southernhybrid
Contributor
I agree that woo can be harmful if it's used as a reason not to take action. For example, my neighbor has all kinds of interesting woo beliefs, but she never used that woo to keep her from going to the doctor when her BP is elevated etc. She burns white candles for peace. Of course burning a white candle won't bring peace into the world, but if it gives her inner peace, I see that as harmless. If a Christian finds peace in believing that prayer is real, that's not harmful unless they use that prayer as an excuse not to take action, when it's action that is needed to solve a problem.
I don't believe that belief in the supernatural will end. It may change over time. New beliefs and religions will arise, but humans seem to have an attraction to believing things without good evidence, and humans often fail to believe things that are backed up by evidence. People deny evolution despite the fact that we it literally continues to happen among microbes, and despite the fact that we share most of our DNA with the great apes. Plus, we look and act like them at times.
Some people believe that the pandemic is a hoax despite the overwhelming evidence that it's causing wide spread suffering and death. As I write this, an ad for Prevagen just came on. There is no evidence that Prevagen prevents memory loss. At best it's a placebo that tampers worry, but people believe it's keeping their memories intact. I suppose one could say that religion and woo are placebos that help people cope. As an atheist who gave up woo over 45 years ago, I can't say that I totally understand why people believe what they do, but I've also found that I often have the same values as some of my religious friends. That's all that matters to me. Character is what matters, not beliefs.
I don't believe that belief in the supernatural will end. It may change over time. New beliefs and religions will arise, but humans seem to have an attraction to believing things without good evidence, and humans often fail to believe things that are backed up by evidence. People deny evolution despite the fact that we it literally continues to happen among microbes, and despite the fact that we share most of our DNA with the great apes. Plus, we look and act like them at times.
Some people believe that the pandemic is a hoax despite the overwhelming evidence that it's causing wide spread suffering and death. As I write this, an ad for Prevagen just came on. There is no evidence that Prevagen prevents memory loss. At best it's a placebo that tampers worry, but people believe it's keeping their memories intact. I suppose one could say that religion and woo are placebos that help people cope. As an atheist who gave up woo over 45 years ago, I can't say that I totally understand why people believe what they do, but I've also found that I often have the same values as some of my religious friends. That's all that matters to me. Character is what matters, not beliefs.