How do you deal with a religious family?

[Aractus]

So? there's still such a thing as right or wrong "by association".

Yes, and that's called a logical fallacy.

No it isn't, we do it all the time and we do it in courts as well. It's how we associate things together like actions and consequences. It is absolutly used in court - you can demonstrate that your witness is "reliable" or demonstrate that he is "unreliable", for instance, and that is using the "by association" principle.

You can keep calling it valid - doesn't make it so.

As far as science is concerned there are an unlimited number of valid theories. In science, they generally like the more simple theories over the more complicated ones.

Or let me repeat the historical argument I already gave you: prior to the 1980's there were Egyptologists who theorised that the pyramids were build by Egyptian workers, and not by slaves. They had no direct evidence for the theory, yet they still had it. Later it would be effectively proven correct.

There are plenty of other examples in history of why these theories are important - they direct what you look for and consequently where. Many very important archaeological discoveries have been made off the back of theories (eg I think that there was people here in such and such a time and we're going to look for their remains).

The trap that you're falling into is telling people that they can't think for themselves, they can't have their own ideas, they can't make their own theories, they can't think outside the box and produce non-logical theories.

In courts, yes, but by historical standards they are useful.

Nope.

Well I've just explained why they are, and there's other reasons too.

Somewhere where people get arrested for prostitution.

Right, and what have you done about it? Have you formed an interest group, have you attended town meetings to voice your concerns? Did you join a political party and suggest the party take the position that prostitution should be legalised for the greater benefit of the community? Did you do any of this, or are you just complaining because something is not the way you would like it?

Minority rights. Womens' issues. Scientific research etc.

Minority rights are an interesting thing. In the 1980's, here in Australia, we prevented an AIDS epidemic from happening here, however it was largely done by the three communities themselves: the gay community (more specifically the men who are sexually active with other men), the sex workers and the injecting drug users. This of course was backed by government, but essentially they themselves needed to tackle the issue.

It does show what minorities can do when they are empowered to do so.

The only one of those groups which was controversial was the injecting drug users, because people said "they're just junkies, they're not a real community or group". Yet they proved otherwise by taking action against AIDS, which was only possible by mobilising and taking action as a community.

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Dear Radio, is it true that in Moscow, on the Red Square, they're giving away cars for free?

-Yes, but not in Moscow, in Leningrad. Not Red Square, but Square of Revolution, and not cars, but bikes; which aren't being given away, but stolen.

Something like that Aractus?

Yes, something like your Chinese whispers example.