Ironically your post is a good example of a fallacy. I never said that smart is only spotting and understanding fallacies. I said that you can't be smart without understanding them.

The answer to that question is probably the key to the answer to the conundrum. And it is a secondary reason why I would be horrified if Mat believed in astrology. Apparently even normally logical people will sometimes twist themselves into knots to justify the unjustifiable if the alternative means rejecting something that is extremely psychologically important to them. Sort of like those people who have had a stroke and deny they are paralyzed on one side. To be under the spell of such psychological forces is a terrible thing which is part of the reason why I compared it to heroin addiction. Again, though, no arguments against religion are as strong as the slam dunk arguments against astrology.

The question I am most curious about will probably never be answered. Namely what percentage of logically astute individuals who somehow believe in nonsense would be persuaded to change their mind if they were to submit to a careful cross examination by someone who was adept at picking apart their beliefs point by point based on the responses they were getting. I doubt such endeavors will be widespread because the encounter could end up badly in a variety of ways.

As for those less than logically astute, my theory is that some of them gravitate to unscientific explanations partially because they subconsciously realize that the scientific explanation requires more studying than they are prepared to undertake.

You are obviously right. And as far as belief in astrology among the very smart, the only reason people are disputing me is because I asserted that it seems impossible rather than simply much rarer as compared to the general population. So, they mention those rare counter examples. Had I simply asserted its relative rarity I would be agreeing with this study:

https://phys.org/news/2021-11-people...cissistic.html

I tend to get a bit arrogant at times. But the fact is that Sue is still with me after 18 years. And that Saura is now the owner of two businesses, gives lectures at conventions, is still friends with me, and is writing a book about her adventurous life that includes a chapter that gives me some of the credit for how she turned out. I think that's pretty "great".

David, I am just curious. Do you believe that science is the only way to the truth?

This is getting weird. I am Jack's complete lack of surprise.

I still hope that someday there will be movie made about David Sklansky's life

Title: For Advanced Players

A hypothetical that might clear this up a bit. Let's say David is involved in an automobile crash and is in critical condition. A specialty surgeon, world renown as the best for dealing with David's condition, is available at moment's notice. David recalls that this surgeon has illogical behaviors that David finds unscientificly based. Yet for David to refuse this surgeon would be 100% illogical, for obvious reasons.

Sure, unless he could instead choose an equally renowned surgeon who had no illogical beliefs, but was addicted to opiates (not that unusual among doctors, I hear).

I see your No True Scotsman logical fallacy and raise you an Ad Hominem

I am not making a point here, just an observation. But some variation on this theme has been expressed by just about every person involved in an inappropriate relationship ever (including the thirty-something woman who took my virginity when I was 14.)

What I really want to ask is, since we all know that as a demographic group, teenage girls are by far more likely to believe in Astrology than the average person, did you in fact confirm that the girls you were involved with were disbelievers in Astrology, or did you go ahead and become involved and only then enquire about possible Astrology beliefs? If you are going create a reality for your imaginary drug-addicted son, I think you are aiming far too low here. While it is no doubt true that there are many addicts who maintain some semblance of a normal life, I think you should aim higher (no pun intended.) I think you should pretend that your imaginary drug addicted son is a super-achiever, someone like Charlotte Caffey, who wrote hit songs (including a Billboard #1 hit, "We Got The Beat,") toured extensively, and became a self-made multi-millionaire, all while being ravaged by a devastating heroin addiction. That is the kind of imaginary drug addict I would want my Son to be.

"I used to do drugs. I still do, but I used to, too."

One of my lines is:

"I ran nine miles yesterday."

"How'd it go?"

"Oh, I haven't finished yet."

Yeah, a Capricorn would think that.

An example can logically prove an assertion false, but cannot prove an assertion true.

Depends on what the assertion is. Assertions of the form "there exists..." can be proven with a single example.

The answer to the question is I doubt it. Most people that believe in that sorta stuff have pertinacious beliefs.... umm wait is that a word? lmaoooo

Hey my sign is Sagittarius..... they are SMART....LOYAL....ASSERTIVE AND COMPASSIONATE

I BELIEVE YES I BELIEVE NOW !

Both are terrible, being a creep who takes in a girl a quarter of your age is even worse.

being a heroin addict is sad
doin the astrology thing is silly
being a scumbag who seems to always think they are the smartest in the room is the absolute worst

Carson was a god awful surgeon.

"Carson remains humble. After winning the award, 56-year-old Carson told the Adventist News Network, “You basically put everything in the Lord’s hands, and he just guides your life. It’s always been amazing to me, the things He’s made possible.”

https://signsofthetimes.org.au/2008/...-of-a-surgeon/

Were he not so publicly, stridently religious, would you have simply called him an awful surgeon ?

I don't think the issues with conjoined twins go any distance in proving Carson was an awful surgeon, and imagine he was actually a very good surgeon. However, all else held equal, I would choose a surgeon who said he lets science guide his life to one who lets anything spiritual guide his life.

I don't know if this is true or not; do you have personal experience, or some kind of reason to suggest this? Because the results of five high-risk conjoined-twin separations seems like evidence of, well, nothing.

This.

Put your faith in fortune cookies. They are never wrong.