Michael Shermer - The Threat of Pseudoscience

[@deeliciousplum]

Oh, my! What a goldmine! Thank you for sharing these vids. It is wonderful to review this conference.

[@JosephNordenbrockartistraction]

It's always refreshing to hear someone that doesn't assume spirits are real and assume I too believe the god their talking about is real. I feel like I'm surrounded by idiots on this planet that say shit like "Prays Jesus" or "I'll pray for you". Rational thinking human primates are pitifully outnumbered. Some superstitious people are very dangerous for the rest of us on Earth.

[@willg4802]

clearing a blockage?

[@me-hk4rl]

you're an idiot.

[@scscyou]

Except that, even though this mindset most certainly is on a higher level than people brainwashed by religions, the new dogma still follows the very same mistakes it expected to discourage, which you'll only realize once you become more honest with yourself and continuously self-reflect, but that's indeed hard to do if you're surrounded by less intelligent people instead of those who can point out even your mistakes. Being "rational" definitely isn't as easy as following mainstream authorities, in spite of what "science/school" wants you to think, even more so in the information age where ignorance is a choice, and the psychological biases go way deeper the rabbit hole than you'd believe, so beware any time you feel too confident. In any case, I found this video linked by thebiggestpicture.net/Skeptics so for anyone who's willing to fight their cognitive dissonance and wants to always integrate both sides of the story instead wanting to have faith in the oversimplified model as something self-evident, this would be a great starting point :) However, you won't avoid having to grow (your intuition and beliefs) by experience (and a real feedback) anyway. Btw. this quite seems fitting :) "Society once suffered from ignorant superstition; today it suffers from ignorant skepticism."

[@Tsnore]

Skeptic is a great publication.

[@pkramerable]

Very good. I'm licensed as a massage 'therapist'. I consider myself a massuer. In school I had as my instructors, various "practitioners" of alternative medicine. NCCAM would be hilarious if people weren't be hurt by it. $$$!

[@photopicker]

I think Michael does quite well left to his own words and insight. Excellent lecture. Very informative.

[@dnimlarebil]

"IN DOMINO CONFIDO" on the flag in the background - oh the irony ...

[@BandytaCzasu]

+SomethinJustAintRight I think its "I trust in pizza".

[@amv062184]

it means "i trust in the lord"

[@BrianBattles]

In gawd we trust

[@qwosters]

How humorous is it that for the whole duration of his speech he spoke with a flag in the background bearing a motto that says, in latin, "In domino confido", that is "I trust in god"?

[@GodTheHypothesis]

I love michael shermer- I love that he's the embodiment of the argument that being skeptical is completely different than being cynical. But boy, I wish he wouldn't laugh at his own jokes...

[@LaikaMuttnik]

I like this guy. Smart and funny.

[@copperlapislazuli4156]

Loved this. Very interesting man to listen.

[@epiclesisconsultingllc3008]

Here's a pattern I see in this video: People who assume that people who laugh at their jokes are the only ones in the room who understand the joke also tend to assume they are smarter than people who see different patterns from the ones they do. In other words, they are arrogant.

[@jessicakabelwelter2774]

What does everyone think happens when we die? I have been religious all my life but began questioning everything after my mothers death this year

[@w8m4n]

A lot of people think a lot of different things about when we die. Personally, I believe we just cease to be alive/conscious, and it's exactly how it was before we were born. Other people take comfort in the idea that life goes on in some way or another. I find the finite and unpredictable nature of a limited life gives more reason to enjoy what we have, to love and be loved as much as possible, while trying to leave the world a decent place for those that follow

[@Enke796]

16:16 I can't see a single dolphin in this picture.

[@PyrrhoVonHyperborea]

the cuts between the power-point-point presentation and the stage-presence are bad... often things are totally left out for that matter

[@w584450]

Don't trust his word on all issues. Figure it out yourself.

[@RobinPillage.]

absolute GOLD, Gold I say!!

[@mystisme]

theories are there to be tested,a scientific mind would not discard any theories and first, they would take it and test one by one

[@TheGoodNamesAreSpam]

I could comprehend everything he was after until 26:47. Obviously the man isn't a history major. May I suggest "Dialogue aux enfers entre Machiavel et Montesquieu" by Maurice Joly. It's a satire of French governance in the 19th Century, and it is, quite sadly, not a mistaken pattern, as all of the points have evidence in history.

[@jacopman]

actually a scientific mind understands theories as constructs with a solid based of evidence and facts that allow that theory to make predications .........in reality most people use the term theory in the manner that isn't even equal to a hypothesis in science which is a statement or claim based on observation or construct that needs to be scrutinized through the scientific method to see if there is any validity to it.

[@Crocosquirrel]

I would edit your description to read "If anyone with the right to do so wish..." Just so you don't get spurious demands. For my money. +1 internets for sticking your neck out. Well done.

[@beboptachikoma5136]

I doubt Michael Shermer would oppose having this video up so people can see it. And he's the only one with the right to ask this to be taken down.

[@Crocosquirrel]

The way the original statement is worded (intent aside), a Creationist with a hard-on for Shermer videos could ask, and he'd do it. Don't want to see that.

[@beboptachikoma5136]

Kage Shinma I know, I agreed with you. I was just pointing out that even if someone did want it taken down, they have absolutely no right to make that request. So that bit in the description should be erased completely.

[@Crocosquirrel]

bebop Tachikoma "Omit Paragraph 2 entirely" would also work as an editing mark, I agree. The only thing I'd leave in is a brief mention at the end of paragraph one indicating who's footage it is.

[@sockmonkeydoo]

Yep too much dopamien...my dopamien levels must be off the charts then ...what does one do about something like that?

[@sockmonkeydoo]

I see things in things all the time maybe I have alot of dopamien in my brain

[@FungusWhisperer]

Very interesting presentation. Nicely detailing perceptual and cognitive illusions, psychophysio mechanisms etc. But I'm not seeing social issues as implied by video title "The Threat of Pseudoscience" raised or addressed. Not a complaint, just noticing - goin' "hmmm" (considering vid title). PS, I see posts here that are not acceptable. There's no reason for their display (never mind their submission by posters). That calls youtube into ethical question for irresponsibly providing such antisocial purposes a theater of operations, a convenient stage to act out. We don't need to be verbally vandalized. Hey youtube, what would it take to straighten out your "Entitlement Empowering" policy & practice? Great there's no law to prevent you giving blank check, license for verbal abuse. But get some ethical standards, or look up 'Accountability' in the dictionary - its under "A."

[@coreycox2345]

I am not sure if I saw the comments you mention, FungusWhisperer. I see some negative comments that don't appear relative to the talk. I suspect that some people take out their bad day at random on KZbin. I liked the talk too, but what does it have to do with pseudoscience?

[@VERGIS92]

nice, but this NDE triggering has nothing to do with the real thing, since it doesn't allow remote viewing, it remains unexplained to this day, this and other phenomena cannot be understood

[@Calyptico]

how do grammar?

[@jessicakabelwelter2774]

What happens if I did not see the dog or cow even before the red line... LOL.... Why am I seeing perverted things in the lamp and shoe.. I guess that is what I am thinking about.

[@Etothe2iPi]

Try to understand the term "scientific theory" (wikipedia is a good start). According to you, a scientific mind would not discard the stork theory of human reproduction. On a side note: Short sentences and punctuation tend to improve the comprehensibility of a text.

[@mystisme]

i am into science myself and i will take any theoy and look at it, for sure some is rejcted as quicly as they appear cause lack of logic ect...some are look at and see if we discover evidence,like the string theory the evidence of that theory is not there all we are trying is to find if the evidence of that theory is founded in other word we have a presupposition not evidencethan we look for it

[@alexyoung6418]

A lot less laughters than TED.

[@animaljp3]

the dark spots are dolphins

[@mystisme]

it is not what i said , i said that we take any theory what ever it might be, some like you say are stupid and are discard as quick as it is propose like the stork theory cause logic and reason.on other term we just lay down every theory than discard some of wich is not logic,stupid ect.. than we test and verifiy some which as potentiel to fit an explaination sorry i am french so i try my best to explain my taugh

[@vikkipollard6]

He means he's been into this since he gave up being a fundamentalist Christian....

[@privatepile762]

I can't figure out why he begins with behaviorism, which has the most (and best) scientific support, but spends the rest of his talk on cognitivist notions of behavior. Our brains are not "wired". Our brain responds in a physiological way to the environment. Neuroscience will find no source of behavior. There is no such thing as " mind." For a skeptic, he sure does a bad job promoting the crappy science of cognitivism. "Patternicity" is a perceived product of histories of reinforcement and puni

[@Rockster969]

@BarryJBelmont Indeed and I'll raise you by one 'what the fuck?'

[@BarryBelmont]

@mystisme What?

[@animaljp3]

never without evidence.

[@acheronatol8554]

you should not say what people should believe

[@mystisme]

sorry i am french i did my best

[@animaljp3]

reject all theories without evidence, regardless how likely it may be.

[@peanut12345]

Is he taking about the medical complex and naive doctor college kids maiming patients? Hell no!

[@mystisme]

your comment just show your closed minded state of mind you re want to read what ever it pleased you or what you want to undresatand the theories is not of mine nore that i accepted as fact that whats i wrote, i thing that you need to grow ups little and learn to red

[@me-hk4rl]

quack.

[@me-hk4rl]

aka, the threat of the cult of scientism posing as science on humanity.

[@ParadiseLordRyu]

In other words, believe all the patterns and filter anything out that doesn’t line up. You seem more cultish to me.

[@johnmilligan7595]

Mister Shermer. have you seen ,, ",Uri Geller owns Criss Angel " this might change your mind.

[@natashaestes154]

John Milligan, have you seen James Randi take down Uri Geller?

[@josephmeaux8216]

He does present an interesting theory. But as others know, it is just a theory. He can't prove any of it though.

theory in the scientific sense is "pretty much a fact" if anything else.

[@Llllllllllllxjxn]

stating the obvious isn't a point. Your point was incomplete and shitty. Theory as used in the term Theory of evolution is equivalent to the word law, yaa we get it but sometimes its just a theory, as in hypothetical. Its all about context nutcase

[@Llllllllllllxjxn]

dude please don't try to school me, Even though theory is almost equivalent to law in science I think we need to chill with that. Revolutions require questioning all theories. At some point the general theory of relativity will fall apart, as will the theory of natural selection. Don't get me wrong they won't completely be garbage but the advancements made will alter both to the point of non-recognition. Its progress.

Asad Choudhry Laws are useless without theories. Laws don't tell you how the world works, that's what the theories are for. Go back to school.

[@Llllllllllllxjxn]

you are getting caught on semantics. Laws and Theories crumble the scale just happens to not fit into a human lifetime always.That that kind of thinking restricts progress. I can understand you worshiping the scientific method but theories and laws - you sound religious to me. You respect it too much , its an emotional reaction and not objective