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> It dawned on me that my readings were a co-creation I think this is a key point that rational people and skeptics don't get. Pseudosciences and pseudotherap

> It dawned on me that my readings were a co-creation I think this is a key point that rational people and skeptics don't get. Pseudosciences and pseudotherapies don't work because they produce accurate results, they work because of the tremendous effort that believers put in them to make them work. IMHO, skeptics could help believers much more if they instilled in them some common sense and safeguards to avoid the worst crooks and dangerous therapies ("buy as many Bach flowers as you wish, it's your money - just don't abandon your chemotherapy") rather than try to appeal to their rational sense ("don't you realize how ridiculous it is? It could never work!"). At least in personal interactions, it is more likely that the former will gradually succeed in educating them than the latter.

Dumblydorr 7y ago
Its not a revelation to say insulting people's intelligence with skeptical incredulity is a bad strategy to win them over. Same with climate for instance, shaming people isn't likely to convince them of climate science.
scott_s 7y ago
Those from the skeptical community who I read and listen to (mostly from The Skeptics Guide to the Universe podcast, https://www.theskepticsguide.org/ https://www.theskepticsguide.org/) are quite aware of this idea.
davinic 7y ago
Not to mention that since the placebo effect is so real, it can be unethical to explain that to someone. When my mother was going through chemo and radiation and started buying healing crystals as well, I supported her beliefs in that (she was also doing all the doc recommended stuff).
- TuringTest 7y ago
  It has occurred to me that pseudo-scientific beliefs "work" for believers, just not in the way that scientists think of a system that works ("I can make repeatable predictions") but in a social and emotional way ("it makes me feel good"). That's a reason why it's so hard to get people away from them.

Dumblydorr 7y ago

Its not a revelation to say insulting people's intelligence with skeptical incredulity is a bad strategy to win them over. Same with climate for instance, shaming people isn't likely to convince them of climate science.

scott_s 7y ago

Those from the skeptical community who I read and listen to (mostly from The Skeptics Guide to the Universe podcast, https://www.theskepticsguide.org/ https://www.theskepticsguide.org/) are quite aware of this idea.

davinic 7y ago

Not to mention that since the placebo effect is so real, it can be unethical to explain that to someone. When my mother was going through chemo and radiation and started buying healing crystals as well, I supported her beliefs in that (she was also doing all the doc recommended stuff).

TuringTest 7y ago
It has occurred to me that pseudo-scientific beliefs "work" for believers, just not in the way that scientists think of a system that works ("I can make repeatable predictions") but in a social and emotional way ("it makes me feel good"). That's a reason why it's so hard to get people away from them.