Deirdre Barrett - Supernormal Stimuli | For Good Reason

Deirdre Barrett talks about supernormal stimuli, which are exaggerated versions of natural stimuli to which there are existing instinctual responses. She discusses how our evolved instincts are overwhelmed by technological advances and other facets of modern society. She explores how pornography, unhealthy diets, and even the quest for nuclear energy as opposed to wind or solar energy are supernormal stimuli. And she explains how undue credulity in the supernatural and the paranormal may be a function of our natural instincts to believe becoming overrun by supernormal stimuli.

Also, in this week's edition of the Honest Liar, we consider the similarities between a streetside scam artist and a billion dollar Ponzi schemer.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• James Randi
• Skepticism
• Skeptic
• DJ Grothe
• JREF
• paranormal
• supernatural
• psychic
• Deirdre Barrett

[mfunke]

@waltermh111 "For evolution purposes" meaning "for the continuation of evolution". "Purpose" doesn't always mean "intent", you know? I'm not sure you understand what the point was, since you seems to tackle aspects of my replies irrelevant to the point I'm trying to make. Clearly you are arguing for the sake of arguing or you haven't quite got the idea. Either way, enough of my time was wasted.

[waltermh111]

@MitchofSmeg yeah, for sure it has many uses, I just dislike the use of the word purpose when referring to evolution.

You can anthopomorphise evolution to have purpose like we think, but it doesnt any more than it has a plan.

It just happens that acts lead to procreation, but there is no intention for it to do so.

[waltermh111]

@mfunke Its irrelevent to make such a statement as waste of time. That is subjective. I dont consider it a waste of time from any point of view, so her point is wrong.

Evolution doesnt have a purpose. Its a misunderstanding of evolution to think otherwise.

You can say it doesnt increase the population of the species, but there is no more purpose than plan to evolution.

It happens that things which increase procreation pass on, thats not with purpose, its just how it works.

[MNICY]

Porn competes for time? Seriously? How long does she think most people spend masturbating? Seriously.. If i watch this whole video then I have "wasted" more time this week then then I have masturbating.

[joelmartens]

Anyone know where there are pics of DJ's puggle?

[dfarmer1584]

... no maintenance professional sex partners are illegal and/ or dangerous. I'll take take the damned magazine thank you. And I am very well adjusted by any measure.

Actually....she throws out her sex thesis from a decidedly female POV. A woman, any woman, need invest little or no effort to find a sex partner. She merely need announce her desire, and an obliging partner will be at hand. Not so for men. Not at all. And some of us happily retire from the silly mating ritual game.

[dfarmer1584]

She misses the mark @ 6:04. Masturbating to a magazine (or relieving sex drive thru self sex) does not "wastes time" relative to seeking a partner. That is absurd. Just driving to a date takes longer, not to mention the REAL cost: the massive time required for resource aquisition needed to expend on the potential sex partner during mating courtship.

I'm middle aged. I've mated with dozens of women in my life. I have 2 adult children. At this time I have NO interest in "courting."

[mfunke]

@MitchofSmeg What you are saying is that using sex for entertainment might have side effects that help evolutionary purposes. It's a reasonable argument and I agree with you. That's not what I was arguing about. The original post said "This woman may not be taking a moral approach to porn and the purpose of sex, but she is taking a female view and applying it to men". It's NOT what she did. She showed 2 uses of sex, evolution and entertainment, but waltermh thinks she argued against the latter.

[MitchofSmeg]

@mfunke meaning for evolution purpose, it does have a reasonable argument to not being a waste because it counteracts the inbuilt need for men and women to have sex which can mentally unbalance them to the point of making either moroinc or dangerous decisions in the hope of getting laid or not even getting laid, just in general too.

[MitchofSmeg]

@mfunke Actually sex is so inbuilt that it has multiple benifits to humans to either have sex for entertainment or to masterbait and iirc multiple studies out there show (drunk and nearly 7am cba finding lol) that those who regularly do either of those 2 things tend to 1)see themselves in a better view and 2)overall have a more calm and controlled mental state giving them the ability to make decisions much better and other benifits too other then "its fun".