• Law

    The Illusion of Proof: Confirmation bias and the Lucy Letby Case

    Conspiracy theorists fall victim to a fundamental misunderstanding of how to evaluate and synthesise evidence. It’s not that they believe despite a lack of evidence, but rather that they fail to recognise how the evidence they possess is insufficient to support their improbable claims about the world. While conspiracy theorists actively seek out evidence, their first error is confirmation bias – the tendency to search for information that supports their theory, while disregarding or swiftly dismissing counterarguments. They accumulate a collection of facts that align with their beliefs, relying on the sheer volume of evidence to convince themselves that they [read more...]
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John Wesley and The Origins of the Natural Health Movement

by Andy L in featured 42

Examine the discourse of any alternative medicine and you will encounter a surprisingly homogenous set of themes: that their methods are natural, simple, available to all, and are based on ancient and traditional knowledge. Cures for disease are freely available from nature and we do not need the intermediation of [read more...]
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The Vets Who Make People Feel Better

by Andy L in featured 43

Some years ago, a well meaning but utterly deluded friend gave me a book entitled Natural Remedies For Your Cat by Christopher Day. It is a slightly disturbing tome that appears to recommend homeopathic remedies for pretty much everything – from fleas to gunshot wounds. Rational cat lovers might find [read more...]

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