The Great Organic Swindle

Making my way over to my hotel’s breakfast bar I was immediately struck by the many odd-shaped fruits that greeted me. Their roughness and complete lack of uniformity seemed at total odds with the plush surroundings of the hotel. I couldn’t help but be amused by how things had changed. Only a few years previously, such hotels would have been disgusted at the thought of displaying such unaesthetically pleasing fruit. Now, food of this description is proudly eaten by the elite. Inverted snobbery has never been better represented than through shabby chic and its total insincerity has never better been exemplified than through the organic food industry. The term “organic” has now seeped deeply into our society becoming a by-word for more ethical and healthier food production and consumption. However, the only awareness being shown by the corporations and retailers who use this label is an understanding of people can be hoodwinked into paying more for snake oil.

A Pro Rational Tour De Force

Four hundred years ago the world made a major step forward in its attitude towards information, learning and thinking. We call this period The Enlightenment. It would see the emergence of the Scientific Revolution. The United States of America would be founded on these principles and up until the mid-20th century that same country would reflect The Enlightenment’s values. Then something started to happen. Amidst the solid infrastructure in western society that was built by the forces of reason, lurked an unchecked virus. Irrational thinking was back and it had found its way into a whole range of areas in our society. Francis Wheen believes it first properly blossomed with the ascension of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Regan’s politics in the west alongside the Ayatollah Khomeini’s rise to power in Iran. This is where his 2004 book, “How Mumbo Jumbo Conquered the World” begins. 

Justify this! A review of "Mistakes were Made (but not by me)"

Cover via Amazon
This is the second book I have read that looked at the nature of human error. The first one, "Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error" by Kathryn Schulz, was a half-philosophical work that looked at the whole scope of wrongness and our relationship with it. Although scientifically sound, Schulz's excellent work was far more to do with making peace with mistakes. Similar aspects are also present in Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson's joint work, "Mistakes Were Made (but not by me)", but this is a far less sympathetic book driven by the passion of two straightforward and eminent psychologists who focus specifically on the human reaction to personal error. Tavris was given a special award for her working contribution towards the empirical scientific sceptical movement and "Mistakes Were Made (but not by me)" seems destined to be the sceptic's go-to work on the phenomena of confirmation bias.

The Objective History/Conspiracist/Pseudo-history Trilogy

Image via Wikipedia

The following are three articles I posted on my main blog. They very well-suited here. My intention initially was to interview a respected friend and historian, Dr Heather Vallance regarding reasoned historical research versus the pulp non-fiction conspiracy theory type that litter our airports and clutter many a dinner/pub conversation. I then wrote up some follow up information regarding the psychology of the conspiracist and the alarming popularity of pseudo-history.

"Can History be Objective? A Conversation with Heather Vallance"
http://jamieclubb.blogspot.com/2009/02/can-history-be-objective-conversation.html

"The Psychology of Conspiracism"
http://jamieclubb.blogspot.com/2009/02/psychology-of-conspiracism.html

"Pseudoscepticism and Pseudo-history"
http://jamieclubb.blogspot.com/2009/03/pseudoscepticism-and-pseudo-history.html

Don't forget to check out Jamie Clubb's main blog www.jamieclubb.blogspot.com