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Badly Shaved Monkey
7th June 2004, 03:36 PM
Have others noted the po-faced pomposity that is so characteristic of woos? It seems to me that in the desire to be taken seriously they lack any sense of irony or humour, whereas those of us who can see the wood for their particular cluster of trees have no problem in seeing the humour in life generally.

On a separate tack, I think this same humourlessness afflicts the wost kind of religious zealots and possibly for the same reasons. Fundamentally (fundamentalistically?) they cannot bear to see take themselves anything less than 100% seriously or their whole world view would come crashing down.

Now clearly, speaking as an Englishman, pace Rolfe, effortless superiority is one of my intrinsic qualities and it enables laughter at both myself and the foibles of those around me because I am not threatened by them. Doubtless even non-English members of a sceptical forum share this same perspective even though they were not blessed with the advantage of having been born in England's green and pleasant land [departs humming Blake's 'Jerusalem'].

...Anyway... is this lack of sense of humour and irony indicative of a lack of self-awareness that afflicts the typical alt med believer and conceals an insecurity in their faith that cannot bear even the smallest dent lest the whole system disintegrate?

I think this is true, which is why having beleved one load of woo claptrap they have to beleve the lot, from crystal rubbing to astrology, because if they doubted one of these the whole edifice would crumble.

Badly Shaved Monkey
7th June 2004, 03:50 PM
By a remarkable coincidence, as I was posting this, a thread got itself closed at Hpathy, without comment, for daring to question their rigid faith.

http://homeopathyforums.hpathy.com//forum_posts.asp?TID=1587

But before it got closed, just look at the closed mindedness of the homeopath unable to admit even the hypothetical possibility of an alternative worldview.

Also note another characterisitic feature- ex-patient turned zealot following an allegedly miraculous (i.e. coincidental) change in some medical condition.

Rolfe
7th June 2004, 03:52 PM
Originally posted by Badly Shaved Monkey
Have others noted the po-faced pomposity that is so characteristic of woos? It seems to me that in the desire to be taken seriously they lack any sense of irony or humour, whereas those of us who can see the wood for their particular cluster of trees have no problem in seeing the humour in life generally.Bach certainly doesn't get it at all. I swear he didn't realise your comment about being surprised that homoeopathy does as well as placebo was an ironic quote from him. You really ought to have sourced it!

Rolfe, effortlessly not deigning to become involved in a nationalist slanging match.....

Rolfe
7th June 2004, 04:28 PM
Originally posted by Badly Shaved Monkey
By a remarkable coincidence, as I was posting this, a thread got itself closed at Hpathy, without comment, for daring to question their rigid faith.

http://homeopathyforums.hpathy.com//forum_posts.asp?TID=1587

But before it got closed, just look at the closed mindedness of the homeopath unable to admit even the hypothetical possibility of an alternative worldview.

Also note another characterisitic feature- ex-patient turned zealot following an allegedly miraculous (i.e. coincidental) change in some medical condition. And it wasn't even Xanta!

Bach was the same - there was another thread where he was pressed very closely on whether he would consider, as a hypothesis, that homoeopathy had no effect. He said he wouldn't.

Now the answer to the question about what would you think if something fell upward has to do with probability theory, Brownian motion, and the randomness of movement of air molecules....

But I think that is the problem. To us, they have set up a system where any outcome is seen as success, then when they say they cannot conceive of an outcome other than success, wonder why we laugh.

:hb:

Rolfe.

geni
7th June 2004, 04:53 PM
Originally posted by Rolfe

Now the answer to the question about what would you think if something fell upward has to do with probability theory, Brownian motion, and the randomness of movement of air molecules....


But still after checking for cheating exotic matter that the something wasn't a hygen ballone and several other things I'd start asing questions about gravity.

Rolfe
7th June 2004, 04:57 PM
Originally posted by geni
the something wasn't a hygen ballone ... [hydrogen balloon?]Ah, yes, the obvious!

It's just that when I was at uni our physics lecturer held a bit of chalk and said he was going to let go, then asked why nobody looked up. The answer was about Brownian motion etc. But you're right. Think of the obvious first.

You can discuss anything as a hypothetical. Then if it seems reasonable enough, you can test it. It's that last bit they're worried about.

Rolfe.