There are many confirmation biases and magical thinking tendencies that fuel testimonial and anecdotal evidence for the efficacy of woo, from acupuncture and chiropractic all the way up to the giant woo umbrella of “complementary and alternative” medicine (CAM) or “integrative” medicine. But that’s not why these things are a threat to actual real scientific…

Another quick redirect; I love this writeup of how we are stupid at risk assessment . I wish a few of the people close to me would learn up on this a bit. The precautionary principle can so easily be abused to the point that it becomes a zero risk bias .

This is a TED video from 2006, but I just now watched it. Michael Shermer talks about cognitive bias, pareidolia, and other interesting ways we fool ourselves. Michael Shermer at TED.com: Why people believe strange things It’s a delightful 12 minute refutation of stupidity.

The willful manipulation of an audience in propaganda and debate is a depressing fact of life to me. I am interested in full understanding of an issue; best gained by rational discourse, scientific inquiry, and criticism. I am also a fairly rabid supporter of freedom of expression. I am most strongly an advocate of critical…