Tag: empiricism

  • Warning: relying on magic and anecdotes is bad for your health

    Warning: relying on magic and anecdotes is bad for your health

    In my post on evidence-based medicine, I said that “when valid scientific principles are not followed, no valid conclusion can be reached.” Why not? Why don’t anecdotal claims (such as personal experience) count as evidence? Here is an example of what I mean: A young woman who was a Christian Scientist told me that various relatives of hers…