“Epigenetics.” That’s something relatively new and exciting.
And people don’t in general know precisely what it means, which is an
opportunity for pseudoscientists of various stripes to suggest that it means
whatever they (or their audience) want it to mean. Creationists has taken it to mean the demise of evolution.
And then there are people like James D. Baird an Laurie Nadel, authors of the book
Happiness Genes: Unlock the Positive
Potential Hidden in Your DNA, which tells us that “[h]appiness is at your
fingertips, or rather sitting in your DNA, right now! The new science of
epigenetics reveals there are reserves of natural happiness within your DNA
that can be controlled by you, by your emotions, beliefs and behavioral
choices.” Yes. Epigenetics is a tool we can use to take control over our genome
to tap its resources of fluff, Jesus, magic and the New Age.
Baird & Nadel are not alone.
Joe Mercola has long been a fan, and according to Mercola scientists have proven that “you
actually have a tremendous amount of control over how your genetic traits are
expressed – from how you think to what you eat and the environment you live in”
(and, by coincidence, you can purchase the supplements you need from him). One
Krystal Plonski is surely not the only one to ask “Can the theory of
epigenetics be linked to Naturopathic and Alternative Medicine?”
and answer it in the affirmative (without any shred of a hint that she has the
faintest clue what she is talking about). Mike Adams,
of course, thinks that “Epigenetics reinforces theory that positive mind states
heal,” though he doesn’t really “buy” the science (just the conclusions he
wants to draw). Even Der Spiegel did
a ten page feature on epigenetics some time ago with the title “The victory
over the genes. Smarter, healthier, happier. How we can outwit our genome,”
which suggests that someone at Der
Spiegel treats her or his spam folder as a collection of press releases.
Diagnosis: Well, I suppose we didn’t cover Baird and Nadel
in much detail, but we did give their pseudoscience as much space as it could conceivably warrant. Theirs is also but one example of how promoters of woo and
pseudoscience attempt to exploit new discoveries in science without any
interest in actually understanding the discoveries. Which of course would once
again illustrate the fundamental dishonesty of woo if any further demonstration
were needed.
Before I forget, I nominate Peter Brimelow, founder of VDARE and a nativist who hates immigrants despite being an immigrant himself (I guess Britain is one of the "safe" countries)
ReplyDeleteI'll nominate John Derbyshire for the exact same reason as Brimelow. And also for saying women shouldn't be allowed to vote.
ReplyDeleteLaurie Nadel, PhD, appeared on the 03/14/16 Coast to Coast AM. Among other things, she says that she is "studying clinical homeopathy." I discovered that Laurie Nadel got her PhD in Psychology from "Greenwich University." It turns out that it was an unaccredited university run from Norfolk Island, Australia. They also had a campus in Hilo, Hawaii, where Laurie Nadel got her PhD https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenwich_University_%28Norfolk_Island%29
ReplyDelete