Don't Get FiLCHeD!

Consider this post as a consumer report about life in general. I’m really sick of seeing people making a living on human frailties. The late night ‘infomercials’ are an excellent example of preying on the inner most weaknesses of the masses. I think the before pictures are funny to look at, but whether it’s a pitch for hair growth or fat burning drugs, you must be critical thinkers to avoid getting ‘FiLCHeD’. What really burns me is not so much the fact that people are paying money to these ‘quacks’, but some ‘products’ could cause serious physical, and in the case of mediums, psychics, and parapsychologists, emotionally damaging. I found an article in ‘The Skeptical Inquiry’ that can help. The article, ‘A Field guide to Critical thinking’, by James Lett, presents a set of rules used to get beyond all of the junk science that is out there.

I hope you read the entire article. It can be used to settle just about any argument. It taught me to use the rule of honesty to admit when proven wrong, and to realize that new evidence can always be discovered.

For further reading on logic and scientific theory please read the following. I consider these as essential reading for anyone with a burden of proof. “If you’re gonna talk, back it up.” – Joey Porter, Pittsburgh Steelers

Seven Warning Signs of Bogus Science – The Cronicle of Higher Education

Carl Sagan’s Baloney Detection – The Demon Haunted World

How to Bash Pseudoscience – The Blatant Opportunist (pdf)

The Logical Fallacies Index – Stephens’ Guide to Logical Fallacies

A Field Guide to Critical Thinking – The Skeptical Inquiry Magazine