18. Faith Karimi, “Abuse of Child ‘Witches’ on Rise, Aid Group Says,” CNN, May 18, 2009, www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/05/18/nigeria.child.witchcraft/index.html.
19. Aleksandra Cimpric, Children Accused of Witchcraft: An Anthropological Study of Contemporary Practices in Africa (Dakar, Senegal: United Nations Children’s Fund, 2010).
20. Red Cross, Through Albino Eyes: The Plight of Albino People in Africa’s Great Lakes Region and a Red Cross Response (Geneva: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, 2009).
21. Benjamin Radford, “East Africa Tries to Stem Albino Magic Murders: DNews,” DNews, January 17, 2015, news.discovery.com/history/east-africa-tries-to-stem-albino-magic-murders-150117.htm.
22. Greg Botelho, “Renowned Psychic, Bestselling Author Sylvia Browne Dies at 77,” CNN, November 20, 2013, www.cnn.com/2013/11/20/showbiz/sylvia-browne-dies/.
23. Erin Donaghue, “Amanda Berry, Gina Dejesus, Michele Knight Update: Police Believe Child Found in Home Is Berry’s Daughter,” CBS News, May 7, 2013, www.cbsnews.com/news/amanda-berry-gina-dejesus-michele-knight-update-police-believe-child-found-in-home-is-berrys-daughter/.
24. “Amanda Berry Is Dead, Psychic Tells Her Mother on Montel Williams’ Show (republished),” Plain Dealer, May 1, 2013, www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2013/05/amanda_berry_is_dead_psychic_t.html.
25. “Two Boys Found Alive; One Missing since 2002,” CNN, January 13, 2007, www.cnn.com/2007/LAW/01/12/missing.boys/index.html.
26. Mark Koba, “Divining Water: Dowsers in Big Demand During California Drought,” NBC News, June 29, 2014, www.nbcnews.com/business/careers/divining-water-dowsers-big-demand-during-california-drought-n140836.
27. “Water Dowsing,” U.S. Department of the Interior, December 9, 2015, water.usgs.gov/edu/dowsing.html.
28. Guide for the Selection of Commercial Explosives Detection Systems for Law Enforcement Applications (NIJ Guide 100–99), Chapter 7. Warning: Do Not Buy Bogus Explosives Detection Equipment.
29. Christy Strawser, “Local Psychics Offer Insight into Missing Malaysian Plane, One Says Gov’t Knows Where It Is,” CBS Detroit, March 18, 2014, http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2014/03/18/local-psychics-offer-insight-into-missing-malaysian-plane-says-govt-knows-where-it-is/.
30. Michael Martinez and Don Melvin, “MH370 Possibly Plunged Straight into Ocean, Expert Says,” CNN, July 30, 2015, www.cnn.com/2014/03/21/us/malaysia-airlines-flight-370-theories/.
31. “ Rhino Poaching Toll Reaches New High,” Traffic International, January 10, 2013, www.traffic.org/home/2013/1/10/rhino-poaching-toll-reaches-new-high.html.
32. Judy A. Mills and Peter Jackson, Killed for a Cure: A Review of the Worldwide Trade in Tiger Bone (Cambridge: Traffic International, 1994).
33. J. Still, “Use of Animal Products in Traditional Chinese Medicine: Environmental Impact and Health Hazards,” Complementary Therapies in Medicine 11, no. 2 (2003): 118–122.
34. M. A. R. Fareed, “Endangered Birds Run Out of Luck in India,” Al Jazeera English, July 15, 2014, www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2014/07/endangered-birds-run-out-luck-india-201471483932626650.html.
35. “5,000 Buffaloes Slaughtered in Nepal’s Animal Sacrifice Ritual,” Times of India, November 29, 2014, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/5000-buffaloes-slaughtered-in-Nepals-animal-sacrifice-ritual/articleshow/45318635.cms.
36. Craig Nakano, “Black Dog Bias?” Los Angeles Times, December 6, 2008, www.latimes.com/style/la-hm-black6-2008dec06-story.html.
37. Lori R Kogan, Regina Schoenfeld-Tacher, and Peter W. Hellyer, “Cats in Animal Shelters: Exploring the Common Perception That Black Cats Take Longer to Adopt,” Open Veterinary Science Journal 7 (2013): 18–22.
38. Flemming Rose, “Why I Published Those Cartoons,” Washington Post, Febraury 19, 2006, www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/17/AR2006021702499_pf.html.
39. Margaret A. Maglione et al. “Safety of Vaccines Used for Routine Immunization in the United States,” Pediatrics 134, no. 2 (August 2014).
40. Institute of Medicine Immunization Safety Review Committee, Immunization Safety Review: Vaccines and Autism (Washington, DC: National Academies Press, 2004).
41. “Majority of Authors Retract 1998 Lancet Paper-Lancet Editor Points to Implications,” Psych Central, March 3, 2004, psychcentral.com/news/archives/2004-03/l-moa030304.html.
42. “Autism Study Doctor Barred for ‘Serious Misconduct,’” CNN, May 24, 2010, www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/05/24/autism.vaccine.doctor.banned/index.html.
43. Seth Mnookin, The Panic Virus: A True Story of Medicine, Science, and Fear (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2011).
44. David Kroll, “Jenny McCarthy Is A Dangerous Example of Medical Celebrity,” Forbes, July 16, 2013.
45. “Donald Trump Has Long Linked Autism to Vaccines. He Isn’t Stopping Now That He’s President,” Fortune, February 16, 2017, fortune.com/2017/02/16/donald-trump-autism-vaccines/.
46. Paul A. Offit and Rita K. Jew, “Addressing Parents’ Concerns: Do Vaccines Contain Harmful Preservatives, Adjuvants, Additives, or Residuals?” Pediatrics 112, no. 6 (2003): 1394–1397.
47. Danielle McBurnett Stringer, “Why Your Pediatric Health Provider Actually Wants You to Vaccinate Your Child,” Kid Nurse, July 30, 2014, www.kidnurse.org/pediatric-health-provider-actually-wants-vaccinate-child/.
48. Jessica E. Atwell et al. “Nonmedical Vaccine Exemptions and Pertussis in California, 2010,” Pediatrics 132, no. 4 (2013): 624–630.
49. Anita Gore, “California Experiencing a Whooping Cough Epidemic,” California Department of Public Health, June 13, 2014, www.cdph.ca.gov/Pages/NR14-056.aspx.
50. “Measles Cases and Outbreaks,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, March 8, 2016, www.cdc.gov/measles/cases-outbreaks.html.
51. “Tara Hills, Ottawa Mom, Changes Anti-vaccination Stand, but 7 Kids Still Get Sick,” CBC/Radio Canada, April 9, 2015, www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/tara-hills-ottawa-mom-changes-anti-vaccination-stand-but-7-kids-still-get-sick-1.3025592.
52. Tara Hills, “Learning the Hard Way: My Journey from #AntiVaxx to Science,” Scientific Parent, April 8, 2015, thescientificparent.org/learning-the-hard-way-my-journey-from-antivaxx-to-science/.
53. D. Moyer, “Measles Led to Death of Clallam Co. Woman; First in US in a Dozen Years,” Washington State Department of Health, July 2, 2015.
54. Posted by Orac on July 3, 2015, “How “They” View “Us”: A Woman Dies of Measles, and Antivaccinationists Think It’s a Conspiracy,” Respectful Insolence, ScienceBlogs, July 2, 2015.
55. Dr. Bob Sears, post on Facebook, July 2, 2015, www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=914196915285460&id=116317855073374.
56. Melodi Smith and Kerry Chan Laddaran, “Julia, Who Has Autism, Joins the ‘Sesame Street’ Gang,” CNN, October 21, 2015, www.cnn.com/2015/10/21/entertainment/sesame-street-julia-autism/index.html.
57. Mike Adams, “Sesame Street Rolls Out Autistic Muppet to ‘Normalize’ Vaccine Injured Children … Follows Elmo Push for Mass Vaccinations,” Natural News Network, October 22, 2015, www.naturalnews.com/051668_autistic_muppet_Sesame_Street_vaccine_injuries.html>.
58. Paul Fine, Ken Eames, and David L. Heymann. “‘Herd immunity’: A Rough Guide,” Clinical Infectious Diseases 52, no. 7 (2011): 911–916.
6
MY WORLDVIEW
“Yes, I’m a materialist. I’m willing to be shown wrong, but that has not happened—yet. And I admit that the reason I’m unable to accept the claims of psychic, occult, and/or supernatural wonders is because I’m locked into a world-view that demands evidence rather than blind faith, a view that insists upon the replication of all experiments—particularly those that appear to show violations of a rational world—and a view which requires open examination of the methods used to carry out those experiments.”
—James Randi
My worldview isn’t complicated; I rely on evidence and factual conclusions to form my “belief system.” For example, alt
hough I personally don’t believe that nonnatural forces exist—let alone beings that created or govern us—I’m completely open to that answer as a possibility. I maintain that the existence of supernatural or paranormal entities is unlikely, but if empirical evidence were put forth that logically suggested such a presence, I would accept it and then incorporate that new information into my way of thinking. Historically, however, that has not been the case.
As someone who is on a mission to escape the chains often imposed by bad ideas, wrong beliefs, and sacred cows in general, it’s necessary to be willing and able to completely drop or adopt any idea based on the scientific information and empirical data. I’ve often been accused of being “firm in my beliefs,” but I consider my ideas to be quite malleable because they are shaped by the (often fluid) evidence put forth. Firmness in beliefs is what causes people to shy away from looking at those ideas with a skeptical or critical eye—and that’s never a good thing. The ability to change your opinions with new information is something to be admired, but to staunchly defend firmly held views without reexamination is to display the source of the worst kinds of fundamentalism. In order to truly maintain an evidence-based worldview, one must be ready to consider that he or she has been misled about anything and everything they know. Next, the person has to be able to search out objective, nonbiased sources of information (based on factual scientific findings) on which to base conclusions. Both of these are important and, to get to the truth, you can’t skip any steps.
WE DON’T CHOOSE OUR BELIEFS
Some people insist belief is merely a “choice” that must be respected at all costs, but I disagree. In the same way we don’t choose our emotions,1 I don’t choose not to believe in any religions, other supernatural claims, or pseudoscientific ideas. My skepticism on these issues is the result of the fact that I value evidence over faith and conjecture. Contrary to popular belief, I don’t think people can choose what they believe as much as they think they can. I couldn’t simply will myself to accept something as fact without being convinced somehow, and I think most people would feel similarly if they really thought about the issue. That agreement makes sense—this is exactly how beliefs should work. However, while we don’t literally choose what we believe, many people do choose which of those beliefs they will critically examine and which they will ignore. If we set high standards for examination and research on all topics, including and especially the most important ones, then we can overcome unknown biases and understand that no ideas should be exempt from scrutiny.
A lot of people get confused when I say we can’t always choose the things we believe. We can decide to look closer at available information and, to some extent, we can even control what we consider to be “evidence.” But that’s not the same as flipping a switch and literally choosing to believe or disbelieve something. That’s a gross oversimplification of how ideas work. If you can’t will yourself to believe or disbelieve, it’s not as simple as a choice. And with certain beliefs (especially religious teachings), depending on your influences when you formed them, there may have been no choice on your part at all. If you are wondering if belief itself is in fact a choice for you, just try to believe that all tomatoes are actually purple. I think you’ll find out quickly that you can’t simply decide what you think is real and what’s fake without other considerations (such as evidence).
If we all had the ability to arbitrarily decide what we think is real and what we don’t think is real, our lives would be incredibly different. We might choose to believe only things that make us comfortable and disregard those that cause us confusion, for example, or I might even decide to believe in a real, all-loving, all-powerful deity (not the one from the Bible). But I for one don’t have that ability. I can’t just decide out of nowhere, “You know what? Despite the fact that I’ve never seen evidence that supports the existence of any supernatural force or being, I’m going to choose to believe that they are real because it’s convenient for me.” No matter how much I’ve tried, I have never been able to simply force myself to believe in that which isn’t based on evidence and supported by data just because I want to. I just can’t do it—but that doesn’t mean I have a problem with what others believe as long as they don’t force their ideas on anyone else or hurt people because of them.
MY PROCESS
So, if we can’t decide which beliefs we hold regarding the supernatural, how do we adopt them? For me, it’s very simple: if you make an extraordinary assertion—such as that there is a god or other magical force acting in this world—and you want me to believe you, then you must first prove it using science. You are making the claim, and therefore are subject to the burden of proof. It is the claimant’s obligation to provide support for their position,2 so until that duty is fulfilled, I simply won’t believe you.
Scientific skepticism isn’t all that difficult to understand, and to me it actually seems obvious. All you have to do is question things to discover if they meet the burden of proof and allow your “beliefs” to be shaped by reality, not by culture or indoctrination or some other force. I won’t say that I have a perfect track record, but I will say that I always make a concentrated effort to hold assertions to a high standard of evidence, dependent of course on how extraordinary the particular claim is and what its implications might be. If a person tells me they had a bad dream, I won’t hook them up to a brain monitor and ask them to recount it for verification. But if that same person tells me magic exists, or that they’re able to predict the future using their dreams, I’m going to want to see the evidence for myself.3
Looking at assertions and arguments logically is important, including and especially when the person making the claim is someone whom you consider trustworthy. This applies to scientists, too. It’s not as though scientists and other academic professionals can’t be wrong; they are human and, as such, are wrong quite often. For instance, I once read a “news” story with the headline, “Quantum physics proves that there IS an afterlife, claims scientist.” I had to look beyond the claim and the scientist and into the science itself to discover how flawed this “proof” actually was. The fact that a scientist thinks something is true isn’t evidence that the thing is really true. That’s the difference between scientists—the people—and science—the process we use to uncover facts about the world. In the 2014 documentary TV show Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, host and cosmologist Neil deGrasse Tyson outlined this idea quite well. He said, “Scientists are human; we have our blind spots and prejudices. Science is a mechanism designed to ferret them out. The problem is we aren’t always faithful to the core values of science.”
DEFINING MY OWN VIEWS
Some nonbelievers shy away from defining themselves as “atheistic.” Neil deGrasse Tyson, for instance, has emphatically rejected the label, even asking, “Is there a word for non–golf players?” He added, “Do non–golf players gather and strategize? Do nonskiers have a word, and come together, and talk about the fact that they don’t ski? I can’t do that!” But being an atheist is nothing to be scared of; it’s just a stigmatized word. After all, a person who doesn’t play golf is, by definition, a “nongolfer.” Most people who fit that label might not utilize it, but that would likely be different if golfing was an inherently controversial topic on which the vast majority of people based their lives. People might also call themselves nongolfers if they were forced to follow legislation based on the game. If you don’t believe any gods exist, then you’re an atheist and, like all definitions, it applies regardless of emotional reactions to the term.
So yes, I am an atheist, but I don’t merely advocate for nonreligiosity, because that’s not enough. There are many nonreligious people who hold other irrational (and potentially harmful) beliefs. I try to promote evidence-focused decision-making, based in large part on the scientific method, because I think that’s the best way to reach conclusions. As opposed to simply accepting the things we are told, I challenge myself and others to look at the facts and get as close to the truth a
s possible—without regard to how that might make us feel. I may be an atheist, but I’m also an aghostist and an aluckist and, more importantly, a scientific skeptic. Basically, if you have to ask whether or not I “believe in” something, the answer is probably, “No.” It’s important to note, however, that there is a difference between believing something, as in accepting it as true, and believing in something, a commonly used phrase that describes the process of letting your hopes shape that belief (akin to religious faith). I have no use for the latter. I don’t believe in anything in that sense. I know some things and I don’t know others, leaving all other ideas to be based on probability and subject to change with new information.
Part of my “worldview” includes the fact that I’m an atheist, but, like Tyson,4 I don’t generally attach myself to a group of people based on only one commonality. Atheism doesn’t necessarily make anyone intelligent or a good person, and that’s just a small part of my identity. I’m also an agnostic, a humanist, and a naturalist. I wouldn’t call myself an atheist if it weren’t necessary, but theism and religiosity are the assumed points of view in many cultures, including my own, making that an unfortunate but needed step. I personally reject belief in the divine for the same reason I reject every supernatural, superstitious, or paranormal claim, including talking snakes, burning bushes, magical resurrections, reincarnation, Intelligent Design, demigods, the Rapture, the Garden of Eden, Satan, Xenu, Joseph Smith’s alleged golden plates, astrology, miracles, voodoo, transubstantiation during the Eucharist, Heaven, Hell, angels, demons, salvation, sin, prayer, the soul, and more. I don’t believe in these unfalsifiable supernatural concepts because, although they may have cultural saturation, years of anecdotal testimonies, and scriptural support, they still lack the empirical evidence I require before accepting them as realities.
No Sacred Cows Page 12
