Robert Todd Carroll

Robert Todd Carroll's Opinions

Alternative Medicine Does acupuncture work? Mostly Disagree Most of the perceived beneficial effects of acupuncture are probably due to the power of suggestion and the placebo effect. Edit Pitches 05 Mar 2001    Source Does homeopathy work? Disagree We know that there is virtually no scientific evidence that homeopathic remedies are effective. The Tenuous Evidence Pitch   Edit Pitches 01 Jan 2008    Source Religion Is rebirth/reincarnation plausible? Disagree Most people are not likely to be too impressed when they realize that all Stevenson had to show for over forty years of research is that it is now false to claim that there is no evidence for reincarnation. It is still quite reasonable, however, to claim that there is no compelling evidence for reincarnation. Edit Pitches 01 Jan 2007    Source Is there a Law of Karma? Disagree We are here working out our sins, evolving our souls, burning off some karma. These are the same feeble reasons given for the existence of evil in a world allegedly created by an Omnipotent, All-Good God. ... Karma is a law for sheep. We should not wonder that the shepherds advocate it. It is a law for the passive, for those who will not disturb the status quo, who will accept whatever evil is done as "natural" and inevitable. Karma is a law for slaves, for the vanquished. Edit Pitches 23 Feb 2009    Source Science Does astrology work (is personality correlated with the positions of celestial bodies at birth)? Disagree The Forer effect [a.k.a. Barnum effect] refers to the tendency of people to rate sets of statements as highly accurate for them personally even though the statements could apply to many people. Psychologist Bertram R. Forer (1914-2000) found that people tend to accept vague and general personality descriptions as uniquely applicable to themselves without realizing that the same description could be applied to just about anyone. Edit Pitches 01 Jan 2009    Source Have aliens from outer space visited Earth? Disagree The main reasons for believing in UFOs are the questionable interpretations of visual experiences, the testimony of many people, the inability to distinguish science fiction from science, the willingness to trust incompetent men telling fantastic stories, the ability to distrust all contrary sources as being part of an evil conspiracy to withhold the truth, and a desire for contact with the world above. Belief in aliens and UFOs is akin to belief in supernatural beings. The Fiction Pitch   The Incoherent Pitch   Edit Pitches 04 Apr 2009    Source

Psychology Is self-deception a fault? Mostly Agree [to avoid self-deception] non-scientists ought to try to imitate science whenever possible. ... Self-deception is not necessarily a weakness of will, but may be a matter of ignorance, laziness, or cognitive incompetence. On the other hand, self-deception may not always be a flaw and may even be beneficial at times. If we were too brutally honest and objective about our own abilities and about life in general, we might become debilitated by depression. Edit Pitches 23 Feb 2009    Source Is the Myers-Briggs personality test meaningful? Disagree The people at CPP [who own the rights to MTBI] aren’t too concerned if the list doesn’t seem to match your type. They advise such persons to see the one who administered the test and ask for help in finding a more suitable list by changing a letter or two in your four-letter type. ... Furthermore, no matter what your preferences, your behavior will still sometimes indicate contrasting behavior. Thus, no behavior can ever be used to falsify the type, and any behavior can be used to verify it. The Tenuous Evidence Pitch   Edit Pitches 06 Jul 2009    Source Parapsychology Are psychic powers real? Disagree Parapsychology is the search for evidence of paranormal phenomena, such as ESP and psychokinesis. Most scientists try to explain observed and observable phenomena. Parapsychologists try to observe unexplainable phenomena. All the other sciences have led us away from superstition and magical thinking, while parapsychology has tried to find a scientific basis for such things as divination and mediumship. Edit Pitches 23 Feb 2009    Source Futurism Is cryonic restoration technically feasible in the future? Disagree The technology to revivify a frozen body exists in the imagination. Nanotechnology, for example, is a technology that supporters of cryonics appeal to. Someday, they say, we'll be able to rebuild [the] diseased or damaged cells in the body, with nanobots. ... This seems like wishful thinking. A business based on little more than hope for developments that can be imagined by science is quackery. ... There is little reason to believe that the promises of cryonics will ever be fulfilled. Edit Pitches 23 Feb 2009    Source Is living forever or having a greatly extended lifespan desirable? Disagree The simple fact is once you are dead, you are dead forever. This fact may seem horrifying, but it is not nearly as horrifying as the thought of living forever. Edit Pitches 23 Feb 2009    Source Philosophy Is information-theoretic death the most real interpretation of death? Disagree Even if a dead body is somehow preserved for a century or two and then repaired, whatever is animated by whatever process will not be the same person who died. The brain is the key to consciousness and to who a person is. There is no reason to believe that a brain preserved by whatever means and restored to whatever state by nanobots will result in a consciousness that is in any way connected to the consciousness of the person who died two centuries earlier. Edit Pitches 23 Feb 2009    Source

Comparisons with Other Experts and Influencers

The similarity between Robert Todd Carroll and each expert and influencer is calculated by looking at how the same questions were answered. These figures are used to calculate conforming, nonconforming, and projected opinions. The accuracy of the analysis depends on Robert Todd Carroll's coverage, which grows with the number of their opinions entered into TakeOnIt.

Conforming Opinions

Robert Todd Carroll's conforming opinions are opinions that align with the group of experts and influencers Robert Todd Carroll typically agrees with.

Projected Opinions

Robert Todd Carroll's projected opinions are opinions Robert Todd Carroll is expected to have if their opinions align with the experts and influencers that they typically agree with.