mirrored file at http://SaturnianCosmology.Org/ For complete access to all the files of this collection see http://SaturnianCosmology.org/search.php ========================================================== Mini-forum | Weird Sci. | Skeptical | SEARCH | CLOSEMINDED SCIENCE Examining the negative aspects of the social dynamics of science. ARTICLES BEST LINKS MORE LINKS Skepticism is a primary tool of science. We'd be hypocrites if we never directed a skeptical eye towards Scientific Skepticism itself. Denied imperfections and errors are free to grow without limit, and Skepticism is not immune to this problem. Unbridled gullibility can destroy science, but unbridled disbelief is no less a threat because it brings both the excessive preservation of the status quo and the supression of unconventional ideas. Better to take a middle road between total closed-mindedness and total gullibility. Practice pragmatism, pursue humility, and maintain a clear, honest, and continuing view of ourselves and the less noble of our own behaviors. ARTICLES BEST LINKS MORE LINKS RECOMMENDED LINKS: * The Plight of the Obscure Innovator (Nissani) * Zeteticism (the old zeteticism.org) * Unconventional claims in science (Truzzi) * Reporting Scientific Anomalies, R. Westrum * Skeptical Investigations * Scientific belief as obedience to authority, R.A. McConnell * Strategies for Dissenting Scientists, B. Martin * Parapsychology, blind faith, and "pseudo-skeptics", C. Tart * A Letter to a Dissident Scientist, by B. Martin * Stamping Out Dissent, B. Martin * THE ANOMALIST. Don't miss "Moving the Goalposts", and "Pseudoskeptics" * On Scientists and progress: "Hello Stupid" * Scientists' treatment of "Heretics", by Dr. Brian Josephson * Pseudoscience or Protoscience? * The Myths of Skepticism, M. Sofka _________________________________________________________________ "The most erroneous stories are those we think we know best -- and therefore never scrutinize or question." -Stephen Jay Gould _________________________________________________________________ ARTICLES HERE * New Ideas in Science, Dr. T. Gold, from the JSE (excellent!) * Recommended Books, Heretic's Bibliography * AGAINST EXCESSIVE SKEPTICISM: collected quotes * The Symptoms of Pathological Skepticism (Bill B.) * Ridiculed, vindicated geniuses, a list * Pure Horganism! * Cognitive Processes and the Suppression of Valid Scientific Ideas * Keep your Bead on the Wire (fm Encyc. of Ignorance) * The Blind Eye of Science, more BL skepticism * Contemporary Evolution Heresy(Bill B.) * Fringe-sci and Crackpots and Breakthroughs, Oh My! (Bill B.) * They Laughed at the Wright Brothers! (Bill B.) * Zen and the Art of Debunkery (D. Drasin) * That which is not so ( Bill B.) * The End of Science (Bill B.) * Maverick Scientists Facing Barriers (fm Boston Globe) * Scanning-Tunneling Microscope draws hostility, laughter (fm Science News) * PARASCIENCE vs. PSEUDOSCIENCE (Bill B.) * List, Abhorrent Ideas in Science (Bill B.) * PHILOSOPHIZIN' by billb (dejanews archive) * New theories, scorn, & derision (Bill B) * "THE OFFICIAL TRUTH" * Ball Lightning and Skepticism * Never Criticize Science! (Bill B.) * Sprites, Jets, Skepticism from ISUNY Journal * Two Sad Stories -- 1996 J. M. Bokris. * Scientific Censorship and Evolution by Richard Milton * Maverick Science vs Conventional Science (Bill B.) * Rules of the Research Game * WEIRD SCIENCE section * FORTEAN section _________________________________________________________________ Please leave COMMENTS! _________________________________________________________________ "Advances are made by answering questions. Discoveries are made by questioning answers." - Bernhard Haisch, astrophysicist _________________________________________________________________ Skeptic Ring Home What is this? Journey around the Skeptic Ring [Next Site] [Prev Site] [Random] [List Next 5] [List All Sites] _________________________________________________________________ "We do not believe any group of men adequate enough or wise enough to operate without scrutiny or without criticism. We know that the only way to avoid error is to detect it, that the only way to detect it is to be free to inquire." - J. Robert Oppenheimer _________________________________________________________________ Dishonest Argument If you've ever conversed with a closeminded person, you are aware how difficult it is to get your point across and to maintain your cool. You might not realize it, but there is are good reasons for this. While some people are like scientists and genuinely want to know the truth, others are like bad politicians and lawyers: dishonest truth-hiders whose only goal is to defend and persuade. Below are some of their tactics. Once you're familiar with these ploys, you can fight against them (or at the very least not let them drive you crazy!) * Conversational Terrorism * Table of Slick Manuvers * the Fallacy Files * Handbook of Logical Fallacies * Fallacies I, II, III * Rhetorical Strategems * Links: fallacies * Fallacious Arguments * Propaganda Analysis * The fallacy of one-sidedness * Clinical Attitude toward Arguments * Intellectuals vs. Pseudointellectuals * Sham reasoning, pseudo-inquiry * Beavis/Butthead logical fallacies * Art of Debunkery * The Spin Dictionary * How to be PERSUASIVE * Typical Flamer Types * Accidental flamewars * Flamer personality disorder * Flamers and Bullies * The Lying disease * People of the Lie (also see the book) * 'Flame' and 'Troll' _________________________________________________________________ Related Websites: * Anomalistics, a skeptic turns TB * The Objectivity of Science * Notes from a Parallel Universe, UC Berkeley vs. crackpots * What You Can't Say 1/2004 * M. Truzzi on investigation of anomalies 11/2003 * Physics Today: the discovery of rapid climate change * The Plight of the Obscure Innovator * Stent: Prematurity in Scientific Discovery (now also a book.) * Radin: A Field Guide to Skepticism * The Mega Society: Genius, Creativity, and the Mainstream * Velocity press: Forbidden Knowledge * Prof. Tangent, nutrition for the mind * Zeteticism.org, EXCELLENT (articles, links, quote) * MENSA column: alternative science * R. Milton & Neodarwinism * Sham reasoning, pseudo-inquiry (1997 CSICOP) * Skeptical look at Astrology (skeptic, not cynical materialist) * Love of the Marvellous and the Disbelief of the True * The Burden of Skepticism (Sagan) * On Skepticism (symptoms of pseudoskepticsm) , from Boerner's page * Disciplined Minds (book) Scientists are trapped in Dilbert-land too! * The New Thought Police Suppressing Dissent in Science (from ISIS News) * Ethics in Science (Bauer) * anti-CSICOP forum * Delphi forums: debunking debunkers * A Habit of Lies: how scientists cheat * The Logical Trickery of the UFO Skeptic * Could Gambling Save Science? * Meteor Noises * Magicians endorse PSI? * Truth-seeker's mindset: + Cargo Cult Science, (R. Feynman) + The Clinical Attitude toward Arguments (Suber) + Fallacy of one-sidedness (Suber) + Pseudo-inquiry (Haack, CSICOP) + Pseudointellectuals (Harris) * Skeptic Satires * How NOT to argue with Creationists (Lippard) , and reply * The rise of moderation in skept. orgs (S. Hall) * Debunking Common Skeptical Arguments (W. Wu) , and a rebuttal * Some Failures of Organized Skepticism (Lippard) * Dishonest science * CSICOP sTarbaby scandal + sTARBABY Rawlins vs. CSICOP + Crybaby (response to Rawlins) + True Disbelievers (response to Crybaby) + Mars Effect Controversy: timeline * Does psi exist? (Bem & Honorton) * Links at SKEPTIC mag: critiques of skept. * CSICOP and the Skeptics: An Overview * Morphostasis: immune-system heresy (excellent!) * Archeological Outliers * Skeptics: what they do and why * Pseudo-critical thinkers * Kit Pedler's MIND OVER MATTER: a scientist looks at the paranormal + Evidence, Experiments, and Bigots + Spoon benders and others * Conceptual Conservatism * The Plight of the Obscure Innovator * Creationism: You asked for it (fm New Scientist mag) * Scientific belief as obedience to authority * Freethinker page * Keynote Address at 6th Int'l Symp. on Ball Lightning * Getting 'heresies' published * "Your Endangered Mind", Lecture and online book, R. Herrman, USNA mathematics * Journals and organizations for "dissident" science research. * Refreshingly humble scientific view of evolution/creationism * Dr. Arp's heretical discoveries * Arp: What Science has Come To * More on Arp vs. Academia * About Arp (from Arp Peculiar Galaxy Club) * Laser Stars * Critical Thinking (links) * Remote Viewing vs. Its Skeptics * Suprise! results always require interpretation. hilarious! * Evolutionary Heresy: altruism * Sturrock-Rockefeller UFO Panel vs. the "skeptics" * Deep Hot Biosphere, more T. Gold heresies! * The Anti-Closed-Mind Site * Dr. B. Pollok's SAFESCIENCE * Scientific Integrity? whistleblowers beware! * Stamping Out Dissent, Dr. B. Martin * Open Questions in Physics from Physics FAQ * Scientific Misconduct Page * Arrogance vs. Stupidity * The Mythical "Scientific Method" * Pseudoscience or Protoscience? * A Science Ethics Bibliography * M. Cremo's Forbidden Archeology * Cargo Cult Science, R. Feynman * Parapsychology, blind faith, and "pseudo-skeptics", C. Tart * Theories and ethical practice in science, course syllabus links * Characterization of Quack Theories * Psy-Zone * Maccabee on Science vs. UFOs * Science against science * The "Fusor" and Scientific Knowledge * Critiques of Organized Skepticism * The Anti-physics Review * Stupid Skeptic Tricks (Lippard) * Bias in peer review * Peer Review: reform or revolution? * Weird but true (recommended!) (170K) * Psi, Grof, Jung, and the Quantum Vacuum * Peer review as scholarly conformity, from Suppression Stories * A Letter to a Dissident Scientist, by B. Martin * The real reason behind suppression of inventions * Anomalous Meteor Phenomena * "The Golem", Collins and Pinch debunk scientist's myths * H. Bauer - Ethics in Science (recommended!) * Dissident Physics at '95 AAAS meeting * Myths of Skepticism * Defending Darwinism: How Far is Too Far? from Origins Research * Retardation of Science, from Alternate View * sci.skeptic FAQ: Aren't all skeptics just closed-minded bigots? * Science and Consensus, from EMF-L * Discover 5/97, Science vs. Its Own Popularizers: Carl Sagan * THE ANOMALIST. Don't miss "Moving the Goalposts", and "Pseudoskeptics" * Ambiguity in research, Science On-Line * Scientists' treatment of "Heretics", by Dr. Brian Josephson * L. Frank vindicated, new mini-comet evidence (see "Moving the Goalposts" and CNN article) * Fund for UFO Research * Brainmind Bulletin * Earth mantel heresies * Debunking the debunkers * Science Frontiers articles: + Arp and redshift + Temperature affects half-life? + T. Gold's deep oil + Directed mutation * Post-relativist Physics from 'Sumeria' * "Three Galileos", article from Duesberg page * Aquatic Ape Theory * Psi phenomena papers, Frasca page * The Sourcebook Project, archive of unexplained observations * B. Haisch UFO essay from the J. Sci. Exploration * Farce of Physics, Dr. B.G. Wallace * Panspermia: life evolved elsewhere * Ways of knowning: Science vs. Religion * J. Talbot's "Skeptics" quotations * The Experts Speak * Psychology of Invention * Psychology of Science List * Forbidden Archeology * Scientists want to censor a Controversial show. See producer's response. Dr. Margulis' heresies: + Gaia and evolutionary cooperation-not-competition + Endosymbiosis * McClintlock's Jumping Genes * Heretical catastrophism * Descaling water magnetically Collected quotes moved to http://amasci.com/weird/skepquot.html Created and maintained by Bill Beaty. Mail me at: billb at eskimo.com. If you are using Lynx, type "c" to email.