[High Praise! to Bad Science]
A list of various ways you can tell if an argument is complete garbage, or at least suspect:
CARL SAGAN’S BALONEY DETECTION KIT
[Think you have a link that’s IMAO-worthy? Send it to harvolson@gmail.com. If I use your link, you will receive High Praise! (assuming you remember to put your name in the email)]
I’m rather fond of Larry Correia’s “Internet Arguing Checklist” myself: http://monsterhunternation.com/2013/09/20/the-internet-arguing-checklist/
THE LEFT WING INTERNET ARGUING CHECKLIST
Skim until Offended
Disqualify that Opinion
Attack, Attack, Attack
Disregard Inconvenient facts
Make Sh!t Up
Resort to Moral Equivalency
Concern Trolling
When all else fails, Racism!
Sad but true: “Falsifiability,” which I was always taught was the essence of scientific investigation, is starting to become very controversial — because climate change skeptics began repeatedly pointing out that a lot of pronouncements about global warming were unfalsifiable, and therefore suspect.
I think Sagan coulda used this when he wrote Dragons of Eden.