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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 Susan Stanko on February 9, 2011 at 12:28pm: I didn't think you came her anymore sacha.

Comment by sacha on February 9, 2011 at 12:25pm: @PirateBard

Well done. Perhaps WFS needs a conspiracy theorist group.

Comment by Sentient Biped on October 3, 2010 at 10:58pm: Are UFOs disarming nuclear devices? If so, why? And why is the government keeping this a secret?

Comment by sacha on October 1, 2010 at 12:53am: quote of the day:

"Against logic there is no armour like ignorance." -Laurence J. Peter

Comment by Sarah Walton on September 26, 2010 at 8:21am: Wittgenstein and I are pretty tight, yo.

Comment by sacha on September 25, 2010 at 11:27pm: quote of the day:

"I don't know why we are here, but I'm pretty sure that it is not in order to enjoy ourselves."

-Ludwig Wittgenstein

Comment by sacha on September 24, 2010 at 11:28pm: quote of the day:

"...From the good old days when
there were no web browsers and morons weren't "entitled" to anything."

-felch grogan

Comment by funk Q on September 24, 2010 at 6:32am: quote of the day:

You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time. - Abraham Lincoln, (attributed)

Comment by sacha on September 24, 2010 at 3:24am: quote of the day:

"There is a world of difference between calling someone a coward, based on observation of their behaviour, and calling dear old Granny a stupid cunt because she mixed up an ingredient on a recipe..."

-Stephen Moore (from here)