Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with skeptic

Buddha Pest

Christ, what an asshole — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 12:48:36 -0800

As a general skeptic, how do you come to terms with a partner who believes in metaphysics? I'm a firm agnostic, staunch proponent of the scientific method, and subscriber to the notion of variability and probability. Just about every partner I've had holds beliefs in such things as predestiny, past lives, and astrology.

I try to keep an open mind, but when a recent girl took me back to her place, gave me a tarot card reading, showed off her crystals, and went on about Wiccan practices, my eyes rolled so far to the back of my head I nearly gave myself an aneurysm. Everything else about her is awesome, but I cannot come to terms with putting effort into someone who doesn't give critical analysis to her surroundings. (As an aside, I'm a very intuitive person, and after her tarot reading, I tore it to bits then turned the tables, providing an amazingly accurate cold reading about her on my own, breaking down my methodology to detailed analysis, body language, and pattern recognition, to which she simply smiled and mused that I'm a clairvoyant with untapped potential.)

The obvious answer is to move on to someone else who shares the same values [is it a value?], but maybe someone can provide me with ideas on how to better temper my tolerance for faith, even insofar as family or friends.

So for the other staunch skeptics out there, how do you deal with partners with a different take on the possible? And is it an issue of potential long-term consequence, such as when marriage or kids come into play?

Book about the Bible

justkevin — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 09:45:23 -0800

What's a good book about the Good Book? I'd like to read the Bible again. I was raised Catholic and have the general memory of Bible studies that most ex-Catholics have. Since my apostasy I haven't really looked at it, except to occasionally verify that it says what some people might be claiming it said.

What I'd like to read (and maybe this hasn't been written yet) is a version that attempts to annotate the text of the bible with the following sorts of information:

Who do we think originally wrote this passage?
Is there a general consensus on what this means and why it's in here?
If this is referring to an historical event, what do we know about this event from outside sources?
How do the different Judeo-Christian denominations differ on this section?

I'm not looking for a maximalist interpretation that makes any assumptions about the accuracy of the Bible. On the other hand, I definitely do not want a text that was written mainly to point out the many logical flaws of the bible (like the Skeptic's Annotated Bible).

Does the book or resource I'm describing exist? If not, what's the next best thing?

There's something strange in the neighborhood...

Metroid Baby — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 11:14:47 -0800

The apartment building I'm moving into might be haunted. I know it's not rational to believe in ghosts, but I'm kind of superstitious. The other day I was Googling the address where I'm moving in a few weeks, and I found a couple mentions of the building being haunted. My reaction has ranged from "cool, ghosts!" to "oh no, ghosts!" to "psht, ghosts don't exist." My inner Scully tells me it's ridiculous to even entertain the notion of a haunted apartment, but my inner Mulder wants to believe. And I've got to admit I'm not a very good skeptic in practice, especially not when it's midnight and I'm all alone in a dark apartment.

So my question is twofold. The first part: how can I tell if my apartment is haunted, and what should I do if it is? I'm not sure how you know if a funny sound, a stray thought, or a sudden cold feeling is due to a paranormal presence rather than a more mundane source. On the rare occasions in the past when I've sensed something strange, I've been able to rationalize it as my senses playing tricks on me. What should I be looking for, and how do I know whether it's just my imagination? And if ghosts do exist, and if they exist in my apartment, how can I coexist peacefully with them? Real or not, the last thing I want to do is piss them off.

The second part: How do I keep a healthy sense of skepticism about this and avoid turning into Scooby-Doo when the lights go out? There is a part of me that strongly wants to believe in the supernatural, but I want to keep that in check. I don't want to get carried away, and I don't want to become paranoid or gullible. And I definitely want to be able to sleep at night.

For the record, I've visited the building twice, I like it, and it seems like a perfectly normal apartment building to me.

I feel a little silly asking this question, but I'm curious all the same. Thanks for your help!

I'm a hurtin' skeptical wuss.

wafaa — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 16:00:06 -0800

I finally broke down and went to a chiropractor. Now BOTH sides hurt, and much worse. I have had a pain in my shoulder blade region for three weeks. Right side, down my arm, tingly fingers. Friends and such kept insisting I go to a chiropractor. I called yesterday and got right in. He was very thorough. I had some heat and electrode-weird shit done to my back. X-rays, lots of stuff. He mentioned pinched nerve, but wouldn't commit to that.

Today I went again and he explained my x-rays (disintegration of the lower cervical spine, bone spurs (?) upper thoracic, advanced arthritis). My hips are messed up, I guess, and more stuff I didn't need to hear. He did some adjustments--the scary cracking stuff,

Now, both arms burn, both shoulders. Is this normal? And what's up with that plunger-looking thing he popped against my neck?

Everyone told me that I'd get "cracked" and feel soooooo much better. This dude has a treatment plan lasting 24 weeks--and that's not including the maintenence therapy.

What's Kangen Water?

diode — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 19:28:23 -0800

My wife has signed up to join an MLM network selling a device called a LeveLuk SD501, which produces 'Kangen' water. I think this thing is worthless for health purposes. I'm keeping an open mind but we're talking $5k to buy one of these things and I think it's a waste. I'm wondering what the hive mind comes up with. This device is basically a water purifier with several treatment stages after the filtration where the water is supposedly split into four different levels of alkalinity and acidity with varying health effects.

So, is this a hoax, or some ridiculous device puffed up to look like it actually helps people? Maybe someone reading this will think it works as advertised.

The company is named 'Enagic'. You have only to google 'kangen water' and come across people with their various testimonials. Rather than post details of the machine, you can read about it at http://www.enagic.com/products/leveluk_sd501.html.

How do you illustrate the problems without relying on statistics?

dorothy humbird — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 08:40:15 -0800

How do I approach my quantitative-research-phobic boyfriend about diagnosing and resolving some communication problems in our long distance relationship? In the nearly 10 months of our entirely long distance relationship, it has become increasingly apparent that my boyfriend has little faith in and/or outright hostility towards such studies as John Gottman's on marriages that work or don't. While I tend to take these things with a grain of salt and allow that while not all situations are identical (he has only a 91% success rate, after all; he's not God, despite the misleading surname...), there are still valid points to be taken, the boy will launch on a rant about how each situation is unique etc. etc. and no one accounts for so on and so on.

Similarly he has no faith in therapists (and I concede a point here, because there's no telling who's a shyster and who's not).

What I'm looking for is some source of guidance in analysing communication pitfalls that don't place a lot of faith in statistics... or at least aren't so overt about it as Gottman. Ideally I would love to recommend that we both read one of his books, but I forsee a lot of distrust in numbers that seem arbitrary and subjective to my paranoid paramour. (Oh ho ho..... sorry.)

Or... if nothing else, some responses on what you personally have found to be problematic, with regards to communication, in your own relationships and how you resolved it would be appreciated... oddly enough he would likely rather take advice from random internet bystanders than from some hoity-toity self-styled expert.

"This is where the party ends..."

afroblanca — Sat, 16 Jul 2005 20:45:34 -0800

JewishHistoryFilter : Can anybody recommend a good book that dissects the common Jewish conspiracy theories and discusses their history? Extra points for readability. I have a roommate that occasionally expresses ridiculous ideas about Jewish people. Specifically, he makes references to a "Jewish Conspiracy." Usually, I would completely write off someone like this. However, I think that my roommate says these things out of ignorance and not bigotry. He's a good person, and I wouldn't generally call him a racist. I should mention that he's really into conspiracy theories, and at times is prone to the attendant sloppy thinking.

It would be nice to find a book that was very readable, and wasn't written in too much of an "academic" style. Reason being that I actually want him to read it, and if it isn't very accessible, he might just put it aside.

I really want to educate him on this, because if I can't, there really isn't any way that I can continue to live with him.

Is Brain Respiration a hoax?

mono blanco — Tue, 07 Dec 2004 01:00:04 -0800

Is Brain Respiration yet another New Age-y hoax, or what? (+) The enthusiasm and anecdotal quality of this article from the Guardian weirded me out. It's not the usual disinterested report you expect in a major publication. I've never heard of Brain Respiration before. And the thought of actually plowing through all the google links makes my brain cry out for oxygen.

Yet, still...I expect the Guardian to vet these things before opening up the gusher. So, dear Mefi community, is there anything to it? Anybody have anything good, bad or indifferent to report about (I cringe at the locution) "Brain Respiration"?

Catholic... mostly

eamondaly — Fri, 30 Jan 2004 04:40:06 -0800

Suppose you're Catholic, but you don't trust in the Vatican and you don't believe in transubstantiation. What does that make you?