Comments on: A magician’s perspective on ‘real’ magic http://www.scienceandreason.ca/paranormalphenomenon/magician%e2%80%99s-perspective-on-real-magic-by-larry-thornton/ science, reason and critical thinking Sat, 31 Dec 2011 15:00:47 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Robert A. Goerman http://www.scienceandreason.ca/paranormalphenomenon/magician%e2%80%99s-perspective-on-real-magic-by-larry-thornton/comment-page-1/#comment-572 Robert A. Goerman Tue, 28 Jun 2011 12:13:20 +0000 http://www.skepticscanada.org/?p=116#comment-572 Paranormal bias knows that UFOs are alien vehicles, lake monsters are plesiosaurs, and that families of Bigfoot frolic in the uncharted wilds of Ohio and Michigan. Academic bias concludes, without serious investigation, that this is all nonsense. Belief is the enemy. Yesterday's status quo of endlessly recounting stale exaggerations of mysterious events and wishful contemplation of the paranormal has not increased our knowledge. The perpetual war between the blind denial of debunkers and the blind certainty of believers continues to distort and censor the data. Good research starts with factual information, evidence, and skeptical objectivity. Indeed, weird happens. What we do about it is entirely up to us. Paranormal bias knows that UFOs are alien vehicles, lake monsters are plesiosaurs, and that families of Bigfoot frolic in the uncharted wilds of Ohio and Michigan. Academic bias concludes, without serious investigation, that this is all nonsense. Belief is the enemy.

Yesterday’s status quo of endlessly recounting stale exaggerations of mysterious events and wishful contemplation of the paranormal has not increased our knowledge. The perpetual war between the blind denial of debunkers and the blind certainty of believers continues to distort and censor the data. Good research starts with factual information, evidence, and skeptical objectivity. Indeed, weird happens. What we do about it is entirely up to us.

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