Between all we know to be true, and all we know to be false, lies a world of woo. Woo-Woo, to use the official term, refers to ideas considered irrational or based on extremely flimsy evidence, or that appeal to mysterious occult forces or powers.
But who decides what's woo-woo, and what gets accepted into the hallowed halls of scientific truth?
The easy answer is that scientists decide. But the answer becomes harder when we remember that it was scientists who once deemed the world to be flat, light to be transmitted through "aether," and a mysterious element called "phlogiston" to be responsible for combustion.
On any given day in history, one person's science is another person's woo-woo.
This hour, we bring together both skeptics and believers alike in an attempt to pin down exactly what constitutes woo-woo.
Listen below to our full conversation with Byron Katie:
GUESTS:
- Michael Shermer - Founder of The Skeptics Society, and author ofThe Believing Brain and The Moral Arc
- Stuart Hameroff - Anesthesiologist and professor at the University of Arizona known for theories on quantum consciousness
- Jess Tomlinson - Creator of "Radiant Self Care," a method to help busy women feel more relaxed and fulfilled in their lives. She also created the "Better Than Sex Smoothie"
- Byron Katie - Speaker and author of Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life
MUSIC:
- “Hold Up Wait A Minute (Woo Woo)”by Antonique Smith
- “Pseudoscience Rap”
- “Do You Believe or Don’t You Believe”by Director General
You can join the conversation onFacebook and Twitter.
Colin McEnroe and Chion Wolf contributed to this show.
