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Evolution Intelligent design/creationism Medicine Pseudoscience Science Skepticism/critical thinking Surgery

More confusion on the “intelligent design” front

I’m confused again about what appear to be mutually conflicting statements. The Discovery Institute’s favorite creationist neurosurgeon Dr. Michael Egnor two months ago on Pharyngula: Perhaps a fable (not a just-so story!) will illustrate. Imagine that you, P.Z., were a student in 1925. You would study Darwinism fairly intensively as a high school student, undergrad, […]

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Friday Woo Pseudoscience Science Skepticism/critical thinking

Your Friday Dose of Woo: Dead scientists rolling over in their graves

Pity poor Nikola Tesla. A sure sign of the most potent woo is when the woo-meister responsible claims to base it on the work of a great scientists, particularly a great scientist who’s been dead well over 60 years. Like Nikola Tesla. The deader the scientist is and the longer he or she’s been dead, […]

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Medicine Politics Science

Fear of the frame, part II: A cultural divide

I remain confused. Yes, I know that people who don’t like me very much or at least don’t like the message that I lay down here day in, day out, week in, week out probably aren’t surprised at this startling admission, but I don’t mean it in a general fashion (although no doubt those aforementioned […]

Categories
Evolution Intelligent design/creationism Medicine Science Skepticism/critical thinking Surgery

Dr. Michael Egnor must really want to operate on my brain or something…

…because he’s sure as heck doing his best to cause it damage with his latest antievolution “broadsides,” even to the point where it needs the loving ministrations of a neurosurgeon! His latest screeds produce in me a nearly irresistible urge to pound my head against the nearest hard surface to make the psychic pain stop. […]

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Complementary and alternative medicine Friday Woo Medicine Quackery Skepticism/critical thinking

Your Friday Dose of Woo: The pit and the pendulum, or: How I learned to stop worrying and love Kreskin

Believe it or not, it’s been almost nine months since, almost on a whim, I first started this little indulgence of mine known as Your Friday Dose of Woo, with some truly fine woo known as quantum homeopathy. Before you know it, we’ll be celebrating a full year of woo. (Yes, I know that woo […]