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An examination of the question: can skeptics be skeptical of skepticism?

John Jackson © 2008

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Event: Dr Christine Mohr: Magical Beliefs and the Two Cerebral Hemispheres

Title: Dr Christine Mohr: Magical Beliefs and the Two Cerebral Hemispheres

When: 09.12.2008 18.00 h – 19.30 h

Where: Goldsmiths, University of London – London

Category: Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit Lectures

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John Jackson © UK-Skeptics

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Physical mediumship is about connecting to the spirit world. The medium channels ethereal energy and focuses it so that it can influence physical objects. The spirits manifest themselves through the medium’s body, often producing ectoplasm as they do so.

Séances are either held in the dark or in a very dim red light. For some reason, spirits are averse to white light or conditions that allow participants in the séance any chance of normal vision.

Many physical manifestations occur. They may be genuine, but of course there may also be more earthly explanations for the phenomena produced. Here we will consider some of these phenomena and give some possible explanations for them: (more…)

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Do irrational beliefs lead to harm?

John Jackson © UK-Skeptics

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What’s the harm? There cannot be one single skeptic who has engaged in debate about ‘weird beliefs’ who has not had this question thrown at them!

It can seem like a very pertinent question and it can be surprisingly difficult to answer; particularly when you’re dealing with a single case like someone’s mother who believes in angels: “If she believes and it brings her comfort, what’s the harm?” (more…)

Last Wednesday (26^th Nov, 2008), UK-Skeptics were contacted by Shannonside Northern Sound Radio in Longford, Ireland to see if we could supply a skeptic to take part in a live debate about psychics and Cold Reading: the techniques psychics use to convince people they are passing messages from the dead or that they are telling them things they couldn’t possibly know and such like.

We don’t normally take part in these ’skeptics versus believer’ debates as they usually turn out to be of little value – skeptics often being included simply to provide some token opposition. UKS forum member Richard Sutherland decided that he would, however, represent the skeptics’ side of the debate; and this conversation turned out to quite different to the usual: (more…)

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London Skeptics in the Pub

Monday 8th December 2008

The Penderel’s Oak, Holborn. A £2 donation is requested to cover the guest speaker’s travelling expenses and sundries. All are welcome. Turn up at any time during the evening. The room is open for food and drink from about 5.30pm and talks start at 7pm. (more…)

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Chillzero © 2006

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Catherine (Chillzero) writes from the perspective of scepticism, with an established background of belief in the paranormal. Having examined how psychics arrive at their predictions – from both sides of the fence – Catherine reveals here how they perform. It may be worth highlighting here that any psychic who appears on the media is granted permission to do so only under the laws that govern entertainment, and so the word perform is most appropriate.

I used to believe I had psychic abilities. I gave tarot readings, I consulted my spirit guide, and believed in the spirit of nature as being a force in all things. I would not consider the old me to be a con artist – I was not intentionally deceiving people. I honestly believed I was given the ability to interpret signs, and that I was using it for good. So I believed I was genuine, as did plenty of other people. I could read the traffic around me uncannily well, knowing when a driver was about to turn suddenly, or not turn where they signalled to. I was good at reading tarot cards and at helping people come to decisions about events in their lives. I would spook people by telling them who was calling when the phone rang, or that someone we were waiting for had just come into the bar although my back was turned to the door – that sort of thing. (more…)

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John Jackson © UK-Skeptics

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On the face of it, alternative medicine does not have a lot going for it. The treatments and remedies are often expensive, have various associated risk factors, have to rely on mystical and magical forces to explain how they are supposed to work, and the vast majority of them fail to show any effect in clinical trials. The bottom line is: they do not work.

When looked at logically, alternative remedies make no sense. Why then are so many people placing their faith in these treatments that, essentially, do nothing? (more…)

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Errors in skeptical debates: Argumentum ad Derren Browniam.

John Jackson © 2008

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OK, this is not a serious attempt to introduce a newly named logical fallacy! However, I would like to address the usage of the argument whereby people, and often skeptics, try to convince others that what psychics do isn’t real because Derren Brown can do the same things. I jokingly refer to this as the ‘Argumentum ad Derren Browniam’. (more…)