When people ask, “What’s the harm in believing in Astrology/Homeopathy/Alternative Medicine/etc” or “What good is rationality”, remember this as an example. Steve Jobs died because he did not make rational choices and because he trusted in sham science.
It’s easy for people to brush off numbers from some websites by saying they’re inaccurate. But a single example can stick in their minds. I hope that his death can serve to ward others away from such dangerous practices. I hope that the next time someone thinks about abandoning rational decisionmaking, especially in the health field, they remember this lesson paid for in blood: One of the richest and most beloved CEOs in the world died because of alternative medicine. The same thing can easily happen to you if you do the same.
I hope his memory can still contribute to the world by sparing others of the same fate.
Are you sure this is right? Hasn’t Robin Hanson taught us that we can’t always trust the medical profession’s claims about how useful the medical profession is.
we can’t always trust the medical profession’s claims about how useful the medical profession is.
One thing that’s much more trustworthy than average is the claim: “Early detected disease X? We can totally fix that!” It’s a falsifiable claim.
Claims that are deeply tied to statistics, statistical significance, fuzzy definitions, subtle effects, or other things are more likely to be the wrong ones.
Steve Jobs died because he tried alternative medicine??? I’m pretty sure the rationality(tm) approved medical profession had Steve Jobs dying right around now, or sooner, anyway.
Seriously, if there is someplace the story is told that Jobs shortened his life by not doing the rational thing please link it and/or summarize it, its not at all what I have been hearing. And “not opting for cryonics” doesn’t count.
According to Pedanterriffic’s link and its citation, Jobs delayed potentially life-saving surgery for 9 months while trying an alternative medicine diet.
When people ask, “What’s the harm in believing in Astrology/Homeopathy/Alternative Medicine/etc” or “What good is rationality”, remember this as an example. Steve Jobs died because he did not make rational choices and because he trusted in sham science.
It’s easy for people to brush off numbers from some websites by saying they’re inaccurate. But a single example can stick in their minds. I hope that his death can serve to ward others away from such dangerous practices. I hope that the next time someone thinks about abandoning rational decisionmaking, especially in the health field, they remember this lesson paid for in blood: One of the richest and most beloved CEOs in the world died because of alternative medicine. The same thing can easily happen to you if you do the same.
I hope his memory can still contribute to the world by sparing others of the same fate.
Are you sure this is right? Hasn’t Robin Hanson taught us that we can’t always trust the medical profession’s claims about how useful the medical profession is.
One thing that’s much more trustworthy than average is the claim: “Early detected disease X? We can totally fix that!” It’s a falsifiable claim.
Claims that are deeply tied to statistics, statistical significance, fuzzy definitions, subtle effects, or other things are more likely to be the wrong ones.
Steve Jobs died because he tried alternative medicine??? I’m pretty sure the rationality(tm) approved medical profession had Steve Jobs dying right around now, or sooner, anyway.
Seriously, if there is someplace the story is told that Jobs shortened his life by not doing the rational thing please link it and/or summarize it, its not at all what I have been hearing. And “not opting for cryonics” doesn’t count.
According to Pedanterriffic’s link and its citation, Jobs delayed potentially life-saving surgery for 9 months while trying an alternative medicine diet.
Thank you; original comment has been edited to include a summary (as it should have had in the first place).
Upvoted. It’s entirely reasonable to insist on a reference. On the other hand, a few references for this would have been symmetrically appropriate: