Why People Believe Strange Things

1« Previous thread | Next thread »
- Ishina
- Militant Atheist
- Ex-Muslim
- No Fate But What We Make
- offline
Why People Believe Strange Things
OP - January 14, 2011, 12:20 AM

A cute little video: 'Why people believe strange things' from TED.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhf9GggK_2Y

Why do people see the Virgin Mary on cheese sandwiches or hear demonic lyrics in "Stairway to Heaven"? Using video, images and music, professional skeptic Michael Shermer explores these and other phenomena, including UFOs and alien sightings. He offers cognitive context: In the absence of sound science, incomplete information can combine with the power of suggestion (helping us hear those Satanic lyrics in Led Zeppelin). In fact, he says, humans tend to convince ourselves to believe: We overvalue the "hits" that support our beliefs, and discount the more numerous "misses."

Too fucking busy, and vice versa.
- Saif Rahman
- Ex-Muslim
- Je suis Haram
- offline
Re: Why People Believe Strange Things
Reply #1 - January 14, 2011, 12:22 AM

see http://www.councilofexmuslims.com/index.php?topic=10818.msg288530#msg288530

My Book
My Blog
- Ishina
- Militant Atheist
- Ex-Muslim
- No Fate But What We Make
- offline
Re: Why People Believe Strange Things
Reply #2 - January 14, 2011, 12:26 AM

Nazi.

Too fucking busy, and vice versa.
- z10
- Pub Regular
- Imago Dei
- offline
Re: Why People Believe Strange Things
Reply #3 - January 19, 2011, 10:01 AM

Who defines strangeness? Which viewpoint is perfect?

At evening, casual flocks of pigeons make
Ambiguous undulations as they sink,
Downward to darkness, on extended wings. - Stevens
- Ishina
- Militant Atheist
- Ex-Muslim
- No Fate But What We Make
- offline
Re: Why People Believe Strange Things
Reply #4 - January 19, 2011, 01:26 PM

Mine.

Too fucking busy, and vice versa.
- Zebedee
- Pub Regular
- offline
Re: Why People Believe Strange Things
Reply #5 - January 19, 2011, 02:31 PM

It seems to me that Shermer's thesis comes down to one big genetic fallacy, although I do like him. And I second z10's sentiments.
- Ishina
- Militant Atheist
- Ex-Muslim
- No Fate But What We Make
- offline
Re: Why People Believe Strange Things
Reply #6 - January 19, 2011, 02:36 PM

I don't think there is even any question that the things mentioned in the video are strange.

Too fucking busy, and vice versa.
- Zebedee
- Pub Regular
- offline
Re: Why People Believe Strange Things
Reply #7 - January 19, 2011, 03:03 PM

Just linguistically, 'strange' is an ambiguous and even relative term. Many of the things in quantum mechanics or biology we may think strange, and for different reasons, but those things may still be true, though it seems to me that Shermer's use of the word here may be interchangeable with 'false.'
- Ishina
- Militant Atheist
- Ex-Muslim
- No Fate But What We Make
- offline
Re: Why People Believe Strange Things
Reply #8 - January 19, 2011, 03:12 PM

Who defines false? Which viewpoint is true?

Too fucking busy, and vice versa.
- deusvult
- O......O
- Pub Regular
- offline
Re: Why People Believe Strange Things
Reply #9 - January 19, 2011, 03:40 PM

Quote from: Zebedee on January 19, 2011, 03:03 PM
Just linguistically, 'strange' is an ambiguous and even relative term. Many of the things in quantum mechanics or biology we may think strange, and for different reasons, but those things may still be true, though it seems to me that Shermer's use of the word here may be interchangeable with 'false.'

meh, he is giving a presentation, not writing a philosophical treaty. Strange would seem apply more to frameworks that lack substantiative proof, or a corpus of empirical evidence and logical evidence to back up their claims. His talk is more about human heuristics and cognitive fallacies than " truth "

So once again I'm left with the classic Irish man's dilemma, do I eat the potato or do I let it ferment so I can drink it later?
My political philosophy below
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwGat4i8pJI&feature=g-vrec
Just kidding, here are some true heros
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBTgvK6LQqA
1« Previous thread | Next thread »