Skeptical Adversaria 2012, Number 2 (Summer)
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Skeptical Adversaria 2012, Number 2 (Summer) The Quarterly Newsletter of the Association for Skeptical Enquiry FROM THE ASKE CHAIRMAN Michael Heap he 6th World Skeptics Congress was held in Berlin from 18th to 20 th May, 2012 (preceded by two days of Tpre-congress activities and meetings). The conference was jointly sponsored by the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI), the Gesellschaft zur wissenschaftlichen Untersuchung von Parawissenschaften (GWUP, Germany), and the European Council of Skeptical Organisations (ECSO) of which ASKE is a constituent member. The congress theme was ‘Promoting of his endless catalogue of experiences Science in an Age of Uncertainty’. The assessing applicants for the JREF prize Contents event was a huge success, due to the and exposing the more disreputable efforts of a large group of organisers and claimants of paranormal ability, From the ASKE Chairman 1 speakers too numerous to list here. including some notorious ‘psychic However, special congratulations should healers’. Logic and Intuition 3 be offered to Amardeo Sarma , the Newsflash Skeptics’ Corner 3 founder and chairman of GWUP and the Your action is urgently required chairman of ECSO and to Martin concerning the potential registration From the Bookshelf 5 Mahner , also of GWUP and the ECSO of unproven and disproven therapies. treasurer. Please go to http://www.nightingale- Medicine on the Fringe 8 Details of the programme and some collaboration.org/. of the abstracts are to be found at Language on the Fringe 10 http://www.ecso.org/ . From the UK, Chris French gave a Some photos are available at talk on the recent controversial The European Scene 13 http://blog.esowatch.com/?p=7867 and experiments of Darryl Bem on at other sites mentioned in the list of retroactive precognitive ability (see Of Interest 13 media reports, which is extensive, Summer 2011 Newsletter) and Simon though mainly confined to Germany (as Parry, who received thunderous Upcoming Events 19 one would expect). applause for his presentation ‘Fighting Presentations were consistently of a nonsense with technology: a guide to About ASKE 19 very high standard. The star of the highly productive skeptical activism’. For the first time, ECSO presented congress was – inevitably - James (‘the Simon first informed his audience of his ‘Outstanding Skeptic’ awards of to two amazing’) Randi. Now aged 83, and campaign against misleading and members of European skeptic societies, having had, in the last 6 years, major unfounded claims that chiropractors namely Luigi Garlaschelli and Willem surgery and chemotherapy, naturally he make on their websites. He then Betz. Luigi Garlaschelli teaches appears physically frailer, but announced his website ‘FishBarrel’, a chemistry at the Università di Pavia intellectually he remains as sound as bell facility for making rapid online (Italy) and is research director of and, as ever, the real gentleman. He complaints to the ASA or Trading CICAP, the Italian skeptics group. He appeared twice on the programme, Standards about misleading health has done major investigative work on regaling his audience with just a sample claims on the web. claims of miracles. Willem Betz is a 1 Skeptical Adversaria , Summer 2012 Flemish physician and emeritus All speakers and chairpersons were whatsoever. (Could I have my money professor at the Free University of given a congress mug and a back please?) Brussels. He is a founding member and homeopathic remedy based on the Berlin The date and venue of the next world present chairman of the Belgian Wall. Seriously - this is actually on the congress (presumably in 2014) has yet to skeptical organization SKEPP and market. There was some confusion as to be decided, but see ‘The European prominent in campaigning against the what it is supposed to treat. Someone Scene’ in this Newsletter for exciting legitimization of unproven ‘alternative’ mentioned ‘blockages’ but I believe the details of future European Skeptics medical practices, particularly within the targeted problems are conditions such as Congresses in Stockholm (2013) and European Union. claustrophobia and feelings of London (2015). See also the resolution Also at the congress, ‘Distinguished oppression. The only thing you can be on standards of scientific practice Skeptic’ awards were presented by the certain of is that if it says ‘Berlin Wall’ adopted at the Berlin congress by CSI, CRI to Simon Singh and Edzard Ernst, on the wrapping, whatever is inside will ECSO and GWUP. both from the UK. contain no trace of the Berlin Wall _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ SIXTH WORLD SKEPTICS CONGRESS RESOLUTION At the occasion of the 6th World Skeptics Congress in Berlin, CSI, ECSO and GWUP adopted a resolution calling for high standards of scientific practice in scientific institutions and in science education. Scientists and skeptics from around the world are deeply concerned with the growing tolerance, acceptance, and even promotion of pseudoscientific and occult ideas and practices within scientific, academic and educational institutions. Students worldwide are in danger of being instructed in the unsubstantiated claims of ideologues and purveyors of pseudoscience, rather than learning to base conclusions on dependable, scientific knowledge. Scientists and academics may be reluctant or afraid to speak up, even when scientific principles and criteria are blatantly violated, fearful of antagonizing colleagues or those on whom their own careers may depend. At the occasion of the Sixth World Skeptics Congress in Berlin, CSI, ECSO and GWUP call for high standards of scientific practice in scientific institutions and in science education. They call on scientists and academics worldwide to raise their voices when pseudoscience is being established within academic and instructional institutions. When such institutions are publicly funded, it is additionally of crucial importance that taxes not be used to promote pseudoscience or ideologies. Specifically, we call on all those responsible to: • Ensure that universities, medical institutions, and colleges teach dependable, scientific knowledge and resist the temptation to let unproven claims enter professional education; such institutions are obliged to assist students to clearly distinguish between science-based and unscientific methodologies within the context of science and evidence-based medicine; and • Ensure that scientific standards of evidence-based medicine are applied without compromise, resisting attempts to grant exemptions for ideological or commercial reasons to some forms of therapy that potentially risk patient welfare; and • Ensure that schools base the science curriculum on accepted science, rejecting attempts to influence the curriculum on ideological, political or religious grounds, such as has occurred with the teaching of evolution and climate change; We also call upon our sister skeptical organisations from around the world in the spirit of consumer protection to commit themselves to ensuring good science within academia and schools, in addition to continuing their efforts to promote science and critical thinking to the public. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2 Skeptical Adversaria , Summer 2012 LOGIC AND INTUITION he puzzle I featured in the Winter 2011 newsletter was the subject of further discussion in the Spring T2012 Newsletter in response to a question concerning the validity of the answer I gave. This discussion generated another query, this time from Ian Keeling. Again I am very grateful for the opportunity to think more deeply about the puzzle. Recall that the puzzle is as follows: You sceptical about this and questioned do to delay my journey by 10 seconds if are rushing to catch a flight at an airport. whether this answer is only valid ‘only I stop on the walkway, I think it’s fairly On part of your journey there is a supposing that you stop to tie your obvious that I would have to freeze the moving walkway. One of your shoelaces shoelace on the walkway AND that you action for 10 seconds (i.e. stop for 10 is undone so you’re going to have to would have stopped anyway’. However, seconds to tie my laces AND stop the stop at some point to do it up. Should after further discussion Ian agreed with walkway). Since I cannot stop the you do this when you are on the moving my original answer and came up with walkway the time delay will be less than walkway or when you are not on the another argument in favour of this: 10 seconds. Seems reasonable?’ walkway, or does it not matter? ‘Obviously if I stop to tie my laces Ian also raised the issue of an The answer is that your journey time for 10 seconds when not on the walkway algebraic solution. I have had a go at this will be shorter if you tie your shoelaces the total delay to my journey is 10 myself and my efforts can be found on on the walkway. Ian was initially seconds. If I ask myself what I have to page 19. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ SKEPTICS’ CORNER A Discussion of ‘The Burt Affair’ Sir Cyril Burt (1883-1971) was an Scaife subsequently engaged in an email Joynson’s and Fletcher’s role in the influential British educational discussion which both of them have ‘Burt affair’, and also Leslie psychologist who is best known for his given permission to be reprinted here. Hearnshaw’s contributions and the work on the heritability of human From Ray Ward robust critique by Leon Kamin. My intelligence as measured by IQ tests. I was sorry to see in Jon Scaife’s position is that Burt’s impact on Some of his most influential research otherwise very interesting article ‘When education in Britain and in areas that involved testing the IQs of twins. scepticism is radical’ (The Skeptical were, for one reason or another, Shortly after his death, concerns Intelligencer , vol. 14, 2011) the influenced by or beholden to Britain were voiced that Burt had fabricated assertion that Sir Cyril Burt ‘appears to (Singapore, for instance, where I’m some of his findings in a manner that have generated his own fictitious data’.