Science vs. Superstition

So, over on John Scalzi’s blog, he’s running one of his “Big Ideas” pieces, which plug the “Big Idea” behind an author’s book. This particular Big Idea is the conflict between science and superstition. The possessor of the big idea, Melinda Snodgrass, has taken the conflict and created a novel positing a real-live war between the “forces of rationality and the Old Ones From Beyond Time.” It sounds like an interesting read, but alas my To Be Read pile is threatening to topple over and crush me, so I’ll have to take a pass.

I would like to take a serious look at the topic. Why do creationists, crystal power adherents and fake psychics using dime-store books on how to do a cold read get any credence in modern society? What’s worse, actual scientists struggle to even get time on the media, let alone advance their views. There are a number of factors at work, not the least of which is the idea that there’s a sucker born every minute. But I’d like to focus on two broad factors.

( cut to avoid overflowing f-lists )