The Skeptical Lens

There are plenty of inconsistent, inaccurate, and even irresponsibly written medical  stories out there in the media and unfortunately the stories are often framed in a way that misrepresent the science in order to produce a sensational headline.  I can think of few publications that do that as much at The Daily Mail.  How bad is it?  To put it in perspective, let’s take a look at just the cancer headlines featured in The Daily Mail.  They have been compiled on an interesting website called Kill or Cure?.  The site features an exhaustive review of the perplexing information that readers have to navigate in order to make any sense of current cancer science.  The site contains 19 entries for aspirin alone with conflicting information it both causes and cures cancer.  Not to say that science doesn’t change or produce conflicting results.  The problem is that for the Daily Mail, the headline is the first priority, not informing the reader.

Visit Kill or Cure?

The short answer is yes.  One of the things that I have always found so interesting about the skeptical movement is that those who are a part of it came from so many different directions to get there.  While we may share a common passion for critical thinking, reason and the scientific outlook, we have many different perspectives.  We are a movement of educators, academics, parents, amateur science enthusiasts, social justice activists, magicians, journalists, healthcare workers, and the lists goes on and on.

My perspective is that of a parent, a science educator, and a free-thought organizer who believes that there is always room for one more voice in the struggle to pierce the veil of Sagan’s Demon Haunted World.   Working to advance rationalism can often be frustrating work with few rewards but I feel like the momentum is changing, if ever so slightly.  Now is the time for use to encourage all of the skeptics around us to speak up, to start blogs, to do podcasts, and even to fill pubs in the name of science, skepticism, and a worldview that is liberating and optimistic.

I hope to post here regularly on all aspects of skepticism but will often focus on my areas of greatest interest: skeptical parenting, science education, alternative medicine, creationism, philosophy of science, and local skeptical investigations.  I would also love to see other skeptics here in the St. Louis area begin blogging about the aspects of science and skepticism that most interest them.  If you are here in St. Louis and would like to do a blog that would be hosted by The Skeptical Society of St. Louis, as this one is, please contact me at mblanford@myfastmail.com.