Why do we believe stuff that is not true?

Rather a lot of beliefs do not lean on evidence, but instead are castles of confidence that are built upon something distinctly different. I’m not specifically talking about religion, so what am I getting at? OK, let’s work a few examples. Myth: Vaccines cause Autism I need not go into the history here, except to perhaps point … Read more

The Homeopathy wars … believers vs skeptics

Professor Eduard Ernst, MD, PhD, FMedSci, FSB, FRCP, FRCPEd (yes he really is that qualified), has written a great article in the Spectator about his eventual shift over time from a believer to outspoken critic of Homeopathy. Well yes, I was blogging only yesterday about Homeopathy, and so it might be a surprise for you to see … Read more

Homeopathy effective for 0 out of 68 illnesses, study finds

The British Humanist Association has posted to Facebook a link from the Independent that was published last February … It is estimated that the NHS spends about £5 million of taxpayers’ money each year on homeopathy – a long-discredited ‘treatment’ involving water and sugar pills devoid of any medicinal properties – at the same time … Read more

UK’s NHS to Blacklist homeopathy .. hopefully.

This has been announced by the Good Thinking Society … Simon Singh and the Good Thinking Society have today welcomed the decision of the Department of Health to consult on adding homeopathic remedies to the NHS ‘Blacklist’.  Following a proposed judicial review by the Good Thinking Society(1), the Department of Health have announced a consultation to … Read more

Is belief in Homeopathy a moral test?

Ian Dunt writes in Politics UK about how homeopathy provides a moral test because it functions as a litmus test for belief in objective truth. His argument rolls out as follows … There’s no point going into the research – there’s nothing left to say. Homeopathy is no more effective than a placebo. So when people … Read more

Befuddling and blinding with meaningless gibberish

Edzard Ernst, has pointed out a rather “interesting” paper that has been written by a German child/adolescent psychiatrist and homeopathic physician, Michael Hartmann. Prof Ernst points it out, not because he thinks it is good, but because despite having a string of letters after his name (MD, PhD, FMedSci, FSB, FRCP, FRCPEd), he does not understand a word … Read more