The Journal Of The InnKeeper

 I've decided to compile a list of terminology used when discussing the various forms of woo, for those who are unfamiliar or new to skepticism.  These are primarily derogatory slang terms that can be found in the science or skeptical communities.  I expect to update and alter this over time.

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Woo:  magic (not conjuring or stage magic, which is generally a trick of some sort to entertain, but so-called "real" magic that defies laws of physics), mysticism, religion, spirituality, pseudoscience, psi, alternative medicine;  anything that is "beyond" science, "outside" of nature, supernatural, or paranormal.  These things tend to defy our current understanding of the natural world with no plausible mechanism, and are different from new modalities or discoveries within science that are plausible & have independently verifiable evidence to support it.  There is no clear demarkation line between science and woo, but a range or a scale on which individual subjects are evaluated.  

Key words or phrases to indicate woo can include: "life force", "quantum mechanics" (either coming from someone who is not a reputable quantum scientist, or extrapolated from the micro world to explain macro objects or large distances), "boost the immune system", "the cure for everything" (or a single cure for all cancers, etc.), auras / qi / chi, "energy" (not used in the sense of a measurement of something's ability to perform work), alternate dimensions, ancient wisdom, water memory, the body's "innate intelligence", "since you can't prove a negative, science doesn't *really* know anything", "science/knowledge is a human conceit", a shill for Big [fill in the blank here], accusations of "disinformation agents", "wellness", "it's about freedom of choice", calling for public debate rather than peer review, opposition to "toxins" (there are real toxins that are harmful in certain doses, but this opposition is usually vague, ill-defined "toxins" or with disregard to dosage, or inconsistently applied to some toxins & not others).


Woo-woo:  the original term from which the shortened "woo" is derived, coined by The Amazing Randi.

Wooager : a practitioner of woo.  Natureopaths, homeopaths, astrologers, psychics, dowsers, faith healers, all religious people, alt-med practitioners, acupuncturists, mystics, etc.  Rhymes with "newager" (below).

Woomeister:  another term for practitioner of woo.  See "wooager".

Newage:  a deliberate mispronunciation of the term "New Age" that rhymes with "sewage".  It covers all topics covered under the more proper term "New Age" and is meant to be derogatory.  Astrology, healing crystals, therapeutic touch, psychics, alternate planes, etc.

Newager:  a practitioner of Newage & said with the same deliberate mispronounciation.

SCAM:  Supplemental, Complimentary, and Alternative Medicine industry, what is usually referred to as the CAM industry.  Any product or therapy purported to cure or treat illness, infection, or disease that has not been proven effective by scientific analysis & peer review, or that has been shown by those methods to be not effective.

Quack:  a practitioner or pusher of SCAM products or therapies.

IDiot:  a proponent of Intelligent Design - the idea that the entire universe was created by an intelligent being who designed everything intentionally.

Worshipin' Huts:  churches, mosques, temples, synagogues, and any religious building for the purpose of religious services and/or worship.

Wooniversity:  An institution that sells unaccredited degrees in magical pseudosciences

Deja Woo:  reincarnation

For specific types of woo, reference The Periodic Table Of Irrational Nonsense