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Reason has built the modern world. It is a precious but also a fragile thing, which can be corroded by apparently harmless irrationality. We must favor verifiable evidence over private feeling. Otherwise we leave ourselves vulnerable to those who would obscure the truth.

The Enemies of Reason, “Slaves to Superstition” [1.01], 13 August 2007, timecode 00:46:47ff

Have you ever heard of those miraculous healers or mediums that can communicate with the dead, heal cancer or find hidden water veins.Some of my more distant relatives and parents used to be into this thing a little bit a couple years ago. When I was 10 or 12 they discovered a hidden water vein in my room (It’s in the 3rd floor) and had my bed relocated after that. I also used to be allergic to some kinds of pollen. For that I got a bottle of homeopathic wonder mixture (aka water). I had to take a spoon of it every day. That stuff never helped. Maybe I was too sceptic.Anyways. I think that those people and methods are a leftover from the dark ages and should be watched carefully. As long as they don’t harm anyone and just take unsuspecting people’s money it’s ok with me, but as soon as it’s about more serious matters we really have to stand up against them and uncover the truth with scientific methods. Here is a little roundup of things I mean by pseudo-science:

• astrology
• homeopathy
• faith healing
• cold reading
• anything that can be called “alternative”
• anything that uses “quantums” outside the original quantum theory

This list is far from complete and might be expanded soon. If you want to do some further research I can recommend an excellent movie by Richard Dawkins and a german podcast by the guys from CCC Ulm. There is also the Randi Educational Foundation, which promises 1,000,000 $ to anyone who can proof any kind of paranormal activity. I 12 years they never had to pay out the price!