The Skeptics

Link to a good genetics primer?
« Post by LabMonkey on: Febuary 26, 2012, 00:00:30 am »

Anyone got any good links to a really basic genetics primer? I've got a guy here who is convinced the Secretary of State is a Dinosaur.

Why do I always get the really crazy ones?

The Scientists, Doctors, and assorted Rationalists of the world. The skeptics dismiss the often hysterical rantings of the snake oil salesmen with the use of logic and facts. Often branded as dogmatic, small minded, indoctrinated, or even “part of the conspiracy”, the skeptics consider it their duty to fight stupidity where they find it in the vain hope that some of it will go away.

The role of the skeptic has always been a hard one, to look at the fantastical world that others subscribe to and say “this is not the world I know”. Many a Philosopher -and later scientist- has had the arduous job of slaying the “dragons” that mankind has been so fond of. But while a skeptic can often see why you would want to live in a world of dragons, fairies, and earth goddesses, they know that to do so is far more damaging than facing the truth. Of course if it was only wooly and fanciful thinking that the skeptics had to contend with they would hardly have to pull together in the losely allied but highly organised set of skeptic groups which are seen today.

In the 1980's the penetration of mass media into every home led to a huge leap of magical thinking, pseudo science, hoaxes, and fear mongering being delivered straight into almost every home in the world. With the advent of the internet the deluge of untruth only became worse, with every scared member of the public being able to easily find others who would tell them their fears were justified, that they should be scared. A modern skeptic no longer has to steal the magic from people's lives; it is no longer fairies at the bottom of the garden they are killing, but aliens which are controlling the goverment and harvesting your organs, cabals who use advertising to control your thoughts, and evil conspiracies who murder those who would expose them.

The advent of the 21st Century met with greater organisation of the skeptics, providing calm and rational commentary on the conspiracies that clutter the internet. Blogs which confront the misuse and misrepresentation of scientific research. Books that present rational thinking and scientific knowledge in a way that the public can understand. Documentaries which fight the worst of the conspiracies which strangle the modern heart. The modern skeptic faces a much tougher fight than his historical counterpart, modern dragons no longer live in the cave outside the village, but in our leaders, scientists and doctors.

• Crystal Healing: Foolish wish fulfillment and magical thinking
• Aliens Walk Among Us: Schizophrenia
• You Too Can Lose Six Pounds In Six Days: Lies, pseudoscience, pyramid scheme.
• Bible Code: Deliberate misreprestention of statistics, lies.
• Cosmic Rays: Misunderstanding of science, malevolent use of stupidity.