacy''' may or may not be a [[logical fallacy]], ''conditional'' on whether or not one of its premises is accepted.

Conditional fallacies are almost always [[Informal fallacy|informal fallacies]]. However, if comparing multiple systems of logic (which would imply different valid and invalid logical structures, and thus different formal fallacies) then it may be possible for a [[formal fallacy]] to be conditional.

==Form==
An informal conditional fallacy follows the form:
{{syl
|2=X is Y.
|4=Being Y causes something to be true / to be false / etc.
|5=C|6=X is true / false / etc.
}}

==Examples==
===Non-fallacious===
This is not always fallacious. For example, a ''good'' ([[rational]]) conditional argument:
{{syl
|2=[[Global warming]] is agreed to exist by over 95% of climatologists, making it the [[scientific consensus]].
|4=The scientific consensus is probably true.
|5=C|6=Global warming probably exists.
}}

===Fallacious===
The problem only occurs when Y is something stupid. For example, a ''bad'' (fallacious) [[argument from authority]]:
{{syl
|2=[[Creationism]] is agreed to be true by [[CMI list of scientists alive today who accept the biblical account of creation|at least 250 people]].
|4=Some of those 250 people are [[scientists]], and scientists are normally right.
|5=C|6=Creationism is probably true.
}}

==Subfallacies==
{{main|Logical fallacy#Conditional}}

==See also==
*[[Fallacious argument style]]

{{logfal}}

[[Category:Conditional fallacies| ]]

Categories: Conditional fallacies
Conflict theory

{{communism}}
{{hatnote|Not to be confused with [[conflict thesis]].}}
{{cquote|The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles.|4=[[Karl Marx]], ''[[Communist Manifesto]]'', 1848<ref>[http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/communist/section1.html SparkNotes: Introduction and Section 1, Bourgeois and Proletarians (Part 1)]</ref>}}

'''Conflict theory''' is a [[sociological]] perspective deriving from [[Marxism]] (specifically [[dialectical materialism]]) and most closely associated with that philosophy's many variants. It is an abstraction, or generalization, of [[Karl Marx]]'s idea that "class struggle" was the dominant theme of world history. But what analysis orthodox Marxism limits to class struggles, its derivatives have applied to other social conflicts, so conflict theory has dropped the "class" (in the exclusive sense, anyway) and focused on the "struggle."

Marx believed that conflict was an inevitable part of societies that had not eliminated social class by being organized along "pure communist" lines. Such pure-communist societies have never existed outside Marxists' heads. All historical change, he asserted, was attributable to class conflict rooted in particular modes of economic production. He saw society as progressing from a primitive society to a slave society to feudalism to capitalism to socialism and finally to the ideal stateless and classless society of pure communism.

Marxists, however, are often criticized for this exclusive focus on class conflict, often ignoring gender, race and ethnic/national inequalities or perceiving them as manifestations of class conflict; for example, orthodox Marxist analysts considered the British conquest of India to be at least somewhat of a positive development as part of the worldwide development of capitalism, thus hastening the day of the International Proletarian Revolution. One of the most infamous modern day examples of this was Neo Marxist [[Slavoj Žižek]] endorsing [[Donald Trump]] over Clinton as he believed that the political left would unite under the common threat of him, as well as alienating working class people enough to induce Class Consciousness and thus unite them together as a modern movement of the [[Proletariat]].<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JZmwQAZmak</ref>

==See also==
*[[Anomie]] 
*[[Auguste Comte]] 
*''[[Das Kapital]]''

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}
{{stub|sociology}}
[[Category:Communism]]
[[Category:History]]
[[Category:Sociology]]
[[Category:Social justice]]

Categories: Communism, History, Sociology, Social justice
Confounding factor

{{logicnav}}
A '''confounding factor''' (or '''variable''') is an unseen variable that is also correlated with two or more other variables. The confounding factor is one of the most important reasons [[correlation does not equal causation]], as the causality could be the confounding factor, and may well be counter-intuitive. These have to be examined and controlled in [[experiment]]s and [[statistical]] studies.

The fallacy is a [[false cause]], [[Imprecision fallacy|imprecision fallacies]], and an [[informal fallacy]].

==Alternate names==
*common cause
*joint effect
*lurking variable
*single causation
*spurious relationship
*uncontrolled factors

==Example==
In epidemiology, a confounder (affluence of a country, in the example below):
# Is correlated with the predictor (e.g. abortion rates)
# Is correlated with the outcome (e.g. breast cancer)
# Is not part of the causal pathway between predictor and outcome (abortion does not cause breast cancer through the development level of a country)
# Substantially alters the estimated predictor/outcome relationship when included in the model, conventionally >10%

A variable '''in''' the causal pathway between predictor and outcome may, instead, be an effect modifier. In either case, failure to include the extra variable in the analysis results in a distorted estimate of the predictor/outcome relationship.

===Abortion Breast Cancer (ABC) Link===
{{main|Evidence linking abortion to breast cancer}}
Let us suppose for the sake of the argument that breast [[cancer]] rates in a country are correlated with [[abortion]] rates; that does not necessarily mean that there may be a causal link between the two. There is a confounding factor in that ''both'' of these are correlated with the affluence of the country. In affluent countries, people tend to [[Aging|live longer]], and by living longer, they are more likely to develop breast cancer (sad but true), as it correlates with age far more than any other factor. Additionally, in a more developed country, the rate of abortion tends to be higher; so the higher the rates of abortion, the higher rates of breast cancer. Both correlate to the confounding factor, the affluence of the country, rather than each other.

==External links==
*{{wpa|Spurious relationship}}
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20070813115900/http://www.cuyamaca.net/bruce.thompson/Fallacies/uncontrolled.asp Uncontrolled Factors], Bruce Thompson
*[http://www.iep.utm.edu/f/fallacy.htm#CommonCause Common Cause], Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy

{{logfal}}

[[Category:Statistics]]
[[Category:Imprecision fallacies]]
[[Category:Informal fallacies]]
[[Category:Research terms]]

Categories: Statistics, Imprecision fallacies, Informal fallacies, Research terms
Congregationalism

{{christianity}}
'''Congregationalism''' is a form of church government, or polity, practiced by some [[Protestant]] [[Christianity|Christian]] churches, whereby individual churches operate independently of each other and vary in ideology, theology, ''etc.''

Congregationalism really took off with the [[Protestant Reformation]] (although the ideal had been promoted before that, largely as a reaction to repression by the [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic Church]]).  The movement is most prevalent in the [[United States]], where it has a long tradition starting with the [[Puritans]] of [[New England]].

The early Christian church is believed to have been highly decentralized and often housing disparate ideologies.  Congregationalists aim to emulate this, believing it brings them closer to the "true" Christianity. This has not worked out very well, however, as a very large number of Congregationalist churches switched to [[Unitarian Universalist Church|Unitarianism]] in the 19th century.

== Cultural effects ==
Due to the independent nature of the congregations, moderation is unknown in churches that practice congregational government; congregationally governed churches range from [[wingnut]] Baptist outfits like [[Fred Phelps]]'s church to the very liberal churches in the [[United Church of Christ]], which have an impressive track record of participating in the forefront of many social [[equality]] movements (''e.g.'', [[civil rights]], [[gay rights]]).  Many ordain women and support [[gay marriage]].

== Trivia ==
[[Barack Obama]]'s ex-church, Trinity United Church of Christ, is part of the American Congregationalist denomination; [[John Adams]] and [[Francis Crick]] were congregationalists as well. Some of the first colleges and universities in America, including Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, Williams, Bowdoin, Middlebury, and Amherst were all founded by congregationalists.<ref>[http://gene.kellerhouse-webster.com/church.html History of the Congregational Church.] gene.kellerhouse-webster.com.</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Christian denominations]]

Categories: Christian denominations
Conodont

[[File:Conodonts00.jpg|thumb|165px|Conodont fossils]]{{sources needed}}
The '''Conodonts''' ("cone-teeth") are a group of [[Extinction|extinct]] [[chordate]]s (possibly fish) which existed from the Late [[Cambrian]] to the start of the [[Jurassic]] from 540 to 195 million years ago. For over 150 years until 1993 and 1994 bafflingly, only the calcium phosphate teeth were known, then [[fossil]]s in the [[Ordovician]] strata of [[South Africa]], and [[Scotland]] showed what the owners of these teeth looked like.<ref>[https://www.ucl.ac.uk/GeolSci/micropal/conodont.html Conodonts], University College London. Retrieved October 27, 2021.</ref> There are only three genera of conodonts with body fossils, those being ''{{wpl|Promissum}}'', ''{{wpl|Panderodus}}'' and ''{{wpl|Clydagnathus}}''.

The conodont animal resembled a superficially segmented, worm-like animal with large, fish-like [[eye]]s, and a notochord.  Some biologists suggested they were akin to hagfish but with huge eyes.  We can speculate that perhaps the chordate eye was incompletely evolved and was less efficient than later vertebrate eyes.  Therefore, it's possible conodonts needed huge eyes to see well.
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{stub|Evolution}}
{{evonav}}
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Evolution]]
[[Category:Fish]]
[[Category:Transitional fossils]]

Categories: Animals, Evolution, Fish, Transitional fossils