>The problem with these debates is they become very tribal. It's easy for not very interesting people to assume an air of instant scientific authority and credi

>The problem with these debates is they become very tribal. It's easy for not very interesting people to assume an air of instant scientific authority and credibility by calling out "obvious" nonsense. Yeah, being "not very interesting" is the biggest issue in my life. How about not wanting relatives and friends who don't know any better to get scammed? >Unfortunately it's a very selective form of criticism, and IMO it's selective bullying directed exclusively at certain demographics. The reality is that everyone believes utter nonsense, and every area of human experience is prone to it. We're not nearly as rational as we think we are. Goop is an easy target, but there's plenty of snake oil in finance, econ, business, and politics. IMO it's far more dangerous and destructive there - and challenged far less often. There are scams in other industries, so it's OK to sell snake oil? Curious reasoning.