Seeing Is Unbelieving

[tama]

11. It's not the word that matters

but the ideas and beliefs it refers to. Reductionism, materialism, scientific realism and empirical positivism are other similar or related words, and each with different history and scope of meaning.

In the science forum re quantum biology you stated that "it would be a big mistake for anybody to assign any top-down causality in quantum effects. Rather, these are emergent behaviors which are able to utilize quantum effects and of course biological evolution is able to exploit it. But that still keeps the causality arrow from bottom-up."

That's a strong statement and your reductionistic view of causality can't be proven empirically, and on the other hand evidence like Wheeler's delayed choice experiment quite clearly falsifies at least classic newtonian causality as the only form of causality.

I mention this again because people affiliated to those communities you mention (e.g. in these discussion refer mainly only to sources from (pseudo)skeptic organisations and publications and celebrities and spend a lot of time discussing on (pseudo)skeptic websites developing forms of "group-thinking" seem to have belief systems with many striking similarities, strong and often also very emotional attachment to reductionistic and materialistic positions. These positions are often much less well educated and rigid than e.g. many of the scientists they consider authorities.

And it seems that many of the people associated with organized (pseudo)skepticism/atheism/scientism hold on to their views not because of scientific or rational reasons, but because of group identity based on debating and opposing the common enemy and and uncompromising unwillingness to "give an inch" in any of the debate points. In short, instead of rational dialogue and inquiry the group-thinking has became a tribal game of appearing right and scoring debate points. A game of petty politics where winning has become more important than truth.