Episode #55

News Items

    Interview with Steve Salerno

    • Steve Salerno is the author of SHAM: How the Self Help Movement Made America Helpless: www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400054095/ref=nosim/102-4033479-2026550?n=283155This is Steve’s second appearance on the Skeptics Guide. He is here to give us an update on the self help movement.Article by Steve Salerno:www.nationalreview.com/comment/salerno200505120810.asp

    Falsifiable claims

    • Is it possible to logically prove that if a statement about the existence of something is non-falsifiable then the existence of such a thing is also not physically possible?Another Item: Science hasn’t established a strong basis for every single action of every single person in the universe in every single moment. We all have to act before having a complete chain of reasoning based on perfect premises. This is tragic in the case of politicians. Obviously, it is best to have as much reasoning as possible prior to acting. Do any of The Skeptics Guide hosts think that they have a rational ultimate basis for any of their beliefs or actions? If so, I’d love to hear it.Matt BristolUSA
    • During several shows you’ve discussed the need to regulate supplements. The problem seems to be that people use these in response to exaggerated claims by the manufacturers. But people often choose to buy items based on hype. That is their choice. People also do research, talk to their doctor, and listen to skeptics when making a buying decision. Note the popularity of reviews, consumer reports, etc. This is also their choice.The problem with regulation is not just that you restrict choice to the ‘right’ choices, but that you actually kill lots more people. Not being able to use a drug that can save your life is the worst side effect of regulation.For documentation on the extent of this problem read the well researched article at http://www.fee.org/publications/the-freeman/article.asp?aid=2299- Mike SpaldingUnited States
    • I have been avidly listening to your podcast for the past few months, and it makes my time on the gym treadmill fly past. I am curious if there has there been anything that has occurred in the past thirty to forty years that a skeptic in circa 1966 would have found hard to believe, but has turned out to be fact or at least generally accepted as scientifically true.Please do a segment on ‘weather control.’ It appears to be a growing topic of concern in the alternative late night AM radio crowd.BTW: I reside near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and I witnessed the media circus that was the ‘Dover’ creation-science case. Locally, people fell into two distinct camps: 1) they were embarrassed that the Dover School District was making our corner of the country appear to be a back woods land of rednecks, or 2) could not fathom why it was at all a big event, or incorrect to teach creation-science in the school.I think the majority of the pro-creation-science folks have their hearts in the right place, but simply do not understand the dividing line between what is science, and ought to be taught in the public school, and what is religion and ought to be taught at bible study or CCD.Maintain your high quality standards. Best of LuckNigel St. Whitehall PennsylvaniaPartial list of topics the skeptical community was ‘skeptical’ of circa 1966:Homeopathy, Chiropractic, UFO’s, alien abductions, ESP, Atlantis, the Bermuda Triangle, Pyramidology, hollow earth, velikovsky, Dianetics, perpetual motion machines, Lysenkoism.

    Science or Fiction

    • Item #1 Science

      New study confirms previous study showing that infants as young as 6 months old have a basic understanding of arithmetic.

    • Item #2 Fiction

      New study demonstrates that some plants can induce specific mutations in order to direct their own evolution in response to environmental stress

    • Item #3 Science

      Medical researchers have developed a method to allow patients to breath through their abdomens.

    Skeptical Quote of the Week.