May 1, 2008

Post 1: Basic Research Skills (re: Ryan Sorba and "The Born 'Gay' Hoax")

From: Page 1

Thoughts: I’m not sure I’ll make it all the way through this “book”.

What school did this kid go to? More specifically, who “taught” him to conduct original “research”?  This “book” is replete with basic logical fallacies, confusion of correlation and causation, and arguments based on unsubstantiated assumptions.  From the very first paragraph:

“Observers familiar with the high correlation between childhood sexual molestation and adult same‐sex attraction might conclude that this youthful experience [being molested] was the cause of Ulrichs’s fixation [belief that same-sex attraction is inborn/homosexuality].”

This is the concluding sentence in his first paragraph, an unsubstantiated correlation, being used as causation.  Specifically:

  1. Correlation isn’t directional.
  2. Just because you write the phrase “observers familiar with the high correlation between childhood sexual molestation and adult same-sex attraction”, doesn’t mean that it is a fact.  If I were him, I would cite at least one poorly conducted and easily refutable study that validates his point, especially as it seems to be the basis of his argument (whatever that may be, I’m not exactly sure at this point). 
  3. Correlation isn’t the same as causation. Correlation isn’t the same as causation. Correlation isn’t the same as causation. (And is this supposed to be multi-directional causation? Does being molested cause you to be gay, or does being gay cause you to molest others, or is it just a vicious cycle?)

Look how much fun we’re having already, and I’m only on page one!

Other posts in the series

•