(January 27, 2013 at 2:02 pm)Euler Wrote: Try to get them to define 'energy' in a meaningful way.That's the thing. Much like the biblical literalist who insists that God planted false evidence about the universe's age and origins in order to test our faith, the New Ager can claim that such energies are simply beyond the current perception of science. Granted, one could point out that if such energies existed then science would at least be able to perceive their influence on the material world, and so on. But eventually the discussion will reach the New Ager's threshold for speculative reasoning, and any further points will be met with a "well, it just doesn't work that way" or some such nonsense.
Again, like Minimalist said, the only real difference with refuting New Age ideas is that their adherents tend to be nicer about it.