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Antivaccine nonsense Autism Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Quackery Religion Skepticism/critical thinking

Using religion to avoid vaccination, revisited

Whatever criticisms I may have had for prominent atheists like Richard Dawkins or Sam Harris otherwise, one area that I’m totally down with both of them on is their criticism of the undue respect and consideration we as a society give to religious ideas. This consideration is rarely, if ever, based on the merit of […]

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Humor Pareidolia Religion Skepticism/critical thinking

Papal pareidolia?

One of my favorite phenomena that represents better than perhaps any other how humans are wired to look for patterns, whether there is a pattern there or not, is the phenomenon known as pareidolia. As a Catholic-turned-sort-of-heathen, in particular I like Virgin Mary pareidolia, and have blogged about multiple such incidents. Of course, the Virgin […]

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Clinical trials Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Quackery Skepticism/critical thinking

Why don’t you rant about what I think you should rant about?

I’ve written before about how one of the favorite tactics of those who do not like my insistence on applying skepticism, science, and critical thinking to the claims of alternative medicine or my refusal to accept a dichotomy between “alternative” and “conventional” medicine is to try so smear me as some sort of “pharma shill.” […]

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Hitler Zombie Humor Intelligent design/creationism Pseudoscience Skepticism/critical thinking

What I did on my summer vacation: “Proof of “intelligent design” (and an old “friend”)

Work and a conference intervene to prevent a fresh dose of Respectful Insolence today. Fortunately, there’s still classic Insolence from the archives that hasn’t been moved over to the new blog. This amusing little trifle originally appeared on August 25, 2005. Well, I’m back. Yes, I know I blogged a fair amount while on vacation, […]

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Skepticism/critical thinking

A skeptical comic

I was so busy mentioning how the Society of Homeopaths was using legal threats to try to shut down the free speech rights of the host of the next Skeptics’ Circle, Le Canard Noir, that I forgot to mention that he also turned me on to a great web comic. The comic, Cectic, is highly […]