The Skeptic Mage @skeptic-mage - Tumblr Blog

stop the average person on the street and ask them what they think placebo means, and they'll probably tell you it's something like mind over matter or the power of positivity, or that if you believe you're on the mend, you'll be able to think yourself well. And they might tell you that it's why things like homeopathy and chiropractor are totally fine for people to believe in, because if the patient thinks they're getting better, they actually will get better, regardless of how ineffective their treatment is. In my experience, that can extend all the way to people believing you're able to cure yourself of cancer with just the power of your mind.

#the placebo effect #citation needed podcast #michael marshall #skepticism #quote starts at 5:10 of the episode

The Epstein files have the internet scouring for dirt on prominent figures. We should take care what we accept at face value – and whom we d

#the skeptic magazine #michael marshall #the epstein files

Give me a map and an hour and I can likely draw you a dozen other equally mysterious “triangles” around the United States. It’s easy to do with such broad categories of “unexplained” or “strange” events including sinister deeds, serial killers, Bigfoot sightings, ghost stories, UFO reports, alleged curses, giant snakes, animal mutilations, giant birds, claims of Satanic cult activity, notable rocks, historical locations, and so on.

-Benjamin Radford, "Reviving The ‘Bridgewater Triangle’ Mystery"

#benjamin radford #bridgewater triangle #center for inquiry

#0043 - QED Manchester

The Know Rogan Experience

#the know rogan experience #qed manchester

Scathing Atheist Diatribe 609

#the scathing atheist #depression #eli bosnick

sparkylurkdragon

The Scathing Atheist is very definitely Not A Show For Everyone, but, man. Eli's monologue about fighting depression in episode 609 for Mental Health Awareness Week really... really hit the mark. I was quite moved by it.

I was hoping to find a transcript or an isolated clip of that, but no go at this time. Might have to do it myself if I find the energy. Still... if you want a heartfelt and raw description of what depression is like and even more importantly about how it can get better, even with treatment-resistant depression, it's a great listen.

Just, uh. If you're at all religious maybe only listen to that part and nothing else about the show. Or do. I can't stop you. They're quite hard line anti-theists and have very little patience for religious thinking, along with a self-described roasty and vulgar sense of humour, though, so fair warning.

#the scathing atheist #depression #eli bosnick

without-ado

...Some part of our being knows this is where we came from. We long to return, and we can, because the cosmos is also within us. We're made of star stuff. We are a way for the cosmos to know itself.

l Webb & Hubble via NASA 360 l Carl Sagan "Cosmos"

#carl sagan #cosmos