Notes from a Flat Earth conference

flat earth

Yes, you read that correctly, somebody actually ran a conference in the UK dedicated to the idea of a flat earth. For them I guess Terry Pratchett’s discworld is an encyclopaedia of facts. Michael Marchall, the project director of the Good Thinking Society, decided to take a hit for the team. He signed up and then went … Read more

Why do people believe in Conspiracy theories?

conspiracy

Whenever something dramatic happens, for example 9/11 or a school shooting, you are more or less guaranteed to find somebody popping up to explain that it is all part of some plot, and that behind this event there are puppet masters pulling the strings manipulating events. It’s supposedly a conspiracy of epic proportions. The Puppet … Read more

Homeopathy: Treating 4 year old with saliva of a rabid dog

homeopathy

This is a story about homeopathy, or to be a tad more precise, is a story about the deployment of homeopathy that illustrates how the embrace of the idea is not just bizarre but also absurd. Rabid Dogs and Homeopathy The Washington Post reports it as follows … A Canadian naturopath claims she treated a … Read more