Critical Thinking

Coffee

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I’ve been up since 4am .. (don’t ask, no really don’t ask), and so like many in similar circumstances, I’ve had a cup of coffee which was then followed by breakfast that more or less consisted of another cup of coffee.  Then later another and again another. Right now I’m about to have extra-strong brew. So, while I might indeed be tired, I’m also buzzing, and will no doubt crash later.

What is news, for me anyway, is that apparently, if I look out the window, I just might catch a glimpse of a few pink unicorns or a pig flying past. Why? well according to the news out from a study in Australia, coffee is apparently a hallucinogen and so when taking a coffee break, I am also setting myself up to take a break from reality … or at least so screams some headlines today. For example, the UK’s Daily Mail claims, “Drinking Coffee can make you hear voices“. Since its the Daily Mail, then it just must be true, right? … er perhaps not, so lets take a closer look, brush away the hype and see what this is actually all about.

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Being sober without a god

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There is a belief that the only means to truly help those faced with an addiction is through the intervention of a deity. An example of this would be Catholic priests such as Fr. Pete Watters (here). He has been sober for 50 years and claims that only through belief in a higher power has it been possible to overcome his addiction and remain sober.

One little flaw … the belief that only a deity can help is not true.

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Debating ‘true’ Believers – why bother?

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I’ve been having some online fun today by playing my usual game of “debate the believers”. Now, least you ponder the thought, “Whats the point?”, well I have a couple of reasons. First its entertaining, especially when they come out with some jaw-dropping insanity that leaves me rolling on the floor, but also because I find that it can be educational for myself. Often I need to look into something to get the facts, unlike the believers who can simply parrot the made-up facts they buy into, and so I learn new stuff and gain new insights. Sometimes I find that I might have been wrong about something, and so I learn something new and change my mind.

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Miraculous Healing is myth and not real

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The earlier blog posting (here) regarding the faith healing cult that refuses all medical care for their children prompts me to now step back and think about the entire faith healing concept. Of all the possible spiritual gifts that religious folks claim, this one is perhaps the best hope for yielding solid proof that a spiritual realm really exists outside our current understanding of reality. Many of those who attend healing crusades have officially diagnosed illnesses, so all that is needed is a quick trip back to the doctor to verify that the illness has now vanished. If looking for solid proof, don’t just go for something vague such as back pain. Instead look for something dramatic and very easily verified such as a blind man who can now see, or somebody who turned up in a wheelchair and then walked out.

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Booted out of AutismOne

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The AutismOne conference was greatly disrupted by a couple of skeptics who jumped up on stage carrying banners proclaiming “Death of all purveyors of Woo”, so they were ejected … er no, that is not quite right, so let us step back and get the facts right.

AutismOne is woo central for the anti-vax movement, this is the conference for the folks who believe that Vaccines cause Autism. There is one little problem with that belief, it is not true, there is no evidence for it. Many studies have been conducted and all conclude “No evidence”. Much of the current anti-vaccine hype comes from a chap called Andrew Wakefield who wrote a paper that linked vaccines to Autism, but a few serious problems later emerged. He had huge financial conflicts of interest and he also faked the data, so his paper was redacted and he was struck off the medical register for ethics violations (he cannot call himself a Dr in the UK anymore). So how did the AutismOne folks react when this happened last year? They gave him an award. Now that in itself tells you all you need to know about the credibility and ethics of these folks.

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Keeping us in Ignorance? – “No”

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Nick Cohen sums it all up very nicely when he writes in Sunday’s Guardian … When censors try to restrict debate, democratic peoples must learn to reply with two words: that’s tough. “You want to use violence to stop criticism of religions that claim supernatural dominion over men’s minds and women’s bodies – that’s tough. … Read more