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Michael Shermer: Why people believe strange things

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Uploaded by on Apr 15, 2008

http://www.ted.com 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."

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  • When I make spaghetti sauce, I see an image of God swirling around in the sauce. If I add parmesan cheese, it looks like God is in heaven (sort of...).

  • FUS RO DAH1!!!!!!!

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  • Sorry typo errors i ment unknown

  • Theres unlnown things in this world so what the guy says in the video 99% of it is just opinion not fact because wdk how the world began or who was really here first oe what happened so i wont say aliens are real without facts ,they migjt not even be aliens who knows

  • Looks like the "there" backwards sounds like "Satan". From now on I'll be terrified of toolsheds.

  • @lurmot Not even close. A skeptic doubts his/her own assumptions (exactly because they already understand they don't know, see and understand everything) and as such they are willing & able to adjust them. Secondly, the assumptions a skeptic makes are based on solid evidence that can be reproduced.

    By contrast, the religious do not base their convictions on any reproducable evidence nor are they willing to adjust them when they contradict facts. The two mentalities are nothing alike.

  • @lurmot not quite as clueless.

  • @lurmot He is human, on TED and is doing well for himself. Give him and his idea some credibility :) People will never agree wholly, which is part of science and part of progression. At least he is contributing something which you cannot fault him for. Peace

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