Comments on: What’s the harm? http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/02/12/whats-the-harm/ I am an astronomer, writer, and skeptic. I likes reality the way it is, and I aims to keep it that way. My real name is Phil Plait, and I run the Bad Astronomy blog. Mon, 23 Nov 2009 07:53:09 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Pat http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/02/12/whats-the-harm/comment-page-2/#comment-70207 Pat Thu, 14 Feb 2008 14:37:01 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/02/12/whats-the-harm/#comment-70207 Re: competing claims of science and alternative medicine: Nobody has ever made the claim that an atomic bomb would heal you of your foot corns and cure your cancer. Radiation, on the other hand, has at least had some inroads into the second claim. The same cannot be said for acupuncture. Nor, for that matter, could acupuncture be turned into a weapon of mass destruction. It would have to be effective for that to happen. Magical thinking is the culprit - and I'm sorry, but "in some cases" as a case for some alternative therapies is synonymous with "anecdotal," and the plural of "anecdote" is not "data." Re: competing claims of science and alternative medicine:

Nobody has ever made the claim that an atomic bomb would heal you of your foot corns and cure your cancer.

Radiation, on the other hand, has at least had some inroads into the second claim.

The same cannot be said for acupuncture. Nor, for that matter, could acupuncture be turned into a weapon of mass destruction. It would have to be effective for that to happen.

Magical thinking is the culprit – and I’m sorry, but “in some cases” as a case for some alternative therapies is synonymous with “anecdotal,” and the plural of “anecdote” is not “data.”

]]> By: Shane http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/02/12/whats-the-harm/comment-page-2/#comment-70206 Shane Thu, 14 Feb 2008 01:35:03 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/02/12/whats-the-harm/#comment-70206 Hey DexX, you can donate blood. According to the Red Cross all you to do is wait 12 months from the last time you had "male to male sexual activity". Easy! :-) Hey DexX, you can donate blood. According to the Red Cross all you to do is wait 12 months from the last time you had “male to male sexual activity”. Easy! :-)

]]> By: DexX http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/02/12/whats-the-harm/comment-page-2/#comment-70205 DexX Thu, 14 Feb 2008 00:39:18 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/02/12/whats-the-harm/#comment-70205 Even queer Aussie men can't donate blood, which annoys me a tad. I want to donate blood, but they don't want it. Regarding child vegetarianism, I have vegie friends who feed their kids meat, and will continue to do so until the children are old enough to make their own lifestyle decision. I applaud them for that, especially since preparing meat is so distasteful for them. Even queer Aussie men can’t donate blood, which annoys me a tad. I want to donate blood, but they don’t want it.

Regarding child vegetarianism, I have vegie friends who feed their kids meat, and will continue to do so until the children are old enough to make their own lifestyle decision. I applaud them for that, especially since preparing meat is so distasteful for them.

]]> By: Shane http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/02/12/whats-the-harm/comment-page-2/#comment-70204 Shane Thu, 14 Feb 2008 00:05:51 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/02/12/whats-the-harm/#comment-70204 The risk of disease isn't why the JWs refuse blood transfusions. Anyway blood screening makes the risk of contracting anything from blood products these days vanishingly small especially in the west. We in Australia aren't even allowed to donate blood if we've lived in the UK between 1980 and 1996. Vitamin megadoses may not cause problems for some people but I'm yet to be convinced of any benefit. Gorillas may share 96 percent of our genetic makeup but they're still not people. Better than most people certainly but just because they've evolved to eat more vegies (bamboo and roots etc) than we do doesn't mean we could exist on the same diet or even benefit from that diet. The risk of disease isn’t why the JWs refuse blood transfusions. Anyway blood screening makes the risk of contracting anything from blood products these days vanishingly small especially in the west. We in Australia aren’t even allowed to donate blood if we’ve lived in the UK between 1980 and 1996.

Vitamin megadoses may not cause problems for some people but I’m yet to be convinced of any benefit. Gorillas may share 96 percent of our genetic makeup but they’re still not people. Better than most people certainly but just because they’ve evolved to eat more vegies (bamboo and roots etc) than we do doesn’t mean we could exist on the same diet or even benefit from that diet.

]]> By: Clair http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/02/12/whats-the-harm/comment-page-2/#comment-70203 Clair Wed, 13 Feb 2008 21:50:27 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/02/12/whats-the-harm/#comment-70203 *tongue planted in cheek... sort of...* Maybe by leaving these people to scam, it'll help push the species to evolving once again. Since we're curing many diseases, "correcting" mutations, and creating extraordinarily resilient bacteria (while not creating resilient immune systems), we've stopped evolving anything other than our brains.. and even that has been retarded by the elimination of these fine craftspeople and (scam)artists! ;-) *tongue planted in cheek… sort of…*

Maybe by leaving these people to scam, it’ll help push the species to evolving once again. Since we’re curing many diseases, “correcting” mutations, and creating extraordinarily resilient bacteria (while not creating resilient immune systems), we’ve stopped evolving anything other than our brains.. and even that has been retarded by the elimination of these fine craftspeople and (scam)artists!

;-)

]]> By: Christopher Ferro http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/02/12/whats-the-harm/comment-page-2/#comment-70202 Christopher Ferro Wed, 13 Feb 2008 20:01:52 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/02/12/whats-the-harm/#comment-70202 I take issue with some of the "harm" being deaths that happened to occur while someone was practicing a pseudoscience behavior.. like deaths from fires set by candles. The pseudoscience didn't harm those people, the fire did. The same thing could happen by me lighting a candle during a power outage. While one may successfully argue that the candle wouldn't be lit if that practice wasn't going on, I feel that is a weak argument. CJSF I take issue with some of the “harm” being deaths that happened to occur while someone was practicing a pseudoscience behavior.. like deaths from fires set by candles. The pseudoscience didn’t harm those people, the fire did. The same thing could happen by me lighting a candle during a power outage. While one may successfully argue that the candle wouldn’t be lit if that practice wasn’t going on, I feel that is a weak argument.

CJSF

]]> By: Doc http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/02/12/whats-the-harm/comment-page-2/#comment-70201 Doc Wed, 13 Feb 2008 18:37:57 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/02/12/whats-the-harm/#comment-70201 Gary, "Vit C mega doses may or may not be of some use..." I know of people who have wound up with ascorbic acid crystals forming in their kidneys (and causing pain and damage) due to megadoses of vitamin C. Having had kidney stones myself (oxylate, not vitamin C related), I hope you continue to get enough fluids so you pass the excess vitamins painlessly. Gary,

“Vit C mega doses may or may not be of some use…”

I know of people who have wound up with ascorbic acid crystals forming in their kidneys (and causing pain and damage) due to megadoses of vitamin C.

Having had kidney stones myself (oxylate, not vitamin C related), I hope you continue to get enough fluids so you pass the excess vitamins painlessly.

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