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No Nonsense

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Anti-pseudoscience, anti-woo, pro science, pro critical thinking, no conspiracy theories, no spin. Count the logical fallacies. No Nonsense!

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"Keep an open mind – but not so open that your brain falls out" -unknown

"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." -- Carl Sagan

"What can be asserted without evidence can also be dismissed without evidence." -- Christopher Hitchens

What is a logical fallacy? All arguments have the same basic structure: A therefore B. They begin with one or more premises (A), which is a fact or assumption upon which the argument is based. They then apply a logical principle (therefore) to arrive at a conclusion (B). An example of a logical principle is that of equivalence. For example, if you begin with the premises that A=B and B=C, you can apply the logical principle of equivalence to conclude that A=C. A logical fallacy is a false or incorrect logical principle. An argument that is based upon a logical fallacy is therefore not valid. It is important to note that if the logic of an argument is valid then the conclusion must also be valid, which means that if the premises are all true then the conclusion must also be true. Valid logic applied to one or more false premises, however, leads to an invalid argument. Also, if an argument is not valid the conclusion may, by chance, still be true. For a more thorough discussion of logical fallacies and how to structure a logical argument, see the New England Skeptical Society's article, How To Argue.

Top 20 Logical Fallacies (in alphabetical order) taken from -

The Skeptics' Guide To The Universe

The New England Skeptical Society The Skeptics' Guide To The Universe Science-Based Medicine
The James Randi Educational Foundation
Propaganda
snopes.com
Bad Science by Ben Goldacre
Simon Singh and his fight to mend British libel laws
Professor Richard Wiseman
PZ Myers' Pharyngula
Dr. Phil Plait and Bad Astronomy
Skeptic Blog
Michael Shermer's Baloney Detection Kit
The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark by Carl Sagan
The Skeptics' Dictionary
List of cognitive biases
Don Watson - Weasel Words
QuackWatch
A List of Fallacious Arguments

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"No skeptic, to my knowledge, ever made a major scientific discovery or advanced the welfare of others."

-- Deepak Chopra (yes, he actually said that)

"The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds the most discoveries, is not "Eureka!" (I found it!) but That's funny..." -Isaac Asimov

The scientific world view is full of awe and wonder. Understanding how truly awesome the universe is – in its elegant complexity, its staggering beauty, and the many intricate systems of which it is comprised – gives a profound feeling of connectedness and sparks the imagination. And it has the advantage of being real. -Steven Novella

The glory which is built upon a lie soon becomes a most unpleasant incumbrance. How easy it is to make people believe a lie, and how hard it is to undo that work again.
— Mark Twain

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Comment by Sarah Walton on June 9, 2012 at 9:56pm: It's a tight shirt. It's clearly bunk.

Comment by Joseph P on June 9, 2012 at 9:48pm: Not sure about those.

One of the few things I've seen which should actually work are those electrode-based toning bands. Those shock your muscles and make them contract tightly. It's the same physical effect as lifting weights. If you wear out the muscles, they'll rebuild stronger.

Not sure about those shirts.

Comment by Sarah Walton on June 9, 2012 at 9:38pm: So, toning shoes don't work. What about a toning shirt? http://amzn.to/LfEJsD

Comment by Sarah Walton on April 20, 2012 at 9:50pm: Sorry to be the bearer of more bad news, but this time it's American Airlines and their airing of dangerous antivax programming on their flights. I have already contacted the company and told them I will not be flying with them again unless the programming is removed from all of their flights. Read more about it and contact the company here: http://doubtfulnews.com/2012/04/shame-on-you-american-airlines-anti...

Comment by Joseph P on April 10, 2012 at 8:05pm: Ah, yes, it's got an -ology. Very scientific.

Comment by Sarah Walton on April 10, 2012 at 8:01pm: This is a company called Sprayology.

Comment by Joseph P on April 10, 2012 at 7:49pm: What are some current brands of homeopathic crap? I remember Head On. The worst part is that they advertise them without saying a damned thing about what's in them.

Comment by Sarah Walton on April 10, 2012 at 7:31pm: Check out this article on SkepChick. It seems Urban Outfitters can add bogus homeopathic remedies to their list of substandard or outright offensive products. Please read the article and leave an informed rating on Urban Outfitter's website (linked in the article). Currently there is only one glowing review, but only 1 person has found it helpful.

Comment by TNT666 on March 10, 2012 at 11:01pm: Something any non science trained atheist needs to understand: Science is not immune from corruption and political manipulation. Without scientific training or scientific research skills, it can be quite difficult to know the difference between truthful and science and lying science. This table might help a bit:

The A to Z Guide to Political Interference in Science

by the Union of Concerned Scientists

Comment by Richard ∑wald on March 4, 2012 at 1:19am: I see I have a lot of reading to do, as there are many discussions I'm interested in just based on the titles."

So much woo, …so little time.