Anachronistic Thinking (Multi-Thread ST-1)

[SkinWalker]

This is a Sub-Topic from a Multi-Thread discussion. The Main Thread is located at this link. http://www.lucasforums.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=109356

 

ST-1 : Anachronistic Thinking.

 

If an argument is based on the wisdom of the ancients (who, remember, knew much less about the world than any junior high school graduate should), or on the use of outmoded scientific terminology, there is good reason to be suspicious. (Pigliucci, 2001)

 

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A good example of this might be Druids of ancient times, thought to be responsible for Stonehenge. There are many today that attempt to follow the path of the Druids and their "wisdom," and some even mistakingly assume a direct historical connection to modern Wicca.

 

Homeopathy and herbalism are also examples of this criteria. Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843) is considered to be the father of homeopathy, but one can easily find evidence of early civilizations using herbal and "homeopathic" type remedies hundreds, even thousands of years before him. Pre-modern people discovered that by making a tea from the bark of a specific tree that grows in the Amazon rain forest, they could offset the effects of malaria. They did this through many, many generations of trial and error… there were doubtless many remedies that failed before someone picked the right plant material. Still, recent studies have shown herbs, like St. John's Wort, to be ineffective against their target illnesses, such as depression. In spite of this, herb sales have continued to rise and, at one point, the sale of St. John's Wort in Germany out paced that of Prozac for depression.

 

Consider this quote: "If the FDA required homeopathic remedies to be proved effective in order to remain on the market, homeopathy would face extinction in the United States."

---Stephen Barrett, M.D.

 

That's not to say that there aren't natural remedies with medicinal value. The problems are: the preponderance of ineffective remedies is high, little regard is given to conclusions of studies that have been done, many remedies still need clinical trials, and proven medicines exist in many, if not most, cases that are more effective and more easily managed.

 

"Unless the laws of chemistry have gone awry, most homeopathic remedies are too diluted to have any physiological effect...."

---Consumer Reports (January 1987)

 

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What are your comments, views, opinions and complaints? Also, please add additional examples to the ones I mentioned. One of the goals of this Multi-Thread is to inspire and teach critical thinking skills to those who have yet to develop this fully, and to hone the critical thinking skills of those that have, including my own.