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Why people can't accept evidence? What do you know as "truth"? Just look at the title of the article: "Acupuncture 'no help for IVF'" See the single quotes a

by gm 18y ago

Why people can't accept evidence? What do you know as "truth"? Just look at the title of the article: "Acupuncture 'no help for IVF'" See the single quotes around the key statement? Even the reporter does not want to endorse the truthfulness of the statement. Wise choice, since the content of the article states something that is, at least up to a point, opinion. Rather your question should be: "Why do some people, like myself, so readily accept incomplete facts as absolute truths?" Take heed and listen to bdfh42's comments about assessing evidence. He is right on the money, no need for me to repeat what he stated.

pierrefar 18y ago
The single quotes are very common on the BBC in headlines and are used inaccurately for direct quotes. Don't ask me why they do that. It's in no way suggestive that the reporter is or is not endorsing the statement. And it's not opinion. Looking at 2000+ women over 50 years is not merely opinion. It's a lot stronger evidence than "I'm really surprised by this result", which most certainly is opinion. Statistical anlysis does not care about experience, and when done properly it speaks in the cold hard truth that any effect we may have observed previously is spurious. For myself, I'll happily accept the stats that the article talks about now as the best objective evidence we have now, and will happily change my mind when new evidence emerges.
- m0nty 18y ago
  "Don't ask me why they do that." Because the BBC is funded by a mandatory licence fee (TV tax) and so it must appear even-handed and balanced. If they're not, people complain that "I pay my licence fee but the BBC is mocking my deeply-held beliefs." It really annoys me sometimes ("Islamist terrorists" rather than "Muslim terrorists") but in other respects they are an excellent source of information.
  - pierrefar 18y ago
    I 'almost' 'wrote' a 'joke' blog 'post' about their 'stupid' "headlines".
- gm 18y ago
  That's fine, no one is trying to convince you. I personally have no stake at all in changing your mind, nor did I imply so. Don't feel threatened. I was just trying to say that people identify themselves with a viewpoint and then their ego silently but consistently defends the viewpoint since defeating the viewpoint diminishes the ego's self-worth. Reading an article, for example, then becomes an analysis, "friend or foe." It is either something to agree with and reinforce the ego's stance or something to attack since the ego is being threatened. Anyway, too much psychobabble already...
  - wallflower 18y ago
    When my Mom is trying to discuss something that she thinks I should be doing, I don't disagree, I always agree. It's kryptonite to parental worries. Statements like "if I truly wanted to be like that, I would be doing that. And since I'm not, it's obvious that I'm not committed"

by gm 18y ago

pierrefar 18y ago

The single quotes are very common on the BBC in headlines and are used inaccurately for direct quotes. Don't ask me why they do that. It's in no way suggestive that the reporter is or is not endorsing the statement. And it's not opinion. Looking at 2000+ women over 50 years is not merely opinion. It's a lot stronger evidence than "I'm really surprised by this result", which most certainly is opinion. Statistical anlysis does not care about experience, and when done properly it speaks in the cold hard truth that any effect we may have observed previously is spurious. For myself, I'll happily accept the stats that the article talks about now as the best objective evidence we have now, and will happily change my mind when new evidence emerges.

m0nty 18y ago
"Don't ask me why they do that." Because the BBC is funded by a mandatory licence fee (TV tax) and so it must appear even-handed and balanced. If they're not, people complain that "I pay my licence fee but the BBC is mocking my deeply-held beliefs." It really annoys me sometimes ("Islamist terrorists" rather than "Muslim terrorists") but in other respects they are an excellent source of information.
- pierrefar 18y ago
  I 'almost' 'wrote' a 'joke' blog 'post' about their 'stupid' "headlines".
gm 18y ago
That's fine, no one is trying to convince you. I personally have no stake at all in changing your mind, nor did I imply so. Don't feel threatened. I was just trying to say that people identify themselves with a viewpoint and then their ego silently but consistently defends the viewpoint since defeating the viewpoint diminishes the ego's self-worth. Reading an article, for example, then becomes an analysis, "friend or foe." It is either something to agree with and reinforce the ego's stance or something to attack since the ego is being threatened. Anyway, too much psychobabble already...
- wallflower 18y ago
  When my Mom is trying to discuss something that she thinks I should be doing, I don't disagree, I always agree. It's kryptonite to parental worries. Statements like "if I truly wanted to be like that, I would be doing that. And since I'm not, it's obvious that I'm not committed"