Curiosity. And the belief that if you try things out, you might learn something, or experience something new and fun.
If I want to learn something new and fun, I go to the library and check out books. I buy books. I ask friends about books they've read. And when I read them, I try to apply critical thinking to what I'm reading. I don't go around engaging in pseudoscience and putting the lives of innocent people at risk.
When I started investigating homeopathy, I tested my worldview against reality. I thought that there were not any double-blind trials that showed homeopathy to be effective. How could there be?
Hmmm. Could it be that homeopathy was a crock of sh**, and people who used it to treat serious medical conditions wound up assuming room temperature?
What I found was that there were such trials. It was evident my worldview was in error. There was evidence in support of homeopathy working.
Considering what we've been reading in a number of threads, particularly those from Rolfe on Homeopathy, who, by the way, is well versed in SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY, I find it hard to believe that there's any evidence of homeopathy working at all, unless you're into self-delusion and masochism.
I began to trust expert opinions less and less. Especially when they say things like: "There is no evidence that homeopathy works". I realised they were back-constructing reality from their beliefs, rather than actually knowing that there was no evidence. Just like I had done.
Yeah, that's the stuff! When the experts who have tested it, tried it in double-blind trials, published their findings for peer review, put their reputations on the line, and in some cases, the lives of their patients, and discovered that it's BS... Hey, why listen to
scientists, who are just no fun, and devoted to being killjoys, insisting that people actually wind up healthy and healed from what afflicts them, rather than just getting a warm fuzzy.
I guess after that I became more and more "woo" as I read, researched and experienced more.
Oh, you think?
I feel my belief system to be a lot more coherent and consistent than it was before, although it has radically changed. The conspiracy theories made me a bit paranoid for a while, but I have a more positive perspective on them now. I am certainly a lot more relaxed.
Coherent? How? You've yet to make a coherent post, and while you may be calm, I find you to be incredibly cruel and selfish.
Looking back on the past two years, I have experienced incredible things. I have swum with dolphins, cured phobias and traumas, stood in front of an oncoming train, been "possessed" by a ghost on a ghost hunt, met my "soul-mate", and trained with many people who I would have only otherwise seen on TV. Yes, I'm about as "woo" as they come, and I enjoy it.
Fine. Glad you're happy. But don't spew this intellectual slop around here and not expect it to be challenged, and challenged hard.
For one thing, just how in the hell did you know you were possessed by a ghost? People delude themselves in the realm of the paranormal all the time. I can point out to you more than a few myths surrounding a couple of California's "haunted highways," and show you using the FACTS that the whole thing is nothing more than self-delusion. You buy into that filth because you don't want to be bothered with actually using your brain.
Of course, I could have found out that all homeopaths talk nonsense and had a hilarious time laughing at their explanations as to why nothing was happenning. I did not have a large investment in the outcome.
Fowlsound has a huge investment in the outcome. If he invests in the outcome of homeopathy, he runs the very real risk of DYING. Frankly, I have no time for intellectual and medical dilletantes.
It was the act of doing something for fun that made it work for me.
As you said, you had nothing at stake. You wanted to try something new. You really had nothing to lose.
Sorry, but there are far too many people who have too much at stake to engage in the sort of intellectual dishonesty and cruelty you're advocating. If it were truly your life on the line, if it were you with cancer, would you trust a medical professional, whose training and experience had prepared that individual to examine the facts surrounding your condition, or someone who was offering you tap water with it's memory tweaked?
If you choose the latter, you're an idiot, and a fool.
I can understand the logic in it (to prevent linkspam), but 15 is a lot of chit chat, and for me it's like working with one hand tied behind my back: 