---

vbloke © 2006

---

Let’s assume for a minute that astrology actually works. No questions, it just does. Now, when the astrological signs were drawn up originally, it was done around 600BC. Each sign (e.g.: Scorpio) are exactly 30° wide - they are measured eastward along the ecliptic from the vernal equinox, which is the intersection of the elliptic and the celestial equator and is the zero point.

When the system was originally set up, the zero point was in Aries and was called the “first point of Aries”. (more…)

Claims are often put forward by proponents of alternative remedies and therapies stating that they have tested their treatment and it has passed the test: proof that it works. Skeptics, however, insist that unless a treatment has passed a double-blind, placebo-controlled study, it is not valid.

Why is this? What is so special about the double-blind, placebo-controlled test? To find the answer, we need to look at the different ways that treatments can be tested and what the pitfalls are. (more…)

---

An examination of the question: can skeptics be skeptical of skepticism?

John Jackson © 2008

---

(more…)

---

vbloke © 2006

---

Western (Zodiacal) astrology relies on the position of the Sun, Moon and planets at the time of your birth to determine your personality. Each planet has a particular “personality” and affects different aspects of your personality.

How this happens is never really explained, why it kicks in at the time of your birth instead of the time of conception is also never really explained either. Is there something in the womb that shields you from the astrological effects?

If it is a “force” that emanates from the astronomical bodies that effects you, then it is an entirely new force unknown to science. We only have four forces to work with - gravity, electromagnetic , the strong nuclear force and weak nuclear force. The last two only work at atomic levels (they keep atoms held together and can only be felt if you’re about the size of an atom), so they can’t be any use. (more…)

Michael Shermer, the president of the Skeptics Society in the USA, gives a lecture on what it is that skeptics are all about: the type of things we’re interested in, and the way we examine them.

There’s also a section illustrating just how easy it is for us to hear (or see, etc.) things when we’re already primed to do so. This is illustrated using the lyrics from ‘Stairway to Heaven’ and is a superb example of this effect. (more…)

---

Open Mind: A mind open to new ideas, lacking in prejudice, not dogmatic.

John Jackson © 2004.

---

It is very common for people who are putting forward a claim to say something like, “you must consider this with an open mind“, or if their claim is rejected they will say something like, “well of course you don’t believe it, you’re closed-minded“.

There are many ways that this ‘appeal to open mindedness’ manifests itself, so let’s have a look at why it is not usually a valid argument: (more…)

---

A look at the role and meaning of spiritualist meetings.

Emma-Louise Rhodes © 2008.

---

For those who do not necessarily want to attend a Spiritualist church, there is, in most towns, a chance to go to a psychic evening, where mediums will attempt to bring back the dead for as little as £3.50 a head admission.

Such occasions typically take place in a ‘hall for hire’ and are advertised in the local press and via posters and handbills as ‘An Evening of Clairvoyance’. There is generally no reference to religion or faith of any kind, and usually the only other thing that accompanies the title is the organisation who has arranged it and name of the medium or mediums present. (more…)

---

John Jackson © UK-Skeptics

---

Physical mediumship is about connecting to the spirit world. The medium channels ethereal energy and focuses it so that it can influence physical objects. The spirits manifest themselves through the medium’s body, often producing ectoplasm as they do so.

Séances are either held in the dark or in a very dim red light. For some reason, spirits are averse to white light or conditions that allow participants in the séance any chance of normal vision.

Many physical manifestations occur. They may be genuine, but of course there may also be more earthly explanations for the phenomena produced. Here we will consider some of these phenomena and give some possible explanations for them: (more…)

Only a couple of weeks ago, stem cell research hit the headlines when a 30-year-old Spanish woman became the first person to have a transplanted organ (trachea) that had been grown from her own stem cells. It is an example of the potential that stem cell technology has for the future of medicine: it offers not only the hope of rejection-free transplants, but also cures for genetic diseases too.

Stem-cell treatments are in the news again this week. However, it’s for the wrong reasons this time. (more…)

---

Do irrational beliefs lead to harm?

John Jackson © UK-Skeptics

---

What’s the harm? There cannot be one single skeptic who has engaged in debate about ‘weird beliefs’ who has not had this question thrown at them!

It can seem like a very pertinent question and it can be surprisingly difficult to answer; particularly when you’re dealing with a single case like someone’s mother who believes in angels: “If she believes and it brings her comfort, what’s the harm?” (more…)