Michael Shermer - Why People Believe Weird Things - Part 1/11

[SippinonMickeys]

Worst cameraman... ever

[socratic1968]

My point is, we know for an absolute fact that there did exist an ape, probably bipedal that was over 9 feet tall. Yet, there are almost no bones. SO, when someone asks "why are there no bones of "bigfoot", the same question applies, "why are there ALMOST no bones of gigantopithecus? " Maganthropus? What destroyed the bones of this animal which lived for millions of years?

[AceofDlamonds]

free-thinking is overrated........I hold Shermer's view that science is the best and most efficient tool to understand the world. You can't just say "I don't trust the government" and build your argument from there.........you build it from the information you have to start.

[Reip187]

I actually read this book earlier this week. Part of it is OK, and some concepts work, but this guy has a lot of logical failures. In the book he covers UFO, Ayn Rand, Holocaust Deniers, and a couple others. When he mentioned being on Donahue for the Holocaust thing I remembered it and remember thinking he was awful on there. Then I heard his arguments and his ad hominem bullet points that he just got done saying for something else were bad form. The problem I had with him (cont.)

[Reip187]

@Reip187 (cont) was specifically with his Holocaust arguments. I agree with him that the "deniers" don't have great facts, but he approached that entire thing like he did on Donahue with false logic. Ad hominems, and didn't dispute any actual claims that weren't ridiculous. These "deniers" aren't deniers at all, and he did the same thing on Donahue. They question some points of the Holocaust and he doesn't address these at all, but goes off on another tangent. It's just lazy.

[th4397]

Thi guy is a closed minded fool.

[kushsmokkeralt]

@th4397 No, there is a difference between being close minded and filtering out bullshit. It's clear you haven't drawn the line in the sand yet.

[th4397]

@th4397 If you ever look at what Schermer has to say on a variety of paranormal subjects you wud see clearly he has not studied the subjects and just continually comes out with utter trite nonsense.

[agwellin]

@th4397 lol talking to yourself

[maxemijo]

@th4397 dude, if some can prove for real without any bullshit trick that their paranormal "abilities" are true, people would stop arguing, the sanme for paranormal activitie...not saying he has good points for everything...but paranormal stuff also don't have any good real proof of existence...of being true...

[realhomosapiens]

M. Shermer strongly believe that his great-great-grand-grandpa was a fish, that`s a fact, we won`t debate that,  isn`t that a weird belief too? I think so, and you?

[treasuredroperX]

@realhomosapiens No, not if it's got scientific process behind it.

[realhomosapiens]

@treasuredroperX

What do you mean by "got a scientific process behind it?

[treasuredroperX]

@realhomosapiens It follows the laws of nature, and fits the description. It does not sound weird, because there is evidence that it happened. DNA proves that.

[realhomosapiens]

@treasuredroperX

If you really follow the laws of nature you´d come to a very different conclusion, Now, if you consider peppered moths, bacterias turning resistent to antibiotics, Haeckel embryos hoax, speciation or the fossil record as supporting facts for your scientific myth that somehow given enough time, roughly 500 millions years to a WEIRD worm like cambrian marine creature it turned or EVOLVED into humans, let me tell you something, !keep on dreaming! or hallucinating if you will..BYE

[dltanner99]

Novel about alternative view of evolution see video book trailer

[coolgreyoneabby]

Why didn't anyone point the camera at the speaker? How crappy is that?

[playadominical]

dorkus malorkus at the beginning and red shirt guy are mega nerds. trying to seem cool because they are atheists and skeptics. they should try having sex. shermer is the man tho. peace out geeeeeeyuh!

[socratic1968]

Shermer is doing good work but is dead wrong on the UFO phenomenon. Aldo probably wrong on the existence of a small population of gigantopithecus in north america.

Anyway, "free thinkers"?! Why the attack on ufology? Makes no sense to me that ET's would not know we are here.

Seriously, trillions of watts of electromagnetic energy broadcasting life like a siren in a quiet town throughout the galaxy and YOU think nobody has noticed?!!!!!!!!!!\\

The galaxy is only 100k light years across.

[coolgreyoneabby]

@socratic1968: Shermer is consistent in his skeptic philosophy that extraordinary claims requires extraordinary evidence. The evidence available today is simply not good enough yet for there to be a scientific position verifying the existence of alien crafts visiting earth. SETI ( Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) however is considered a scientific endeavor, but to date has not produced any verified signals from extraterrestrial intelligence. His position agrees with mainstream science

[socratic1968]

@coolgreyoneabby

Its one thing to offer helpful criticism but its quite another to actively use ridicule and false arguments, tirelessly beating the straw man to the applause of academics.

The evidence is accumulating daily. If I were you I would help rather than hurt.

[pillsareyummy]

@socratic1968 If he was using 'strawmen', the academics wouldn't be applauding.

[socratic1968]

@pillsareyummy

He uses the cheap strawman and the clowns laugh. Do you seriously believe that nobody has noticed the trillions of blue-green watts reflected minute by minute advertising life on this planet?

Please tell me you've thought of that already.....

[socratic1968]

Seriously? He picks the weakest most vulnerable aspect of the greater corpus of data and picks away. When he and Shostack make jokes about people being abducted without even a single prior date its funny. But yes, it is a, slow for you S T R A WWWW MMMmmmmmmmmmmmmmmaaaann.

When has shurmer ever mentioned Edward Ruppelt? The man who coined the term UFO? An AF officer. Never. Shurmer is pushing miasma when the evidence suggests contagion. get it?

[pillsareyummy]

We have been beaming 'electromagnetic energy',in the form of television or Radar for about 70 or so years.That means that only star systems at that distance range would detect them(if there was anything there to do the detecting).Although,there are quite a large number at that range,it'll take much much longer for them to reach more distant parts of the Galaxy.Also,aliens,if the exist,could be far more advanced,less advanced,thus would 't pick them up. Or perhaps they aren't interested.

[mfnickster]

@socratic1968 the inverse square law is probably part of the problem!

[AceofDlamonds]

@socratic1968

There is no gigantopithecus.......arguing otherwise violates the laws of nature.......you need a sizable population for reproduction, you need dead bodies at least, and hard evidence..........cryptozoolog­y is just as bad as humanoid aliens, superstition, and others......

[socratic1968]

@AceofDlamonds

"There is no gigantopithecus......arguing otherwise violates the laws of nature...."

Its a fact that there was a gigantopithecus, we have had the bones since the 1930s to prove it. It existed. It was the largest ape/hominid EVER known to science. This is a fact.

Its a fact that apes migrated from asia via the Bering Straight to the american continent. Ever heard of Native Amerians? If the gigantos followed the same path, we have a scientific explanation.

[AceofDlamonds]

@socratic1968

I said there is no gigantopithecus living today......as SOMEONE suggested

[socratic1968]

@AceofDlamonds

There was a gigantic ape that was probably bipedal and far ranging. From India to China to Vietnam we have the bones. What do you do with the fact that it was over 9 feet tall based on the fossil evidence.

So, why don't we have more than a few skulls and teeth of this animal since it lived for several million years and was far ranging? Get my point? We do NOT have much fossil evidence. BUT we know with apodictic certainty that it existed. Why don't we have more bones?

[socratic1968]

@socratic1968

oops, i means jaws not skulls. we have almost no fossil evidence of an animal that existed for millions of years. where are the bones?

[will22453]

i believe you only have half a head....

[abdishtar]

Shermer is so right, that alone is proof Bush didn't do it, it worked. Besides, you need the smarts to pull something like that off. All the hijackers went to american colleges, they all were smarter than Bush

[stanley03061973]

I have proof 4u2c

[pokerslut530]

It scares me to think that if the internet hadn't came around I would be believing in all kinds of crazy stuff. I remember being fascinated with the concept of aliens as a kid and had gotten probably some of the first UFOlogy books given to me. I wasn't 100% convinced they were out there... but definitely like 75% :) Same with ghosts and all of the other common urban myths.

Thank the spaghetti monster for the internet!

[Centigonos]

"Is it just me, or are all skeptics extremely arrogant and closed off?"

It's just you.

[MultiTrollHunter]

@Centigonos hahahaha full of win

[trolldanne]

@Centigonos Hahaha, your respons actually became my facebook status ;))) Tx for that ;)

[Cacmypants]

Is it just me, or are all skeptics extremely arrogant and closed off?

Also... notice he is marketing his book(s)if Shermer was truly passionate about converying his perspectives, he would provide his information for free.

He is also focusing on topics that are essentially easy to refute, not any areas that might prove difficult. Plus, why does he never stop rambling and get to the point.

Laughter is a powerful (yet hollow) means of persuation, Shermer is exploiting it to it's fullest.

[oraclecrank]

Which one of you pet psychoses did he make fun of?

[Scientior]

@Cacmypants

Not all of them, but many definitely are.

Proper skepticism is quite a difficult conceptual tightrope to walk. Many can't do it very well, even many of the big name skeptics.

A back-slapping session at a skeptics circle-jerk like this isn't really the best place to hunt for good specimens, though.

(pollice verso, no doubt)

[Pr0x1mo]

@Cacmypants Who's more arrogant, a skeptic who questions things and doesn't just take answers at face value because he heard it from an authority, or a religious person who thinks he has all the answers because their book says so?

[hornetobiker]

Utter rubbish and a dangerous attitude. You cannot refute anything by giggling, misrepresenting or over-simplifying opposing views. This is just playing to the frightened masses' need for reassurance that all is well. Go back to sleep.

[theredtrail]

Great video! Thank you for posting!

[Josh111485]

Thank you so much for posting this! You are the best! Greetings from Los Angeles, CA! I support the Center For Inquiry and all other rational thinking organizations!

Keep up the good work!

[hornetobiker]

@Josh111485

Baaaaaaaaaaaaaa.