Some concerns about homeopathy

[brenda]

Thought so. No one can answer my question:

Why do the Royal family, many medical doctors in Germany, and a very large percentage of the German population, many veterinary surgeons and their patient's owners, use homeopathy if it doesn't work?

 

[Valentijn]

Thought so. No one can answer my question:

It's been answered repeatedly. You, on the other hand, have not responded to any of the explanations of the flaws in your reasoning.

 

[Wonko]

Thought so. No one can answer my question:

Why do the Royal family, many medical doctors in Germany, and a very large percentage of the German population, many veterinary surgeons and their patient's owners, use homeopathy if it doesn't work?

Dunno - it looks, on the basis of the evidence you have provided, as if, some Germans, some of the time, can believe the unbelievable, even "Royal" ones. It also looks as if a surprising number of vets may be secretly German and that some members of the British aristocracy employ German doctors. But of course that's pure supposition extrapolating from the evidence you have provided.

Does this make more sense to you?

 

[AndyPR]

Thought so. No one can answer my question:

Why do the Royal family, many medical doctors in Germany, and a very large percentage of the German population, many veterinary surgeons and their patient's owners, use homeopathy if it doesn't work?

There have been multiple answers, the fact that you don't want to consider them is down to you. The silliness of subsequent posts reflects the level that this thread has sunk - relying on the speculation that the Royal family receive experimental rodent-based longevity treatments to support your argument also reflects that.

 

[skipskip30]

Thought so. No one can answer my question:

Why do the Royal family, many medical doctors in Germany, and a very large percentage of the German population, many veterinary surgeons and their patient's owners, use homeopathy if it doesn't work?

You have been answered over and over. You do not like the answers given, that's different from not being answered. I'm really trying to stay polite and respectful here but it's becoming difficult.

 

[Mrs Sowester]

Thought so. No one can answer my question:

Why do the Royal family, many medical doctors in Germany, and a very large percentage of the German population, many veterinary surgeons and their patient's owners, use homeopathy if it doesn't work?

Because, despite all evidence to the contrary they choose to believe it works.
They are deluding themselves.
They are misguided, misinformed, beguiled, bamboozled and fooled.

 

[lansbergen]

Why can't you just accept you cannot convince the others?

 

[wdb]

Thought so. No one can answer my question:

Why do the Royal family, many medical doctors in Germany, and a very large percentage of the German population, many veterinary surgeons and their patient's owners, use homeopathy if it doesn't work?

Who do so many people believe in all of these other things too, take your pick.
List of topics characterized as pseudoscience

In a report Singer and Benassi (1981) wrote that pseudoscientific beliefs have their origin from at least four sources.

• Common cognitive errors from personal experience.
• Erroneous sensationalistic mass media coverage.
• Sociocultural factors.
• Poor or erroneous science education.

 

[TiredBill]

The Queen and Prince Charles use homeopathy, but we don't know what else they use.

Copious amounts of alcohol.

Bill

 

[Mrs Sowester]

Copious amounts of alcohol.

Bill

Swan?

 

[AndyPR]

Pot, kettle.

 

[TiredSam]

Why can't you just accept you cannot convince the others?

I expect that comment was directed at everyone on this thread, and it seems to be true.

 

[Wonko]

I expect that comment was directed at everyone on this thread, and it seems to be true.

Apart from me, I currently only have one thread where I try and convince people, and this isn't it, this is my quips thread

 

[snowathlete]

Is it just me or is it actually true that beliefs almost never change as a result of debate about facts?
I think it's rare for our beliefs to be based solely on facts - and we tend to hold onto beliefs a lot more strongly than facts.... we defend them vigorously and the more facts that are presented to challenge our beliefs, the more we will fight our 'belief corner'.

Personally, I believe the only way to change beliefs is to reflect on why we hold them, and then challenge ourselves around that.... which means we have to be open to the fact we might be wrong......

You have to develop the ability to be actively aware of this problem, I think, before you can really develop a mindset that combats the problem. I think most people never get there, even smart people. Most people just don't reflect in any depth on what they believe. I think it's too big an investment in time for people to start doing that, and perhaps most people lack the analytical ability to reach satisfactory answers. It seems to me that a larger portion of the population is belief illiterate than before - they're just adopting the common wisdom they are told to believe unquestioningly.

 

[Mrs Sowester]

So, please tell me @brenda why I should believe in homeopathy? I won't accept 'because other people do' as a valid reason though.

 

[brenda]

Try it and see.

 

[Mij]

I accept that it helped Brenda.

 

[snowathlete]

This isn't about homeopathy, but its a confession about a time when I let belief in a treatment get the better of me.

I'd been ill for about a year, and I had this book about "CFIDS". It set out a nutritional regime that included various supplements, such as Vitamin C, various B group vitamins, Magnesium, and other things I can't recall. The book implied that after a few months of this regime, I would enjoy full recovery.

I followed the advice, and spent a lot of money on the supplements. I was fully expecting the treatment to work as promised, and when it didn't, I felt quite angry and cheated. Luckily, I didn't spend my life savings on the treatments, but maybe that was just more luck than design.

I was doing a PhD in Psychology at the time, you'd think I would have been able to tell that this advice was untrustworthy, but because it had a sort of scientific ring to it, and because I wanted the hope, I bought into it.

The scientific veneer was what bought me. It sounded scientifically plausible.

So I've been there, and would never call anyone stupid for having faith in any treatment, no matter how dubious. Its human nature that sometimes hope triumphs over reason, and that's is a really good quality. I reserve my contempt for the treatments themselves.

I think there's something particularly nasty and dangerous about unsubstantiated claims made under the guise of science. And homeopathy is one of the worst offenders in the way - it uses science as a veneer to dupe the hopeful. That's really low.

You make a great point Woolie, I've been there too, taking vitamins and other supplements and treatments based on someone telling you it's going to make you better and there being what seems like some plausible science behind it.

When you're desperate through untreated illness it is normal to accept a lower level of proof and a higher level of hope, to try something that in hindsight afterward seems a poor decision. I think going through these kind of experiences can result in a much more objective and skeptical mindset going forward.

 

[Wonko]

I accept that it helped Brenda.

I certainly don't - I accept that Brenda thinks it helped her, but that's an entirely different thing.

 

[snowathlete]

Try it and see.

I tried it to satisfy my mother some years ago, it did nothing.

/close thread