I would say then that your inability to view the experiences of others as nothing but supersition is your own confirmation bias, especially being that you will never have all the information to make a logical conclusion as to why they believe what they do...There really is no difference between the two as a matter of perception.
We are humans. our sins include seeing patterns when there are none. be it relgion, be it the tiny piece of metal floating around in our leg MUST be because it is an alien device transmitting information back to surrounding motherships about what is going on with the characters on the show Glee.... it all fits...
They have a great episode of Penn & Tellers BullS*%T about him and his implants. I'm serious, its like season 2 or 3.
Oh please share...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0672523/
So it seems that they never even explore the implants...they just attack Leir...
It's true that skeptics can develop a bias, but I don't think that is what is going on here. I was trying to distinguish between silly superstitions such as fearing a black cat, knocking on wood, ect and more serious beliefs like ghosts and alternative medical treatments. I simply pointed out that the same mistakes are responsible for silly and serious false beliefs alike. I am not saying that all others experiences amount to superstition. Things like psychic cold readings and spoon bending can be successfully performed using ordinary everyday tricks. Does that mean all psychics are using cold readings? Not necessarily, but it does offer a realistic explination which makes it unessesary to go looking for a paranormal one.
OK, I actually just watched that episode a few weeks ago, just didn't realize it was the same Dr.
Ad Hominem attack aka poisoning the well. tsk tsk
Well they did make quite a bit of fun out of the fact that hes a foot doctor. "Did the aliens have to walk 10,000 light years to get here?" (and really, this is an unfair ad hominem attack on their part) Once they get serious they point out the fact that once Dr Leirs findings undergo peer review, they don't appear to be extraordinary at all. They offer alternative explanation as to what these 'implants' might be. They aren't made of material never seen on earth, in fact they are often fat deposites. They then go on to point out how odd it would be for aliens to travel light years, abduct people, erase their memory, only so they can leave fat deposits under their skin. Before moving on to other people, they point out the Dr. Leir was recently suspended from practicing three years due to gross negligence.
But just because your answer for one situation has been given, it does not mean that answer is applicable to a similar one. It offers one explanation for one situation.
They offer an alternative, not a conclusion. And furthermore they didnt explore all 16 implants, nor their compositions (which leir does discuss along with chemists and nuclear physicists, which begs the question: did P&T do an honest job of exploring the issue? Or are they just entertaining you?).
It was an example of the approach, which is; lets try to find an ordinary explination for something before we go looking for paranormal. In addition lets try to explain and understand why, if this (fill in the blank) belief is false, what led people to accept these false beliefs, and why do they persist. When we can offer a realistic explination and demonstrate the mechanisms which lead to the unrealistic conclusion, I think that goes a long way to explain what is really going on. In the case of alien abductions, we have done exactly that.
For sure. They spent about 5 min on him out of a 30 min program, and most of it was entertainingly funny. They touched on him because they were at a convention, and he was one of the big draws. They spent a little time with each of the big names bringing people into that particular convention.
Was just trying to fill you in on what they said, not endorse it. I may or may not agree with them upon doing my own research. Probably will though.
I mean, when your findings dont survive peer review, that's pretty much the death nail.
I can agree on seeking simple explanations first, but I cant agree with MAKING simple explanations (like that of P&T & Dr. Leir) when there cannot be a simple one found. If you are ending your "debunking" of superstitions with "well, it was probably just this..." then you have accomplished nothing and the questions remain unanswered.
Death nail for whom? P&T didnt take this to other chemists or nuclear physicists that have worked with leir have they? They took it to another podiatrist ...Roger leir didnt do the chemical analysis himself of these objects, he only extracted them. He admits that he knows very little about the actual composition and has had other scientists evaluate them. It makes to logical sense to have a podiatrist do a peer review of something out of his scope of knowledge.For sure. They spent about 5 min on him out of a 30 min program, and most of it was entertainingly funny. They touched on him because they were at a convention, and he was one of the big draws. They spent a little time with each of the big names bringing people into that particular convention.
I was trying to summarize for you that segment because you said, Was just trying to fill you in on what they said, not endorse it. I may or may not agree with them upon doing my own research. Probably will though.
Nah I don't see what P&T did as peer review, not by a longshot. What they did or tired to do is create doubt. Doubt leads to questions. Questions lead to answers.
Well, believe or not, Dr. Leir and his team are actually trying to get a peer-reviewed scholarly article in ...I cant remember which journal, but it is reputable....They WANT answers, that's why they are doing what they are...Penn & Teller have no vested interest in finding answers, they have a vested interest in keeping diminished attention spans of those who fancy themselves as informed because they watched some bullshit show of theirs.
Well when he gets published be sure to let us know. I would be extremely interested in reading the article. If actual credible evidence of aliens is found that would be an exciting and game changing event. I would be happy to be alive during something like that. But for now, I will continue to doubt.
Well, the reality is that he already has it...he is just trying to get it published. I can tell you understand what that means, it would be huge. But just because it doesnt have mainstream acceptance doesnt mean it is any less true...
