No scientific basis of course - but doesn’t it look good? akuchling, CC BY The demon-haunted worldīut instead of teaching children how to critically analyse the world around them for themselves through a lens of healthy scepticism, the educational system is based on arguments from authority, encouraging them to accept what they’re told. The spread of pseudoscience can kill, and that’s exactly why we should be doing more to spread understanding of the scientific method, to equip others to apply scepticism in the face of extraordinary claims.ġ940s electro-metabograph, claiming to cure ailments with radio waves.
Similarly, the misinformation and ignorance of science of the anti-vaxxer movement not only endangers their own children but also affects the lives of the rest of the population. What some of these “wellness” bloggers do whether misguided or for the sake of personal profit is not only an insult to these people and those that have lost loved ones to the disease, but also an irresponsible act. Ainscough died in February 2015.Ĭancer is terrifying for those facing it and their families. Or Jessica Ainscough, the Wellness Warrior, whose very real sarcoma was not hindered by the “natural healing” pseudoscience she advocated on her blog.
Belle Gibson punted her wholefood recipes and alternative therapies (available as a book and smartphone app) as a “natural” weapon in her fight against cancer – a cancer she later admitted she’d entirely fabricated. If that sounds outlandish, consider two “wellness” bloggers from Australia. When some people are taken as “authorities” and their claims, however wacky, believed, then the subsequent decisions that millions of people may take could harm them or even bring a premature end to their lives. There are experts at most, and even their opinions can be challenged by anyone – so long as there’s evidence to back up the argument. The truth is that in science there are no authorities. Microwaved water produced a similar physical structure to when the words “Satan” and “Hitler” were repeatedly exposed to the water. Among her profound research conclusions were that, when studying the effects of microwaves: What’s the harm in applying alternative medicine to treat cancer? Why should others care if I don’t vaccinate my children? Such decisions are all too often based on a poor understanding of how science works – and usually guided by someone’s commercial interest.įor example, US blogger Vani Hari, known as the Food Babe, claims to research and reveal problems with food (while receiving sponsorship from “natural” food companies). What’s the harm in ‘alternative’ science?
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