Alex's latest guest and Rhome Viharo's thread on Rational Wiki bring up some issues which I'm curious about. So I have a few questions of my own.
Henry Bauer calls science dogmatic when it treats his idea that HIV is not the cause of AIDS as nonsense. I'm wondering how that distinction is made. We may not agree on which ones, but can we agree that some ideas are nonsense, even obvious nonsense (I will offer up the idea of a flat earth as a universal example (fingers crossed ;)))?
When is treating nonsense as nonsense justified, and when is it dogmatic?
Is there any role for engagement (discussion, publication, respectful treatment) with ideas which are nonsense?
Is there any role for ridicule instead of engagement when an idea is obvious nonsense, and when? Please note that in this case I'm most interested in ridicule directed at scientists by proponents (I am already unconvinced by Skeptical and Rational Wiki's use of ridicule).
Linda
(Mod+ refers to the NAR as described by Alex in this post - http://www.skeptiko-forum.com/threa...cal-science-reporting.2068/page-16#post-62781 or as described here - http://www.skeptiko-forum.com/threads/does-it-matter.1240/page-5#post-33913)
Henry Bauer calls science dogmatic when it treats his idea that HIV is not the cause of AIDS as nonsense. I'm wondering how that distinction is made. We may not agree on which ones, but can we agree that some ideas are nonsense, even obvious nonsense (I will offer up the idea of a flat earth as a universal example (fingers crossed ;)))?
When is treating nonsense as nonsense justified, and when is it dogmatic?
Is there any role for engagement (discussion, publication, respectful treatment) with ideas which are nonsense?
Is there any role for ridicule instead of engagement when an idea is obvious nonsense, and when? Please note that in this case I'm most interested in ridicule directed at scientists by proponents (I am already unconvinced by Skeptical and Rational Wiki's use of ridicule).
Linda
(Mod+ refers to the NAR as described by Alex in this post - http://www.skeptiko-forum.com/threa...cal-science-reporting.2068/page-16#post-62781 or as described here - http://www.skeptiko-forum.com/threads/does-it-matter.1240/page-5#post-33913)