What is it about woo that upsets you?

Discussion in 'General Philosophy' started by wegs, Apr 23, 2019.

  1. wegs Matter and Pixie Dust Valued Senior Member

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    Woo in my opinion, is any ''theory'' that can't be tested (proven) in a controlled setting, where general acceptance is reached by the overall science community. Although, long-accepted theories probably started out as ''woo'' ...until they gained acceptance. Hence, I'd imagine Charles Darwin for example, was probably viewed by his peers with raised eyebrows, when he first introduced his ideas about evolution.

    Spirituality/faith/religion is a different thing altogether, because it is subjective. It will always be subjective, even if it's objective truth for me, or anyone else who has particular faith views.
     
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  3. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    'Raised eyebrows' is putting it generously.

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  5. exchemist Valued Senior Member

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    ID makes quite specific - though spurious - claims, to do with "design" and the alleged impossibility of certain features of organisms arising naturally. It's bogus, but not woo as we know it Jim.
     
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  7. Gawdzilla Sama Valued Senior Member

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    On The Origin of Species[/] was a huge hit, sold in train stations so people could read it in transit. People were ready for a non-woo explanation of our origins.
     
  8. candy Valued Senior Member

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    I love woo.
    I love being woo.
    Someday maybe you can be woo too; until then you are limited by linear logic instead of illumination.
     
  9. Write4U Valued Senior Member

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    TY Doc...

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    , I was not so much asking about ID, which could be amended to read as a "natural quasi-intelligent mathematical design" or "self-organization and self-assemly" or "emergent mathematical pattern" and actually be correct.
    I totally agree.
    But the notion of a living motivated intelligent designer inside or outside spacetime being the designer and assembler requires so many untestable (impossible) qualifiers, that IMO, that can only be dscribed as woo.
     
    Last edited: Apr 28, 2019
  10. wegs Matter and Pixie Dust Valued Senior Member

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    I’m woo-selective.
     
  11. wegs Matter and Pixie Dust Valued Senior Member

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    Faith, so long as it doesn’t harm others, isn’t woo, to me. Poe-tay-toe, poe-tah-toe?
     
  12. Write4U Valued Senior Member

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    I agree, but when it is suggested as a school curriculum (how do you correctly spell potato), were getting into deep scientific water and woo don't swim too well.
     
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  13. Seattle Valued Senior Member

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    The only time it isn't subjective is when someone thinks that it isn't subjective. "Objective" truth for you is still subjective.

    A scientific hypothesis can start out as potential woo but as data bears it out, it moves out of the woo category. Many people "accept" woo but that has no bearing on its validity.

    I do get your point however.

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  14. Seattle Valued Senior Member

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    Woo is never woo to the woo holder.

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  15. wegs Matter and Pixie Dust Valued Senior Member

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    I agree, religion and woo (see what I did there) doesn't belong in government or in the classroom.
     
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  16. wegs Matter and Pixie Dust Valued Senior Member

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    I know, it's hard to see the forest through the woo.

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  17. wegs Matter and Pixie Dust Valued Senior Member

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    Yep.

    I'm torn sometimes, between believing that woo can be in essence, a sign of one's imagination and creativity, and feeling that woo keeps many of its groupies, from advancing in science, medicine, and math.

    Good

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  18. Sarkus Hippomonstrosesquippedalo phobe Valued Senior Member

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    I'm woo-intolerant.

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    So things like string theory would be considered woo?
     
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  19. exchemist Valued Senior Member

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    That's interesting. I did not know woo could also be an adjective.

    As for illumination, the problem is when what may seem to some to be illumination is actually plunging them into Stygian darkness.
     
  20. candy Valued Senior Member

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    Woo can be anything woo wants to be.

    How can we know what is light and what is dark?
    Can light exist without dark or do the define each other?
     
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  21. Seattle Valued Senior Member

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    Woo might be a sign (among other things) of creativity but you can be creative without woo as well. The probably with believing in woo is that it is suspending your belief in reality IMO.
     
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  22. Seattle Valued Senior Member

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    Not being able to answer that is what is wrong with believing in woo.

    Yes, light can exist without dark. Light is a "thing", dark isn't. The concept of "dark" may not exist if light is everywhere, all the time but even then, it should be a concept that one could imagine since it's simply the absence of light.

    I spend most of my time where there is plenty of oxygen, but I can imagine an environment devoid of oxygen. No woo required.
     
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  23. wegs Matter and Pixie Dust Valued Senior Member

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    Not the theory itself, but have you noticed that legitimate theories often become victims of woo advocates? (I don’t care for the label “crank.”) lol

    That might be far worse than making up theories out of thin air - taking theories that have been widely accepted and distorting or misrepresenting them, based on one’s limited understanding of them.
     
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