Michael Shermer: Baloney Detection Kit

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With a sea of information coming at us from all directions, how do we sift out the misinformation and bogus claims, and get to the truth? Michael Shermer of Skeptic Magazine lays out a "Baloney Detection Kit," ten questions we should ask when encountering a claim.

The 10 Questions:
1. How reliable is the source of the claim?
2.Does the source make similar claims?
3. Have the claims been verified by somebody else?
4. Does this fit with the way the world works?
5. Has anyone tried to disprove the claim?
6. Where does the preponderance of evidence point?
7. Is the claimant playing by the rules of science?
8. Is the claimant providing positive evidence?
9. Does the new theory account for as many phenomena as the old theory?
10. Are personal beliefs driving the claim?

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• Category

  Science & Technology

[magrpe]

That's excatly what he isn't doing. He's trying to give people the toolkit to reject or accept information based on the scientific method. You have no evidence he is working for the government, so your hypothesis is rejected until you do provide evidence - do you see how it works now?

[FormCritic]

The pyramids are in Egypt. They have always been in Egypt. Every piece of evidence points to the fact that Egyptians built them. Every piece of evidence. To be clear...there is no evidence of any other builders. None.

It is therefore logical to begin with the proposition that, most likely, the Egyptian pyramids, in Egypt, were built by people also located in Egypt - commonly known as "Egyptians."

[Aexis Rai]

I agree; even more relevantly:

Our beliefs are not in a vacuum; they inform our actions. Because we think the things we believe are true, we will act as if they are. And without questioning them, without looking for evidence as justification, there is no way to find out if they are false, to motivate us to change them - because if they really are false, we can hurt not just ourselves, but other people.

See: whatstheharm [dot] net

[Tim Q]

He uses global warming as an example...since the past 5 years of global weather patterns do not fit the GW model, I think that was a very poor choice for an example...

[nicelittlerunner]

there is a need to prove things to yourself, not everybody tries that, some believe things because they are comfort and rob themselves of liberation

[thatdevilguy]

In Australia we would call it a bullshit detector.

[hismory]

One persons' view should not change others' beliefs and profit from it.

Each individual has his or her own mind.

Believe in your own truth, no need to prove anything to anyone.

[bagelboi66]

Take *that* Kirk Cameron!

[Dudemar0]

ToK

[Dudemar0]

speaking of stupid, your spelling is atrocious

[ewoq]

This guy should be well paid or pretty stupid because he sais these things,