Comment by sonic on Schools Proliferating Without Evidence · 2009-03-15T08:11:55.819Z · LW · GW

Excellent analysis. I think your historical explanation is important- not the totality of the situation, but important. Problems with psychotherapy- 1) What are the goals? and 2) "I like what is happening" is a valid reason to consider it successful. Having to answer 1) above is not that unusual for a scientific endeavor. The utter subjective nature of 2) above makes it very unusual for a scientific study.

Comment by sonic on Talking Snakes: A Cautionary Tale · 2009-03-13T09:27:10.990Z · LW · GW

Not all theists believe in 'talking snakes'.
The non-existence of 'talking snakes' as an argument against theism would be a 'strawman'.