I wrote:
Such strong revulsion should be reserved for the small number of bad ideas
that actively harm society. UFOlogy is, at worst, harmless whimsy.
CISCOP emphatically disagrees, by the way. They say:
"It's [belief in the paranormal] a very dangerous phenomenon, dangerous to
science, dangerous to the basic fabric of our society. . . . We feel it is
the duty of the scientific community to show that these beliefs are utterly
screwball."
I do not understand why they feel so strongly. In the long run, most ideas
are revealed to be utterly screwball, yet most do little harm. Even
well-educated, scientific people believe in the long list of screwball
ideas, such as low-carb diets or the inherent fairness of the peer review
system. Moderation is the key. A low-carb diet is okay as long as you don't
overdo it. Three other examples:
Faith healing is harmful if you use it exclusively in place of modern
medicine to treat a sick child. But you cause no harm when you practice
faith healing plus modern medicine.
A lonely widow holds a séance and becomes convinced she is communicating
her dead husband. It is creepy, but I suppose it comforts her. As long as
the shyster holding the séance does not overcharge her, I cannot see why it
is any worse than psychotherapy or prayer. I would not think of
discouraging her or telling her she is being deceived.
Lottery tickets are tax on stupid and poor people, but buying five dollars
per week is a harmless vice.
- Jed
