Debunking Pseudo-Skeptical Arguments

Revised 2007

By Winston Wu

(WWu777us@yahoo.com)

Table of Contents

Introduction

How this article came to be written

The true skeptic vs. the pseudo-skeptic

Common tactics of pseudo-skeptics

Section I: General arguments against the paranormal

Argument # 1: It is irrational to believe anything that hasn’t been proven.

Argument # 2: Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.

- Extraordinary evidence for 4 phenomena

Argument # 3: The Occam’s Razor rule.

Argument # 4: The invisible pink unicorn comparison tactic / Santa Claus gambit.

Argument # 5: The “anecdotal evidence is invalid” argument.

- Factors measuring degree of reliability in anecdotal evidence

- The Ebay feedback test that a skeptic failed, demonstraing what they’re really about

Argument # 6: The memory malleability argument to dismiss anecdotal evidence.

Argument # 7: Automatic dismissal of paranormal claims as either due to 1) Mistake; 2) Lying; or 3) Hallucinating.

Argument # 8: There is no hard evidence to support any paranormal phenomena.

Argument # 9: Science is the only reliable method.

Argument # 10: Paranormal and supernatural phenomena aren’t possible because they contradict all known natural laws gained from science.

Argument # 11: Unexplainable does not mean inexplicable.

Argument # 12: Skeptics don’t have beliefs. They/I base our views and judgments on the degree of evidence.

Argument # 13: A common myth is that Skepticism is cynicism. It is not. Skepticism is a method of inquiry.

Argument # 14: Believers in the paranormal are thinking in primitive, irrational, childish and uninformed ways.

Argument # 15: Skeptics are defending science and reason from a rising tide of irrationality.

Section II: Arguments against specific paranormal phenomena

Argument # 16: Psychics and mediums use a technique called cold reading to amaze you with accurate hits, not psychic powers.

Argument # 17: Experiments that show evidence for psi must be replicable in order to count as evidence.

Argument # 18: No psychic phenomenon has been demonstrated under controlled conditions.

Argument # 19: Alternative medical practices only work due to the placebo effect.

Argument # 20: Miracles are impossible and defy everything we know about science and anatomy.

Argument # 21: The Skeptical explanation for answered prayers.

- My own theory on how and why prayer works

Argument # 22: The Skeptical explanation for precognitive dreams.

Argument # 23: The Dying Brain Hypothesis for Near Death Experiences.

Argument # 24: There is no such thing as a soul or spirit that lives on after you die. Consciousness is purely neurological and nothing else.

Argument # 25: Spiritual experiences only exist in your mind, not in external reality.

Argument # 26: New Age philosophies are just childish fantasies for dealing with a cold uncaring world.

Argument # 27: There is no evidence to support the existence of UFO’s or the notion that we are being visited by extraterrestrials.

Argument # 28: Since Evolution and natural selection are sufficient to explain the origins of life, there is no need for God to fit into the equation.

Argument # 29: Atheists don’t hold the belief that God doesn’t exist. An Atheist is one who is without a belief in God, or lacks a belief in him. Therefore the burden of proof for God is on the theist, not the atheist.

Argument # 30: The James Randi million dollar psychic challenge argument.

Reader Responses

New developments and research

Dr. Rupert Sheldrake’s groundbreaking new research and findings into telepathy

My radio interview and how to listen to it online

A famous skeptic recants her prior conclusions

Study shows higher education linked to belief in paranormal

Links to sites on pseudo-skepticism and paranormal research

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