A film challenging evolution, by game show host
and financial analyst Ben Stein, is a case study
in antiscience propaganda
“Should I be worried about the Crips and the Bloods up here?” These were the first words out of the mouth of Ben Stein as he entered my office at Skeptic magazine, located in the racially mixed neighborhood of Altadena, Calif. I cringed and hoped that the two black women in my employ were out of earshot of what was perhaps merely Stein’s hamhanded attempt at humor before he began interviewing me for what I was told was a film on the intersection of science and religion entitled Crossroads. (continue reading…)
Ben Stein,
evolution,
Expelled,
free speech,
intelligent design
Metaphors, modules and brain-scan pseudoscience
The atom is like a solar system, with electrons whirling around the nucleus like planets orbiting a star. No, actually, it isn’t. But as a first approximation to help us visualize something that is so invisible, that image works as a metaphor. (continue reading…)
brain modularity,
fMRI,
mental,
neuroscience,
New Phrenology
Emotions are as much a product of our evolutionary
heritage as they are our environmental circumstances
The next time you come face to face with a dog wagging its tail, you can make a quick determination on whether to reach out and pet it or step back in deference: check the tail-wag bias. If the wagging tail leans to the dog’s right, you’re safe; if the tail leans to the dog’s left, don’t move. (continue reading…)
brain scans,
emotions,
evolution,
left brain,
right brain
Belief, disbelief and uncertainty generate
different neural pathways in the brain
During an early episode of the über-pyrotechnic television series MythBusters, Adam Savage was busted by the camera crew for misremembering his predictions of the probability of an axle being ripped out of a car, à la American Graffiti. When confronted with the unmistakable video evidence of his error, Adam sardonically rejoined: “I reject your reality and substitute my own.” (continue reading…)
belief,
brain scans,
brains,
fMRI,
religion
Evolutionary economics explains why irrational
financial choices were once rational
Since 99 percent our evolutionary history was spent as hunter-gatherers living in small bands of a few dozen to a few hundred people, we evolved a psychology not always well equipped to reason our way around the modern world. What may seem like irrational behavior today may have actually been rational a hundred thousand years ago. Without an evolutionary perspective, the assumptions of Homo economicus — that “Economic Man” is rational, self-maximizing, and efficient in making choices — make no sense. Take economic profit versus psychological fairness as an example. (continue reading…)
capitalism,
economics,
evolution,
markets,
mind,
psychology
