Blog Archives for August 2011
Time for Action: the FDA and Homeopathic Drugs
No Faith Value with Ronald A. Lindsay
August 30, 2011
The website of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, the division of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) responsible for evaluating the efficacy of drugs, proudly proclaims that it “promotes and protects the health of Americans by assuring that all prescription and over-the-counter drugs are safe and effective.” (bolding in original) Sadly, this is not a true statement. The FDA allows homeopathic drugs to be marketed without requiring the manufacturers to establish that their drugs are effective for their intended use. This free pass to homeopathic junk needs to stop, and that is why CFI and CSI have filed a formal petition asking the FDA to hold homeopathic over-the-counter drugs to the same standards as conventional (i.e., real) medicine.
12 Comments
Boiron, Please Sue Us
No Faith Value with Ronald A. Lindsay
August 17, 2011
As you know, the Center for Inquiry (CFI) and the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI) have publicly rebuked Wal-Mart for marketing homeopathic junk, in particular a product called Oscillococcinum, a purported remedy for flu. We are now inviting the product’s manufacturer, Boiron, to sue us. Here’s why.
18 Comments
Science Is Self-Correcting ... Sort Of
No Faith Value with Ronald A. Lindsay
August 16, 2011
One of the claimed advantages of scientific inquiry as a mode of acquiring knowledge is that it is a self-correcting enterprise. For example, if someone claims to have discovered a process for cold fusion, that incorrect claim can be shown to be false or unwarranted by further research and scientific testing. This rosy picture of the scientific enterprise suggests that scientific errors will be recognized and corrected, with false claims falling by the wayside during science’s inexorable march forward.
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Is It Permissible To Question A Candidate About Her Religious Beliefs?
No Faith Value with Ronald A. Lindsay
August 12, 2011
Some have criticized the reporter who asked Michele Bachmann during the GOP debate last night whether she would be “submissive” to her husband were she elected president. I think this criticism is unfounded. Given Bachmann’s own statements, this was a legitimate question.
14 Comments
Women in Secularism
No Faith Value with Ronald A. Lindsay
August 04, 2011
Are men over-represented at humanist, atheist, and skeptic conferences and in the leadership of humanist, atheist, and skeptic organizations? Does the work of female writers and scholars tend to be overlooked? Does our movement need to become more diverse? Should we give careful consideration to the relationship between feminism and secularism?
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