Break the Barrier (3/6) - Richard Dawkins

[PrincessTS01]

crazy

[baahhhFATALITY11]

I cant believe that there is such thing as a psychic surgeon!!!! I HOPE they don't exist anymore. How is it that someone who doesn't have a degree, and claims to have special abilities, can easily cut you open!!? That's horrid!!!

[TheTeerage]

What I saw in that part of the video was disgraceful, it's unthinkable, it is inexcusable, you can't ever have some randomer coming into the country, not even long there cutting up people, it is like there getting a little operation by somebody unqualified and I hope this is really has been addressed in the last 15 years!

[BigFatHeretic]

What the fuck??? They don't even sterilize their instruments??? You would think that most people today, even those ignorant of science, would at least know that surgical instruments need to be sterilized. But then again, I really shouldn't be surprised. Here in the USA, in the southern states, we have ignorant redneck yokels who still wipe their asses with corn cobs and don't even wash their hands afterward!

[MrAmericanzombie]

I was raised in the BIBLE belt,and INDOCTRINATED at a young age! I thought ATHEIST were devil worshippers.My Family,and Church,and media had full control of me! I never even considered if GOD was real or not!I couldn't fathom that GOD was not real! Atheist and DEVIL were the same to me!! The internet set me free from that FEAR that is implanted in you at early age.I was sooo relieved to know I'm just here,and now I realize how lucky I was to travel through time ALIVE! That's the MIRACLE of LIFE!

[wiibot15]

@MrAmericanzombie That's very typical. Religious people and religion are the only evil in the world and the only thing to be afraid of. I was raised in a similar way, To this day I absolutely hate my "family" and haven't spoken to my parents in years for raping my mind and making me believe in complete and utter bullshit.

[ndrthrdr1]

@wiibot15 Same here. 

[MrAmericanzombie]

My KIDS are graduating at the top of their respected Grade level's,they're highly,and very GOOD at the sports of their choosing.They're very popular among the schools popular crowds.They have very BRIGHT futures,and they're PROUD ATHEIST!! They don't fear the world around them,as I HAD to in the past!! The internet was the ONE thing that opened my eyes! For the first time I could get the worlds view by their own words!!The media LOST all control,and local belief systems could finally be ?'d!

[bmehoota]

Your not psychic, your retarded!

[mikerozo]

Doctor: Mayor West, you have Lymphoma.

Mayor: Oh My.

Doctor: Probably from rolling around in that Toxic waste. What in God's name were you trying to prove?

Mayor: I was trying to gain super powers.

Doctor: Well that's just silly.

Mayor: Silly yes ... Idiotic ... yes.!

[PrimericanIdol]

the psychic surgeon saw this video.

[pyromanuel69]

I would hope that thos quack "surgeon" was brought to justice for endangering peoples lives and wellbeing!

[Lookz94]

I'm brazilian and I just felt I needed to express this : we are not all idiots like this "psychic surgeon", I'm an atheist and I totaly support Dawkins and the fight against this kind of thing, and so do most people I know.

[ImAnotherZang]

If I had been the girl on the stage I'd have pictured the guy running out of the room or the knife flying to the roof. That would be more hilarious when you tell them.

[freiheitsalv]

I got sick by seeing THAT :S but i don't want THEM to help me hahaha

[MrIndexT]

cant believe this.

THIS PEOPLE ARE FUCKING SICK

[fraziel87]

When Dawkins said "I think the paranormal needs to be debunked, and I know just the man to do it", did anyone else hope..."Hitchens"?

[Zhippy]

@fraziel87 Haha, Yeah :p

[fraziel87]

@Zhippy Immediately followed by "Thank you, Professor Dawkins, for that suspiciously terse, grudging introduction. This is disgraaaaceful", needless to say.

[Kan2209]

lol at him asking her if she can see the knife. Why didn't she tell him psychically? :)

[Derwind]

......

Did I....did I just really see that?

How the fuck are psychic imbeciles(I will never call them surgeons) allowed to operate. This should be a criminal offense!!!!!!

[shcnoozlebop]

@Derwind i have no words to describe what i think of those "psychics." this is beyond imbecilic.

[RinngoStarkey]

oh my... oh my oh my... Please tell me that what I saw at the psychic surgery wasn't happening for real, such ignorance and appalling lack of regard for human safety is disgustsing

[JayDee98765]

This is beyond anything i've seen, in terms of stupidity.

[mmmmmarcus]

5:30 WHAT THE HOLY SCIENTIFIC FUCK!?

[simonwedege]

Spoon bending is hardly a magic trick, and yet it has got more people puzzled than anything David Copperfield or other great illutionists have ever done.

[STEPHENWRAYSFORD33]

@simonwedege , james randi expossed that trick back in the 70s but it didn't stop people from believing in it.

[mjufpn]

HIV POSITIVE THATS MURDER

[baldeeee]

ARRGGGHHH!!! psychic surgeon!!!!! how is that legal?!?!?!?!?

[saadaya]

i lov dawkins, but he does sound like c3po

[AchievementSpanker]

Dawkins you are not failing anyone. The simpletons are failing themselves. period.

[DaynaGoldstein]

It stopped at 5:17. Anybody else have this glitch?

[JuniorDExchangecore]

Sorry, but you have AIDS now... oh.. you're going to sue us? Well look at this paper you signed while you were delirious from the operation.

[gerjaison]

I have psychic power, i predict that we shall go to Mars!!

[pienipaha]

wtf, a psychic surgeon?

[manhateixeira]

@pienipaha hehe LOL

[TheFortressMaximus]

Unfortunately, back to my point, Science is not failing us because we have people stupid enough to go see a mystic healer...that doesn't happen often anyways...it's only failing us if it isn't producing viable alternatives. If Science sat around on it's bum and created no medical cures of it's own that would be one thing. He's overstating the problem in this video to a large degree.

[smhussain62]

Wtf? That is utter bullshit. What do you want a viable alternatives to? Reality? Many people are ignorant of the vast difference between the efficacy of modern medicine and that of the treatments offered by delusional retards. It also appears you're pretty ignorant of the political hazards of tolerating the proliferation of magical thinking. You just need to remind yourself that these people have the same number of votes as those who actually understand reality. One vote.

[TheFortressMaximus]

Again, Science is producing viable alternatives, so therefore claiming it's "failing us" because people still believe in tarot cards is absurd. The paranormal doesn't need to be debunked. I think you'll find superstitions exist in all cultures and all walks of life. Economics, is, ultimately the determining factor in how much leverage those superstitions have. That's why a very similar religion to Christianity can inspire extreme violence in a poorer middle east.

[TheFortressMaximus]

Also, political hazards. There are none, and I'm speaking as a Political Scientist by trade and profession. Economics and social standing still produce the most stark contrasts in politics in Nations that are rich (such as America, the UK, etc.). Religions only can be dangerous in countries where the idealogies can promise something the citizens don't already have in the material world.

[smhussain62]

I recognise that widespread poverty works in favour of superstitions by making people desperate and irrational but I don't agree that having basic needs met is sufficient to ensure ongoing prosperity. An education in rational weighing of evidence is essential. Especially in a modern world full of technology. What saddens me is that more and more people don't understand science and technology but merely put their *faith* in it.

[smhussain62]

Their education hasn't been adequate to do otherwise. They are most easily taken in by pseudo-science because they can't tell the difference. Indulging magical thinking from a lack of education is a prerequisite for a population which is mesmerised by sexy political broadcasts. The correct response should be "where are the facts?" Most people even lack the simplest skills like interpretting a graph or recognising when it's being deliberately deceptive. Tell me that doesn't affect the politics.

[TheFortressMaximus]

I understand Evolution very well, it one of my hobbies, but I don't understand this computer, so yes, I put my *faith* into it working. I think 1) you'll find some science seems very irrational if you don't understand the details of it and 2) even if you understood everything everywhere there would still be things you buy into despite them being wholly inaccurate. This argument that magic is dangerous is essentially a slippery slope argument.

[smhussain62]

Yes, it is a slippery slope argument (I think Dawkins uses the phrase in this or another video) and would be a fallacy if there was a slope to slip on. I don't see a slippery slope but a massive gulf between those acquainted with one or more area(s) of natural science and those acquainted with none. For you that's Evolution. You see what the difference is between being scientific about something and not. The subject is largely irrelevant. The key is insight into the method. Most don't have that.

[TheFortressMaximus]

For example. Muslim terrorists seem convinced they will be rewarded in heaven, Christians believe this also, yet in America neither Christians nor Muslims seem in any rush to get there. Why? Because they're relatively well provided for on the whole. In the Middle East the superstitions and magical thinking comes with the promise of a dollar. Money, fame, power, and social standing. In modern countries this is harder to push because there is a more legitimate way of attaining them.

[TheFortressMaximus]

So, as I say, Dawkins seems to overstate the problem. The truth is you may entertain the psychic surgeon, but the overwhelming majority will go to a medical doctor if they have access to it. Ultimately, superstitions and magic are only dangerous if they control their lives. However most people who profess to believe something magically, don't actually put those beliefs to the test in their day to day lives.

[AtheistBrit]

But what if the one person who genuinely needs medical help or they'll die, goes to a psychic surgeon for healing, then die. Would you still think it's harmless then?

[TheFortressMaximus]

Again this is a slippery slope argument. Most cases won't result this way as people generally regard hospitals (if available) as places to be healed. If someone is superstitious it does not automatically assume they will go to a psychic surgeon for help.

[AtheistBrit]

Agreed, but it's not as simple as the obvious idiotic psychic surgeons. Many "alternative medicines" claim to be able to relieve or even cure serious illnesses, and to an uneducated (not necessarily deluded) person, they may well choose that over conventional medicine. Homeopathy and chiropractic care are two examples which millions use in place of conventional medicine, sometimes with serious health implications.

[AtheistBrit]

When quack medicine is allowed to freely operate like this, the lines between what is conventional healthcare that works and "alternative" that doesn't become blurred. This isn't a slippery slope argument as millions of perfectly rational people currently use "medicine" which has never been subjected to double-blind clinical trials.

[Rahavin1]

@AtheistBrit umm... you need to go to university to be a chiropractor. Besides, most I know suggest going to a doctor who specializes in the care you need (for cancer, please report to the radiology department). The care they provide with joints and muscles is based in science. It is not an alternative medicine.

[AtheistBrit]

@Rahavin1 (1/2) "you need to go to university to be a chiropractor" So what? You need to go to university to be a theologian but that doesn't make it a valid "qualification". Chiropractic care doesn't just supposedly treat the spine or skeleton, proponents claim it can cure or help pretty much everything. When I went for a free "trial" they told me it could treat my allergies to pollen for crying out loud. I called BS right there and walked out.

[AtheistBrit]

Even for spinal/skeletal treatments the benefits are dubious: "Some prominent medical scientists express strong concerns, primarily because its provenance in chiropractic subluxation theory is dubious, but also because whatever benefits it has are clearly not major, and there are serious risks, even including paralysis and death in the case of SMT for the joints of the neck." from Inside Chiropractic: A Patient’s Guide by Samuel Homola.

[Rahavin1]

@AtheistBrit Im talking about modern care, not traditional care. There is a difference between the two in this field. Most modern care practitioners (the only type Ive met), stress treatment and use testable evidence to verify claims for use on joints and muscles. If you have allergies, they would probably tell you to go get some Tylenol and water.

It helps those with back problems and such. But the "traditionalists" are a bit BS, youre right about that.

[AtheistBrit]

@Rahavin1 Well as far as I'm aware, this practice was a "modern" practice. And like I say, the evidence to back up chiropractic care is sketchy at best. There's very little extensive study into the effectiveness of it so it's really very difficult to say what benefits it has because there's very little to back it up. However it's not what I would call "pseudoscience", it certainly isn't anything like as ridiculous as homeopathy or psychic surgery and it does benefit some people some of the time.

[AtheistBrit]

The problem really arises when people decide to have it done on a regular basic for no real reason, and/or to treat conditions such as allergies or breathing problems. Whether perpetrated by all surgeries or just one, this BS is considered a part of chiropractic care and can be legally advertised to anyone going into a chiropractic surgery.

[AtheistBrit]

I'm lucky to have a bit of science knowledge but what about someone who isn't as educated in that field and someone tells them it can cure their chronic asthma? They go there instead of a real doctor because the first inhaler they tried wasn't strong enough, then they have a big asthma attack and die. Extreme example I know but that's where these things can lead.

I would like to point out that there may well be benefits to chiropractic but there isn't enough study in this area yet to say so.

[robandre1]

@AtheistBrit Australian Skeptic magazine recently ran a story of a lady with stomach cancer told by her professor husband to find 'alternative' methods. The homeopath she consulted told her among other things, that she was 'exaggerating' the pain and that listening to others who claimed that homeopathic 'medicine' was ineffective would make her cancer worse. She documented all of this in her diary and died in agonising pain.

[goodmemories215]

@AtheistBrit Exclude homeopathy please and stop being an advocate of pharma companies. Homeopathy is a reality

[TheCornyPotato]

@goodmemories215 "Homeopathy is a reality" LOL!

8/10

[kylesenior]

@goodmemories215 Lol, no it isn't

[cablepanos]

AtheistBrit

Natural Selection.

[TheFortressMaximus]

This is just a function of capitalism. The paranormal doesn't "need to be debunked". Most of the time psychics and tarot card readings are done in good fun.

[theansible]

"done in good fun" is not an excuse for it being utterly wrong. and being utterly wrong _does_ mean it needs to be debunked.

capitalism has as much to do about the matter as dick cheney has to do with street basketball...

[bdf2718]

One error of fact, although it doesn't diminish the main message of the video.

Most "psychic surgeons" do not penetrate the skins of their patients. It's sleight of hand and illusion. The risk of cross-transmission of disease is small. The risk of not being cured is high.

It's stupid to go to these guys. But science demands we know WHY rather than inventing bogus reasons.