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Use Astrology To Save Britain's Health System, Says MP
An anonymous reader writes: An MP from the governing Conservative Party has said that using astrology could radically improve the performance of Britain's National Health Service and that its opponents are "racially prejudiced" and driven by "superstition, ignorance and prejudice." David Treddinick even claims he has "helped" fellow legislators through astrology.
Tredinnick's a nut who has form for this kind of statement.
Still. At least he's not on the House of Commons Health Committe or anything. What's that? Oh...
I had a dream, bright and carefree, but now there's doubt and gravity
Unfortunately it's real. Tredinnick has been infamous for these sorts of comments for years now.
10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
I confirm that here in France, homeopathy is very common, and even MDs frequently use it.
But let's be serious. The placebo effect is one of the most effective thing in medical problems. The problem with it is that if you don't believe in it, it no longer works. Building false theories that makes sense for most people is therefore a skill that can be much more effective than finding real cures.
So, in a way, I can't blame people who use it just because, as an ultra-rational guy, I do not have the "chance" of being able to use those things with a positive effect. Maybe using astrology and homeopathy would indeed increase the efficiency of the health system. Not because it prevents illnesses, but just because we have to recognize that it really works by misleading people's brain.
Anamnesis is a philosophy that we subconsciously know information from our past lives. "Anameticist" isn't a word. I have no idea what word you actually meant to use.
I could see that in a proportional-representation system. If 10% of the population is really into homeopathy, they could vote for a party that represents those interests. But the UK has a first-past-the-post system, like the US, meaning members are elected by getting the most votes in a specific district. Is Tredinnick's district really majority in favor of astrology being funded by the NHS? My guess is no, and that he's elected despite this issue, not because of it. Incumbents are very hard to knock off, especially outside of marginal districts (his district is a Conservative stronghold, and the UK has no party primaries), so he keeps winning regardless of whether his district's residents think astrology is useful or not.
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Ask any police officer or health care provider how people act during the full moon. They will almost always tell you that they are busier and people are crazier around that time of the month - consistently - although they can't quite explain why.
Confirmation bias. I've heard the same thing from nurses, but the fact is, no correlation has been found.
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