We don't cut off the hands of thieves or castrate rapists. Why must we murder murderers?

The press and the public like certainty and affirmation of popular biases. But real science thrives on the capacity for doubt.

We don't cut off the hands of thieves or castrate rapists. Why must we murder murderers?

The dissemination of pseudoscience, including such things as the fascination with near-death experiences and the growing belief by Americans -- 34 percent of them -- in reincarnation are dangerous. They help to break down the standards of reason.

In this climate - with belief in guardian angels and creationism becoming commonplace - making fun of religion is as risky as burning a flag in an American Legion hall.

As Camille Paglia's success has demonstrated, what is most marketable is absolutism and attitude undiluted by thought.

There are, however, exceptions to this reliance on feelings as evidence of truth: if, for instance, your feelings lead to disbelief instead of belief, they're apt to be dismissed as some form of denial. This is not a common problem. Usually intellectualism, not feeling reality, is blamed for disbelief. But, some angel experts suggest, there may be emotional as well as intellectual barriers to belief: unwillingness to believe in angels can reflect low self-esteem.