Skeptics Left Doubting Their Own Skepticism June 20, 2007
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Vancouver, BC (PRWEB) June 20, 2007 — On June 14th ,2007 at Simon Fraser University, B.C. Skeptics Colloquium sponsored a lecture by Arthur Grollman, M.D., Professor of Pharmacological Sciences at the University of New York Stony Brook. Barry Beyerstein, PhD, a professor of Psychology at S.F.U. and head of the B.C. Skeptics Society, hosted the event entitled “The Pharmacology of Herbal Remedies and the Placebo Effect”.
With an audience of about 25 people, mostly students, Grollman presented a lecture and then fielded questions from the audience. He addressed science’s growing awareness and validation of the tight mind/body connection, which he referred to as the placebo effect, the most powerful factor in pharmacology, at 30% efficacy. “Placebo is the most interesting and understudied factor,” admitted Grollman. When asked specifically how placebo relates to prescription drug trials, he confessed that in prescription drug trials, with placebo being a known 30%, a drug is called “effective” if it demonstrates 31% efficacy. That fact in itself was amazing and made attending this event worth the price of admission: it was free, or at least sponsored by our taxes toward funding Universities in their quest for greater knowledge. Read More….
Literally Scared Out of Our Wits June 13, 2007
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Are some medical and academic authorities irrationally sabotaging progress?
Change is scary. Little-understood new ideas can be especially frightening. When we’re scared, we become irritable, or sarcastic – even hostile. And we no longer have our wits about us. Even small changes are scary, such as learning a new computer program. Big changes, such as seeing our worldview begin to crumble, drive us nuts. When that happens, we can no longer think straight. Rational thinking has been blocked. We are “literally scared out of our wits” which becomes unbearable. Such deeply-rooted fears are unconscious and thus disguised as anger, which we then project outward as attack. Read More….
Are Skeptic Organizations Preventing Scientific Advancement June 12, 2007
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Most of the great scientific advancements in the world have been fought and resisted by skeptic organizations. Many of the people who belong to these groups are members of the academic community which is responsible for teaching future scientists. How does one devote themselves to the skeptic societies of the world and at the same time play a role in future advancements? It seems to be a contradiction in thinking. Read More….
