Stephen Law

Piling Up the Anecdotes   (chapter & of my book Believing Bullshit available UK here (US amazon.com here ) [below is the original, uncorrected text]). New Scientist interview with me about the book here . An anecdote involves the recounting of a short story or episode, supposedly true, and often testimonial in nature. There’s nothing wrong with anecdotes per se —they can usefully be used to spice up a dinner party conversation, provoke a discussion or illustrate a point. I’ve told a few in my time. However, alarm bells should start ringing whenever anecdotes are supposed to provide significant evidence in support of a claim, particularly a supernatural claim. Here are a few examples: I know I’m psychic. For example, last week I was thinking about Aunt Sue, whom I hadn’t talked to for ages, when the phone rang. And it was her. Prayer clearly works. I prayed for Mark, John, Karen, and Rita and they all got better. I have no doubt that ghosts are ...