The Enemies of Reason

[thermalsatsuma]

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.

It was no real surprise to me that the astrologers, spiritualists, mediums and dowsers that Richard Dawkins interviewed for this programme could offer no evidence beyond the vaguely anecdotal. What did surprise and shock me was the naked cynicism of the astrologer who refused to take part in a simple experiment on the grounds that the stars and planets would somehow know they were being experimented on and cause the exercise to fail. He said this with a smirk, and no doubt an eye on the next paycheck from the national newspaper that prominently features his predictions. The spirit medium was equally cynical, and cared little for the effects that his readings could have on vulnerable people in the audience. Judging by his smart suit, I assume that he was also making a comfortable living from his activities.

I felt oddly sorry for the dowsers that did submit to a simple double blind experiment to see if they could find the bottles of water hidden amongst bottles of sand. They all seemed confident of their abilities beforehand, and then either bemused or angry afterwards when their results were no better than random chance. One woman seemed to think that it would have worked if only she had been allowed to walk on planks above the boxes. Another man explained his failure by claiming that god must have been having a laugh - I would have thought that he would have welcomed the opportunity to definitively prove his existence to the arch sceptic Dawkins once and for all ... :-)

It is disturbing that so many people are actively opposed to the simple principle of rationality, either from wishful thinking, self delusion or cynical greed. Is adherence to the scientific method of asking questions, testing the evidence and refining your understanding of the world really too much to ask for? Is a comforting lie better than the truth?

Next week is the concluding episode which will tackle alternative medicine, and it promises to be equally enlightening.

Comments

[thebustocrookes.livejournal.com]

I wish I'd seen it. I know some very rational cynical people who still read horoscopes, it's really frustrating. You can at least beleive in the idea of the world being created by a god, or there being some kind of "supreme power". BUT, the idea that I'll have the same luck as all of the people born within the same month as me is *obviously* nonsense. As if *all* Geminis will find the same number lucky today and all be facing the same kind of challanges. There's just no justification. And it upsets me. Hope Dawkins writes about these people too, as they are just as bad, manipulative and wrong as many religions.

[flamingkitties.livejournal.com]

Sadly, we're living in a society that increasingly cannot think for itself and is taken in by small things like horror scopes and the whole thing escalates to religion. We've become a carefree blameless society in which it's not our fault ever.

I hate most people.

[smwright.livejournal.com]

We've become a carefree blameless society in which it's not our fault ever.

Very well said.

[smwright.livejournal.com]

Is a comforting lie better than the truth?

For many people, yes. I battle this daily (with students who are studying within the College of Natural and Applied Sciences!). Yes, a comforting lie is better than the truth for many reasons. It absolves the individual of the responsibility for ascertaining what is real and what is not. It puts the individual in control of many of the everyday outcomes in his life. It demands the individual think and, worse, alter his thinking when necessary. To change one's beliefs is a frightening thing.

I did something radical this past year in my foundation course for students (my weed-out, are-you-really-serious? course). I had them read Sagan's The Demon Haunted World in addition to their regular textbooks. For a good many of them, it actually made a difference. ("I never knew there was so much science involved!") I may have them read Paul Cromer's An Uncommon Sense next year.

It's sad. Whenever a genuine, inexplicable phenomenon is observed, it'll be the little boy who cried wolf.

[thermalsatsuma.livejournal.com]

Perhaps you could sneak "The God Delusion" or Christopher Hitchen's "God is not Great" onto the curriculum ... :-)

The difference between science and irrationality though, is when a genuine phenomenon is observed it will be measurable, testable, repeatable and form the body of evidence for a new hypothesis to add to human knowledge.

[smwright.livejournal.com]

Of course. I spend 15 weeks on those very principles twice a year every other year! Just getting them to stop using their own personal experiences as the foundation for it must be this way has contributed significantly to my own growing number of grey hairs. :)