Lessons from New Age Thinking

[lpetrich]

Lessons from New Age Thinking | Bob Seidensticker by Bob Seidensticker

Karla McLaren had been a leader within the New Age community. She spent her life in that mindset and had written nine books on auras, chakras, energy, and so on. After she made the (surprisingly painful) trip from her world into that of a skeptic, she wrote an insightful article to help skeptics understand the hold that that kind of thinking can have on someone and the ways skeptics ruin any chance of constructive discussion.

Checking on her Amazon author page, that is indeed correct. She has written Bridging the Chasm between Two Cultures - CSI -- skeptic and New Age.

A former leader in the New Age culture—author of nine titles on auras, chakras, “energy,” and so on—chronicles her difficult and painful transition to skepticism. She thanks the skeptical community and agonizes over how the messages of scientific and critical thinking could be made more effective in communicating with her former New Age colleagues.

...
I know this firsthand, because as a former member of the New Age culture, I struggled for years to decipher the language, the rules, the attitudes, and the expectations of the skeptical culture. Yet for a great while, all I could hear from the skeptical culture was noise-and confusing noise at that.

She tells us that she has learned not to be offended when skeptics refer to many New Agers as frauds or shams or dupes. She has come to recognize that that is out of concern for the people involved, even if that concern can be hard to see.

She got into New-Age stuff at the age of 10, when her mother got cured of arthritis symptoms when she took up yoga. This led to becoming vegetarian and becoming a yoga teacher herself. KML's father remained a skeptic and her parents' marriage fell apart. She was critical enough to reject est, Scientology, breatharianism, and urine drinking, but she found some psychics and alternative healers very convincing. She laments not being exposed to how to do critical thinking.

Her reaction to James Randi debunking Uri Geller: "I know he would not like to hear this, but it’s still true: James Randi’s behavior and demeanor were so culturally insensitive that he actually created a gigantic backlash against skepticism, and a gigantic surge toward the New Age that still rages unabated."

As to general cultural problems,

The problem is this: In my culture, you can't openly attack anyone or their character, and you can't use truly focused skepticism. In my culture, personal attacks are considered an example of emotional imbalance (where your emotions control you), while deep skepticism is considered a form of mental imbalance (where your intellect controls you). Both behaviors are serious cultural no-nos, because both the emotions and the intellect are considered troublesome areas of the psyche that do very little but keep one away from the (supposedly) true and meaningful realm of spirit.

She concedes that departing from the New Age culture was a wrenching experience: "I had to leave behind my career, my income, my culture, my family, my friends, my health care practitioners, most of my business contacts, my past, and my future. I say this not to garner sympathy but to show what the leap truly entails."

One of the biggest falsehoods I've encountered is that skeptics can't tolerate mystery, while New Age people can. This is completely wrong, because it is actually the people in my culture who can't handle mystery—not even a tiny bit of it. Everything in my New Age culture comes complete with an answer, a reason, and a source. Every action, emotion, health symptom, dream, accident, birth, death, or idea here has a direct link to the influence of the stars, chi, past lives, ancestors, energy fields, interdimensional beings, enneagrams, devas, fairies, spirit guides, angels, aliens, karma, God, or the Goddess.

 

[lpetrich]

Bob Seidensticker continues in 8 Lessons from New Age Thinking for Christians and Atheists | Bob Seidensticker

For Xians:
1. Maybe it’s all wrong.
2. Accept that we just don’t know everything.
3. Personal experience? Maybe not that reliable.
4. Fear of not knowing leads to unjustified confidence.

For atheists and skeptics:
5. Just because there are scammers doesn’t mean there aren’t honest practitioners.
6. They can’t hear you if your message is belligerent or culturally insensitive.
7. Beware the Backfire Effect. -- from how one makes one's case
8. Consider what you’re asking them to do. -- coming to reject some belief system may cut one off from one's friends, family, business contacts, you name it.

 

[Peez]

While I agree that an excessively belligerent, even merely insensitive, attitude can be counterproductive when dealing with 'New Age' thinkers (and other reality denialists), I cannot help but think that there is a little blame-shifting there. When some skeptic acts insensitive to a "New-Ager' who is arrogantly peddling dangerous medical advice, it does seem convenient (for some) to blame the skeptic. It is also worth noting that being sensitive and reasonable does not always work either, perhaps it is a mix of the two that is best. What if belligerence fails to convert woo addicts but succeeds in preventing more people from becoming woo addicts (I am not arguing that this is the case, I am just pointing out that there may be several factors at play). The experience of one particular convert does not settle the issue, though it is definitely a valuable perspective.

Peez

 

[DrZoidberg]

I grew up in hippie communes and both my parents are excessively New Age. I know exactly what New Age thinking leads to. The whole point of New Age is to find thinking and language to dress up selfishness and irresponsibility as you loving and caring about others. Getting involved in this retards the mind and turns you into a child. It's pure spiritual poison.

It's 100% about appearances, and 0% about what goes on on the inside. Stay away!

That said, meditation is good. But you don't need New Age to meditate.

 

[DrZoidberg]

5. Just because there are scammers doesn’t mean there aren’t honest practitioners.

Who cares if somebody wrong is honest? Idiocy isn't a free pass to peddle your bollocks.

6. They can’t hear you if your message is belligerent or culturally insensitive.

Hmm... they also can't hear you if you don't speak up and just validate whatever nonsense anybody says.