Isn’t one of the benefits of homeopathy that you get to talk to a person who promises you that you will feel better?
If the control for homeopathy is doing nothing that you find that homeopathy works. If you however do a double blind trial you will probably find that homeopathy doesn’t work.
If you truly belief in rationalism and don’t engage in it to signal status, I see no reason to use another standard for judging whether homeopathy is true than for judging whether PUA works.
If you truly belief in rationalism and don’t engage in it to signal status, I see no reason to use another standard for judging whether homeopathy is true than for judging whether PUA works.
Aww, I respect you as a person too! (What were you trying to accomplish with this comment?)
As you point out, which control you pick is significant, but my point is that what test you pick is significant too. Let’s talk about basketball: you can try and determine how good players are by their free throw percentage, or you can try and determine how good players are by their average points scored per game. You’re suggesting the analog of the first, which seems ludicrous because it ignores many critical skills. If someone is interested primarily in getting laid, it seems that the number they care about is mean time between lays, not percentage success on approaches.
I won’t comment much about your homeopathy example, except to say that even if one considers it relevant it undermines your position. Homeopathy is better than both nothing and harmful treatments (my impression is most people come to PUA from not trying at all or trying ineffectively). Generally, for any homeopathic treatment you could take there is a superior mainstream treatment, but for some no treatment is more effective than placebo (and so you’re just making the decision of whether or not to pay for the benefits of placebo). Likewise, even if the only benefit of PUA is increased confidence, you have to trick yourself into that confidence somehow- and so if PUA boosts confidence PUA increases your chances, even though it did it indirectly.
Edit: Actually, yes, I do agree with Vaniver’s point as explained below: at the time of its invention, homeopathy (i.e., water) frequently gave better results than the actively harmful things many doctors were doing to their patients. That said, I’m not sure the analogy with PUAs is usably solid even in those terms … need to come up with one that might be.
Precision in language: my statement concerning homeopathy is correct, but has debatable relevance. At present, homeopathy underperforms mainstream medicine for nearly everything (like I explicitly mentioned). But I strongly suspect the only reason we’re talking about an alternative medicine that originated 200 years ago is because it predated the germ theory of disease by 70 years.
So, it had at least 70 years of growth as an often superior alternative to mainstream medicine, which was murdering its patients through ignorance.* As well, Avogadro’s number was measured about the same time as the germ theory was put forward by Pasteur, and so for that time homeopathy had as solid a theoretical background as mainstream medicine.
My feeling is that insomuch as PUA should be compared to homeopathy, it should be compared to homeopathy in 1840- the proponents may be totally wrong about why it works and quality data either way is likely scarce, but the paucity of strong alternatives means it’s a good choice.** Heck, it might even be the analog of germ theory instead of the analog of homeopathy.
**Is there anyone else trying a “scientific” approach to relationships? I know there are a number of sexologists, but they seem more descriptive and less practical than PUA. Not to mention they seem more interested in the physical aspects than the tactical/strategic ones.
Isn’t one of the benefits of homeopathy that you get to talk to a person who promises you that you will feel better? If the control for homeopathy is doing nothing that you find that homeopathy works. If you however do a double blind trial you will probably find that homeopathy doesn’t work.
If you truly belief in rationalism and don’t engage in it to signal status, I see no reason to use another standard for judging whether homeopathy is true than for judging whether PUA works.
Aww, I respect you as a person too! (What were you trying to accomplish with this comment?)
As you point out, which control you pick is significant, but my point is that what test you pick is significant too. Let’s talk about basketball: you can try and determine how good players are by their free throw percentage, or you can try and determine how good players are by their average points scored per game. You’re suggesting the analog of the first, which seems ludicrous because it ignores many critical skills. If someone is interested primarily in getting laid, it seems that the number they care about is mean time between lays, not percentage success on approaches.
I won’t comment much about your homeopathy example, except to say that even if one considers it relevant it undermines your position. Homeopathy is better than both nothing and harmful treatments (my impression is most people come to PUA from not trying at all or trying ineffectively). Generally, for any homeopathic treatment you could take there is a superior mainstream treatment, but for some no treatment is more effective than placebo (and so you’re just making the decision of whether or not to pay for the benefits of placebo). Likewise, even if the only benefit of PUA is increased confidence, you have to trick yourself into that confidence somehow- and so if PUA boosts confidence PUA increases your chances, even though it did it indirectly.
Your statement concerning homeopathy turns out not to be correct. In practice, homeopathy is harmful because it replaces effective treatments in the patients’ minds and It soaks up medical funding.
Edit: Actually, yes, I do agree with Vaniver’s point as explained below: at the time of its invention, homeopathy (i.e., water) frequently gave better results than the actively harmful things many doctors were doing to their patients. That said, I’m not sure the analogy with PUAs is usably solid even in those terms … need to come up with one that might be.
Precision in language: my statement concerning homeopathy is correct, but has debatable relevance. At present, homeopathy underperforms mainstream medicine for nearly everything (like I explicitly mentioned). But I strongly suspect the only reason we’re talking about an alternative medicine that originated 200 years ago is because it predated the germ theory of disease by 70 years.
So, it had at least 70 years of growth as an often superior alternative to mainstream medicine, which was murdering its patients through ignorance.* As well, Avogadro’s number was measured about the same time as the germ theory was put forward by Pasteur, and so for that time homeopathy had as solid a theoretical background as mainstream medicine.
My feeling is that insomuch as PUA should be compared to homeopathy, it should be compared to homeopathy in 1840- the proponents may be totally wrong about why it works and quality data either way is likely scarce, but the paucity of strong alternatives means it’s a good choice.** Heck, it might even be the analog of germ theory instead of the analog of homeopathy.
*The story of Ignaz Semmelweis ought not be forgot.
**Is there anyone else trying a “scientific” approach to relationships? I know there are a number of sexologists, but they seem more descriptive and less practical than PUA. Not to mention they seem more interested in the physical aspects than the tactical/strategic ones.