"The Secret", the Law of Attraction, and Science

The LiveScience website has a new article posted yesterday on the science of the Law of Attraction titled "The Pseudoscience of 'The Secret'". I think the publishing of this article exemplifies the problem we have today between those that claim they live to an objective existence (all people live subjective existences) and those that think their subjective experience can be objectified by "science" so that they can "prove" it to others.

The article is a review of "The Secret", and it is rather well written. It correctly identifies that there is no real science in the work and concludes that the Law of Attraction is false. The problem is that the conclusion cannot be logically derived from the premise, which is ironic given how well it picks apart the faulty logic of its target as part of its argument. The pot has argued that the kettle is pink with purple polka dots when in fact both are black.

Science is equipped to handle one kind of Truth: the type that can be experimentally validated and repeated. The mistake many scientists make, however, is to assume this is the only kind of Truth. There is also Truth that can only be experientially validated; one such Truth is Love. However, rather than just make a distinction between classes of Truth and carry on with the discovery of the kind of Truth they are expert in, too many scientists engage in attacks against other Truth-seekers. Unfortunately, this actually undermines their credibility in their field of expertise, too; people instinctively know something is just wrong with this person's statements... so maybe the stuff he says about his science is just a load of crap, too? Of course, there is a lot of confirmation bias occurring on both sides of the fence constantly, so the Truth ends up really getting lost among a lot of noise.

Of course, the author of "The Secret" really should not talk about science she does not understand. The science that supposedly supports "The Secret" does not, in fact, support it. It does not say anything for or against "The Secret". It is just neutral. But by bringing up this "science" the author of "The Secret" discredits her own good work on educating people on the Law of Attraction. Those that are strong in understanding the kind of Truth that can be experimentally validated and repeated, scientists, smelled the bullshit ten miles away. While one cannot expect everyone to understand how the Law of Attraction works—it is non-trivial and ones understanding is always limited by the limits of their current belief system—presenting bad science as "proof" can only serve to drive people away, and that is a tragedy.

So let's all stop trying to "prove" Truth that should not and cannot be proven, okay? Scientists, you should stick with Truth that science can validate, or at least put on your philosopher or spiritualist hat when discussing non-scientific Truth to avoid confusion. Do you seriously believe that dismissing the Law of Attraction in a science-oriented publication is a good idea? Spiritualists, do you seriously believe that promoting the Law of Attraction with "science" is a good idea? Shame on you all!