Comments on: What is Skepticism, a primer for understanding reality http://www.lomaia.com/christian-parapsychologist/what-is-skepticism-a-primer-for-understanding-reality Mon, 18 Jul 2011 19:33:51 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: TheEarthAbides http://www.lomaia.com/christian-parapsychologist/what-is-skepticism-a-primer-for-understanding-reality#comment-1109 TheEarthAbides Sun, 28 Feb 2010 15:36:17 +0000 http://www.lomaia.com/christian-parapsychologist/what-is-skepticism-a-primer-for-understanding-reality#comment-1109 <b>if anyone is making ...</b> <br> if anyone is making a claim about the nature of something in reality, it MUST be scientifically tested. to say that science can't prove it yet, or that science is a slave to philosophy is just a way to push a philosophy based view of reality. science is the best tool we have at testing reality. if you can't prove your claim, your claim fails. you can't blame science, or the nature of reality for that. if anyone is making …
if anyone is making a claim about the nature of something in reality, it MUST be scientifically tested.

to say that science can’t prove it yet, or that science is a slave to philosophy is just a way to push a philosophy based view of reality. science is the best tool we have at testing reality. if you can’t prove your claim, your claim fails. you can’t blame science, or the nature of reality for that.

]]> By: syrakurt http://www.lomaia.com/christian-parapsychologist/what-is-skepticism-a-primer-for-understanding-reality#comment-1104 syrakurt Sun, 28 Feb 2010 15:36:16 +0000 http://www.lomaia.com/christian-parapsychologist/what-is-skepticism-a-primer-for-understanding-reality#comment-1104 <b>and belief in the ...</b> <br> and belief in the paranormal is perhaps one of the ways that nature communes with humans. dreams, visions, intuitions, spiritual quests, these may reflect the philosophy of the time, but there appears to be subtle consistencies across all cultures and times, an evolving ethic that guides humans slowly forward. science is just the latest belief system. and science has a lot to offer, as long as it is tempered with reason and humanity. and a realistic understanding of its limits. and belief in the …
and belief in the paranormal is perhaps one of the ways that nature communes with humans. dreams, visions, intuitions, spiritual quests, these may reflect the philosophy of the time, but there appears to be subtle consistencies across all cultures and times, an evolving ethic that guides humans slowly forward. science is just the latest belief system. and science has a lot to offer, as long as it is tempered with reason and humanity. and a realistic understanding of its limits.

]]> By: syrakurt http://www.lomaia.com/christian-parapsychologist/what-is-skepticism-a-primer-for-understanding-reality#comment-1105 syrakurt Sun, 28 Feb 2010 15:36:16 +0000 http://www.lomaia.com/christian-parapsychologist/what-is-skepticism-a-primer-for-understanding-reality#comment-1105 <b>to insist that ...</b> <br> to insist that humans believe nothing that they can not prove would create a world of hopelessness. humans are designed to believe things, and to hope for things they can't yet see. without that we could not invent, design, imagine, and discover new things. it is ironic that if you follow this logic religion itself must have an evolutionary survival advantage, and in fact it does. evolution would create religion if none existed. it is in our genes. to insist that …
to insist that humans believe nothing that they can not prove would create a world of hopelessness. humans are designed to believe things, and to hope for things they can’t yet see. without that we could not invent, design, imagine, and discover new things. it is ironic that if you follow this logic religion itself must have an evolutionary survival advantage, and in fact it does. evolution would create religion if none existed. it is in our genes.

]]> By: syrakurt http://www.lomaia.com/christian-parapsychologist/what-is-skepticism-a-primer-for-understanding-reality#comment-1106 syrakurt Sun, 28 Feb 2010 15:36:16 +0000 http://www.lomaia.com/christian-parapsychologist/what-is-skepticism-a-primer-for-understanding-reality#comment-1106 <b>the most difficult ...</b> <br> the most difficult to elicit under controlled experimental conditions and therefore hard to measure. therefore you see these spotty experimental results, such as with acupuncture, ESP, etc. To say that there is no real experimental evidence is simply false. there is evidence, but it is very weak at this point. the most difficult …
the most difficult to elicit under controlled experimental conditions and therefore hard to measure. therefore you see these spotty experimental results, such as with acupuncture, ESP, etc. To say that there is no real experimental evidence is simply false. there is evidence, but it is very weak at this point.

]]> By: syrakurt http://www.lomaia.com/christian-parapsychologist/what-is-skepticism-a-primer-for-understanding-reality#comment-1107 syrakurt Sun, 28 Feb 2010 15:36:16 +0000 http://www.lomaia.com/christian-parapsychologist/what-is-skepticism-a-primer-for-understanding-reality#comment-1107 <b>my point is that ...</b> <br> my point is that while some paranormal claims ARE probably bogus, other paranormal claims are based on phenomenon are real and will eventually be measurable, once science catches up. paranormal is not magic, it is simply the threshold of what we don't know yet. all real paranormal phenomenon work through some type of natural means that we simply do not understand. there are many powers in the universe that we have not yet discovered scientifically. and those that work through humans are my point is that …
my point is that while some paranormal claims ARE probably bogus, other paranormal claims are based on phenomenon are real and will eventually be measurable, once science catches up. paranormal is not magic, it is simply the threshold of what we don’t know yet. all real paranormal phenomenon work through some type of natural means that we simply do not understand. there are many powers in the universe that we have not yet discovered scientifically. and those that work through humans are

]]> By: syrakurt http://www.lomaia.com/christian-parapsychologist/what-is-skepticism-a-primer-for-understanding-reality#comment-1108 syrakurt Sun, 28 Feb 2010 15:36:16 +0000 http://www.lomaia.com/christian-parapsychologist/what-is-skepticism-a-primer-for-understanding-reality#comment-1108 <b>that's not what I ...</b> <br> that's not what I meant, not from the philosophy of the time, but rather from philosophy itself. Look at the history of the scientific method. it comes from philosophy and reflects a philosophy of empiricism, which does have great value, but only within a narrow framework of what is measurable. scientists regularly make the error of over-generalization. and meta analysis weeds out studies based on many factors, including methodological congruence. sometimes very good studies get weeded out. that’s not what I …
that’s not what I meant, not from the philosophy of the time, but rather from philosophy itself. Look at the history of the scientific method. it comes from philosophy and reflects a philosophy of empiricism, which does have great value, but only within a narrow framework of what is measurable. scientists regularly make the error of over-generalization. and meta analysis weeds out studies based on many factors, including methodological congruence. sometimes very good studies get weeded out.

]]> By: jns124able http://www.lomaia.com/christian-parapsychologist/what-is-skepticism-a-primer-for-understanding-reality#comment-1100 jns124able Sun, 28 Feb 2010 15:36:15 +0000 http://www.lomaia.com/christian-parapsychologist/what-is-skepticism-a-primer-for-understanding-reality#comment-1100 <b>You cannot do ...</b> <br> You cannot do double blinded control trials for acupuncture. Not possible...when you find a way please let me know. So, I can already tell that the most respected study design in science will not be in any of those 14, 829 studies. You cannot do …
You cannot do double blinded control trials for acupuncture. Not possible…when you find a way please let me know. So, I can already tell that the most respected study design in science will not be in any of those 14, 829 studies.

]]> By: jns124able http://www.lomaia.com/christian-parapsychologist/what-is-skepticism-a-primer-for-understanding-reality#comment-1101 jns124able Sun, 28 Feb 2010 15:36:15 +0000 http://www.lomaia.com/christian-parapsychologist/what-is-skepticism-a-primer-for-understanding-reality#comment-1101 <b>what can be ...</b> <br> what can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence. The onus is on ESP supporters to prove it. Im afraid anecdotal evidence is the lowest form of evidence in science (next to appeal to authority). what can be …
what can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence. The onus is on ESP supporters to prove it. Im afraid anecdotal evidence is the lowest form of evidence in science (next to appeal to authority).

]]> By: TheEarthAbides http://www.lomaia.com/christian-parapsychologist/what-is-skepticism-a-primer-for-understanding-reality#comment-1102 TheEarthAbides Sun, 28 Feb 2010 15:36:15 +0000 http://www.lomaia.com/christian-parapsychologist/what-is-skepticism-a-primer-for-understanding-reality#comment-1102 <b>"to insist that ...</b> <br> "to insist that humans believe nothing that they can not prove would create a world of hopelessness" humans need to believe in fairies or else they will be hopeless is basically what you are saying. if humans can't believe in things that are scientifically untrue they will sink into depression? that's a bit presumptuous and a bit pathetic don't you think? religion isn't in our genes, fear is and an innate need to know why. when we didn't have an answer we invented religion and alt medicine “to insist that …
“to insist that humans believe nothing that they can not prove would create a world of hopelessness”

humans need to believe in fairies or else they will be hopeless is basically what you are saying. if humans can’t believe in things that are scientifically untrue they will sink into depression? that’s a bit presumptuous and a bit pathetic don’t you think?

religion isn’t in our genes, fear is and an innate need to know why. when we didn’t have an answer we invented religion and alt medicine

]]> By: TheEarthAbides http://www.lomaia.com/christian-parapsychologist/what-is-skepticism-a-primer-for-understanding-reality#comment-1103 TheEarthAbides Sun, 28 Feb 2010 15:36:15 +0000 http://www.lomaia.com/christian-parapsychologist/what-is-skepticism-a-primer-for-understanding-reality#comment-1103 <b>you said it again " ...</b> <br> you said it again "other paranormal claims are based on phenomenon are real and will eventually be measurable, once science catches up." how do YOU know they are real? and what do you mean by catching up? by what means can you say it is real but science can't? i don't understand that. almost as if you just decided to believe it, and since science doesn't just pick and choose what it want's to be true, you are waiting for a testing method that could some day prove what you believed... you said it again ” …
you said it again “other paranormal claims are based on phenomenon are real and will eventually be measurable, once science catches up.”
how do YOU know they are real? and what do you mean by catching up? by what means can you say it is real but science can’t? i don’t understand that. almost as if you just decided to believe it, and since science doesn’t just pick and choose what it want’s to be true, you are waiting for a testing method that could some day prove what you believed…

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