1
00:00:04,540 --> 00:00:08,800
In ancient times, unexplored regions on maps
would often be given

2
00:00:08,820 --> 00:00:12,050
fearsome legends like "Here Be Dragons".

3
00:00:12,677 --> 00:00:15,068
Unknowns were frightening,
and it gave some

4
00:00:15,069 --> 00:00:18,085
comfort to at least be
able to label the unknown.

5
00:00:18,736 --> 00:00:22,081
Hypothesized dragons seemed
a good enough explanation

6
00:00:22,082 --> 00:00:25,427
for what would otherwise be ungraspable.

7
00:00:25,428 --> 00:00:28,752
With a made-up concept and a few words,

8
00:00:28,753 --> 00:00:32,077
the unknown becomes
simple and satisfying.

9
00:00:46,429 --> 00:00:49,436
Those ancient cartographers
would have felt quite at home today.

10
00:00:49,700 --> 00:00:53,640
De facto practice among most people is
still to give satisfying labels

11
00:00:53,641 --> 00:00:57,580
to quantify and conveniently package the
unknown.

12
00:00:57,836 --> 00:00:59,179
When faced with a phenomenon for which

13
00:00:59,180 --> 00:01:02,390
one does not personally know
a rational explanation, like...

14
00:01:02,391 --> 00:01:04,990
dreaming of your uncle the night before he dies,

15
00:01:05,341 --> 00:01:08,228
it's much easier to accept a simple

16
00:01:08,229 --> 00:01:11,115
explanation like "psychic connection"

17
00:01:11,116 --> 00:01:14,003
than to grasp the complexities
of cognitive phenomena,

18
00:01:14,004 --> 00:01:16,890
confirmation bias, and
the law of large numbers.

19
00:01:18,228 --> 00:01:20,720
Here Be Dragons is so much easier.

20
00:01:20,735 --> 00:01:23,152
The vast majority of the population

21
00:01:23,153 --> 00:01:25,570
accepts dragons - or
their logical equivalents -

22
00:01:25,571 --> 00:01:29,610
as natural components of
our world that should be taken for granted.

23
00:01:29,910 --> 00:01:32,620
Let's have a look at some modern-day dragons.

24
00:02:46,250 --> 00:02:48,973
There is something to be said for listening to the body,

25
00:02:48,974 --> 00:02:51,137
as opposed to sort of imposing medical

26
00:02:51,138 --> 00:02:53,300
information on what you
expect the body to do.

27
00:02:54,625 --> 00:02:56,035
I do believe in ghosts.

28
00:02:56,036 --> 00:02:57,681
I would go see them for

29
00:03:02,059 --> 00:03:04,980
all the way from a cold to a cancer. I mean, I believe

30
00:03:05,981 --> 00:03:08,735
I really believe in healing,

31
00:03:09,050 --> 00:03:12,150
other than our conventional medicine that we have here.

32
00:03:12,990 --> 00:03:18,204
9/11 I think was an attack on our own people,
by our won government.

33
00:03:18,958 --> 00:03:21,572
I'm a really superstitious person,

34
00:03:21,573 --> 00:03:24,187
and I do believe in not
stepping on the cracks and

35
00:03:24,188 --> 00:03:25,948
if a black cat runs in front of your car

36
00:03:25,949 --> 00:03:28,400
I will stop and turn
around and go the other way.

37
00:03:28,850 --> 00:03:30,600
A great deal of research goes into

38
00:03:30,601 --> 00:03:32,350
the development of many pharmaceuticals

39
00:03:32,351 --> 00:03:35,275
and I think the primary research they

40
00:03:35,276 --> 00:03:38,200
do is how to gain the greatest profits.

41
00:03:38,600 --> 00:03:41,767
I think that we have the ability to

42
00:03:41,768 --> 00:03:44,935
sort of sense and feel
sort of energy movements...

43
00:03:46,070 --> 00:03:51,003
Detox tea... it tastes really good and...

44
00:03:51,004 --> 00:03:56,000
...according to the label
it's supposed to

45
00:03:56,001 --> 00:03:58,007
rid your body of impurities

46
00:04:00,165 --> 00:04:01,935
and it seems to work, you know?

47
00:04:01,936 --> 00:04:04,890
You drink it and your sweat smells terrible.

48
00:04:05,068 --> 00:04:08,413
I had Cranosacrial therapy

49
00:04:09,979 --> 00:04:14,282
a therapy where the energy from the

50
00:04:14,283 --> 00:04:18,586
fingers goes into your
head, around your head.

51
00:04:19,066 --> 00:04:21,846
...and I think that organic foods are often grown

52
00:04:22,920 --> 00:04:26,728
by people who care about
their bodies and about the Earth.

53
00:04:27,370 --> 00:04:32,704
I think that a lot of that is embedded in the food.

54
00:04:33,048 --> 00:04:35,331
You can taste it and, in a way, you can

55
00:04:35,332 --> 00:04:37,614
sense the love that was put into it.

56
00:04:38,120 --> 00:04:43,500
I sort of believe in an additional dimension.

57
00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:50,774
Homeopathic medicine is the same as...
it's a watered down version of

58
00:04:54,301 --> 00:04:58,484
a combination of organic foods
and seeking out spiritual truth.

59
00:04:59,689 --> 00:05:00,991
My name is Brian Dunning.

60
00:05:00,992 --> 00:05:04,885
I have a free weekly audio podcast
on the Internet called Skeptoid,

61
00:05:04,886 --> 00:05:08,908
at skeptoid. com, dedicated to
furthering knowledge by exposing the

62
00:05:08,909 --> 00:05:12,930
widespread pseudosciences that infect
popular culture.

63
00:05:13,681 --> 00:05:16,455
Each week I focus on one topic that

64
00:05:16,456 --> 00:05:19,229
you've been hearing about in the news:

65
00:05:19,230 --> 00:05:22,004
an urban legend, a useless
alternative medicine scheme,

66
00:05:22,005 --> 00:05:24,778
a conspiracy theory or whatever the
latest supernatural phenomenon is.

67
00:05:25,993 --> 00:05:28,664
But you can only reach so
many people with a podcast,

68
00:05:28,665 --> 00:05:31,336
and I believe that this
material is important.

69
00:05:31,730 --> 00:05:36,235
So I decided to make this short film
to reach a much broader audience,

70
00:05:36,236 --> 00:05:38,488
and provide this general introduction

71
00:05:38,489 --> 00:05:40,740
to critical analysis of pop phenomena.

72
00:05:42,500 --> 00:05:46,773
Other people have made films to
distribute on the Internet, of course,

73
00:05:46,774 --> 00:05:48,910
but more often than not
they're used to spread paranoid

74
00:05:48,911 --> 00:05:51,046
conspiracy theories or
make political statements.

75
00:05:51,340 --> 00:05:52,780
And whenever you turn on the television,

76
00:05:52,781 --> 00:05:54,220
you find that the science channels

77
00:05:54,221 --> 00:05:56,549
have largely turned into paranormal channels,

78
00:05:56,550 --> 00:05:59,435
the news reports free energy machines

79
00:05:59,436 --> 00:06:02,321
and miraculous crying
statues without critique,

80
00:06:02,638 --> 00:06:06,119
and daytime talk programs have devolved

81
00:06:06,120 --> 00:06:07,860
into promotions for the latest New Age

82
00:06:07,861 --> 00:06:09,600
healing book or
celebrity-endorsed diet.

83
00:06:10,400 --> 00:06:12,861
and that's why I made this film.

84
00:06:14,361 --> 00:06:17,250
You'll often hear me use
the word pseudoscience.

85
00:06:17,255 --> 00:06:20,752
A pseudoscience is an
idea that claims to be real

86
00:06:20,753 --> 00:06:24,250
but in fact is not supported
by any science or any evidence.

87
00:06:24,570 --> 00:06:26,900
Often they'll use
scientific sounding language

88
00:06:26,901 --> 00:06:29,230
to describe how it works.

89
00:06:29,600 --> 00:06:32,237
Usually it's a product that
someone's making money from.

90
00:06:33,256 --> 00:06:37,245
Most complementary and alternative
medical systems are pseudosciences.

91
00:06:37,246 --> 00:06:40,315
Psychic powers and
astrology and feng shui

92
00:06:40,316 --> 00:06:43,385
and telekinesis are all pseudosciences.

93
00:06:43,386 --> 00:06:46,450
People on television who
pretend to detect ghosts

94
00:06:46,451 --> 00:06:49,515
using scientific instruments
are practicing pseudoscience.

95
00:06:49,516 --> 00:06:52,820
Herbal detoxification is a pseudoscience.

96
00:06:52,821 --> 00:06:57,154
Did I just make a whole series of really bold statements?

97
00:06:57,155 --> 00:06:59,812
Not really. All I did was point out that

98
00:06:59,813 --> 00:07:02,470
these ideas are not
supported by any evidence.

99
00:07:02,471 --> 00:07:05,608
They have no rational scientific
hypotheses behind them,

100
00:07:05,609 --> 00:07:08,746
and no experimental data
indicating that they work.

101
00:07:08,747 --> 00:07:11,095
I'm not the one who
made bold statements.

102
00:07:11,096 --> 00:07:13,650
It's the people promoting
these pseudosciences

103
00:07:13,651 --> 00:07:15,488
who need to back up their claims.

104
00:07:16,758 --> 00:07:20,556
But they don't,
and unfortunately they often don't need to:

105
00:07:20,891 --> 00:07:24,459
victims continue
wasting money on worthless frauds.

106
00:07:24,600 --> 00:07:26,531
But it's much more than that.

107
00:07:26,532 --> 00:07:30,319
When we invest our
faith in a pseudoscience,

108
00:07:30,320 --> 00:07:32,213
without questioning its validity,

109
00:07:32,214 --> 00:07:34,106
we're recreating the medieval Dark Ages.

110
00:07:34,107 --> 00:07:37,803
For 500 years, there was essentially

111
00:07:37,804 --> 00:07:41,500
no progress in any scientific
field or in human rights.

112
00:07:41,501 --> 00:07:46,900
Scientific experimentation,
and thus learning, was often illegal.

113
00:07:47,400 --> 00:07:51,150
If we don't test,
if we don't experiment, we don't learn.

114
00:07:51,200 --> 00:07:53,000
We don't progress.

115
00:07:57,150 --> 00:07:59,857
Critical thinking is the
single most important driver

116
00:07:59,858 --> 00:08:00,465
of the advancement of the human race.

117
00:08:03,300 --> 00:08:04,700
The minute we let down our guard

118
00:08:04,701 --> 00:08:08,570
and accept absurd pseudoscientific
claims at face value,

119
00:08:08,571 --> 00:08:12,145
we're giving away our
progress back to the dragons.

120
00:08:13,380 --> 00:08:14,511
Now, let's take a few minutes

121
00:08:14,512 --> 00:08:16,862
and go through some of
the common warning signs.

122
00:08:17,129 --> 00:08:19,996
These are the red flags
that you can watch for

123
00:08:19,997 --> 00:08:22,863
that will help you
identify pseudoscience.

124
00:08:27,182 --> 00:08:29,791
The Appeal to Authority is the
use of authoritative imagery

125
00:08:29,792 --> 00:08:32,400
to lend the appearance of
credibility to a product.

126
00:08:32,700 --> 00:08:35,550
Quite often, this means a picture
of someone in a white lab coat.

127
00:08:36,100 --> 00:08:37,800
Instant credibility!

128
00:08:38,915 --> 00:08:41,700
Other examples of
authority-based marketing gimmicks

129
00:08:41,701 --> 00:08:45,615
include celebrity
endorsements, and mentions of

130
00:08:45,616 --> 00:08:49,172
certifications, colleges,
academies, and institutes.

131
00:08:51,276 --> 00:08:53,400
Good science presents good data.

132
00:08:53,401 --> 00:08:56,703
It never needs to resort to hokey
marketing gimmicks to impress you,

133
00:08:56,704 --> 00:09:00,358
and is almost never presented with a white lab coat.

134
00:09:04,291 --> 00:09:05,308
Beware of any product or idea

135
00:09:05,309 --> 00:09:08,533
that is said to be
based on ancient wisdom.

136
00:09:09,078 --> 00:09:10,114
In ancient times,

137
00:09:10,115 --> 00:09:12,407
very little useful or true information

138
00:09:12,408 --> 00:09:16,680
was known about human anatomy
and many other sciences.

139
00:09:16,681 --> 00:09:18,000
Since those days,

140
00:09:18,001 --> 00:09:21,583
scientists have learned
entire encyclopedias of information

141
00:09:21,584 --> 00:09:24,025
about our universe and our bodies.

142
00:09:24,400 --> 00:09:27,013
It's completely illogical and backwards

143
00:09:27,014 --> 00:09:30,225
to think that the ancients had a better understanding

144
00:09:30,226 --> 00:09:32,935
of anything than modern science.

145
00:09:32,936 --> 00:09:36,098
Their hearts were in the right place,
but in ancient times,

146
00:09:36,099 --> 00:09:39,147
we simply didn't yet
have the tools developed

147
00:09:39,148 --> 00:09:42,195
over the subsequent
centuries of learning.

148
00:09:42,986 --> 00:09:47,150
That's why ancient wisdom
gave us things like the flat Earth theory,

149
00:09:47,151 --> 00:09:52,216
human sacrifice, slavery,
a 30-year average human lifespan,

150
00:09:52,870 --> 00:09:55,426
rain dances, the burning of witches,

151
00:09:55,427 --> 00:09:58,393
and the medical
technique of bloodletting

152
00:09:58,394 --> 00:10:01,360
to rebalance the four
basic bodily humors.

153
00:10:02,100 --> 00:10:05,100
But alternative therapies
based on ancient wisdom

154
00:10:05,101 --> 00:10:07,700
have stood the test of time, haven't they?

155
00:10:08,103 --> 00:10:11,220
Well, it doesn't matter
how long a treatment has been around.

156
00:10:11,221 --> 00:10:13,840
The only criteria medical science

157
00:10:13,841 --> 00:10:16,460
has for a treatment is "Does it work?".

158
00:10:16,818 --> 00:10:20,461
We don’t care whether the ancient Chinese believed it;

159
00:10:20,496 --> 00:10:22,576
we only care about the test results.

160
00:10:22,577 --> 00:10:27,665
When you hear any product advertised
as being based on ancient wisdom,

161
00:10:27,666 --> 00:10:29,970
it's probably because they have

162
00:10:29,971 --> 00:10:32,274
no real evidence to
support their claims.

163
00:10:32,699 --> 00:10:36,800
Ancient wisdom should always be a red flag.

164
00:10:40,429 --> 00:10:42,640
Confirmation bias is what we call our tendency to

165
00:10:42,641 --> 00:10:45,176
remember events that coincide with our beliefs,

166
00:10:45,177 --> 00:10:47,631
and don't take notice events that don't.

167
00:10:48,000 --> 00:10:50,907
This is why you can walk out of
an hour-long session with a psychic

168
00:10:50,908 --> 00:10:54,497
who asked 200 questions, made 300 probing guesses,

169
00:10:54,498 --> 00:10:56,559
of which maybe 10 were close to meaningful

170
00:10:56,560 --> 00:10:59,525
and say "Wow! She knew everything about me!"

171
00:11:00,335 --> 00:11:02,305
Many hospital workers think that

172
00:11:02,306 --> 00:11:04,276
a full moon means a
crazy night in the ER.

173
00:11:04,745 --> 00:11:08,277
They all remember those crazy
nights when there WAS a full moon,

174
00:11:08,278 --> 00:11:09,278
thus confirming the belief,

175
00:11:09,279 --> 00:11:11,172
but they tend to forget the crazy nights

176
00:11:11,173 --> 00:11:13,065
when there wasn't a full moon.

177
00:11:13,468 --> 00:11:17,066
The data shows that
full moon nights are no busier than any other,

178
00:11:17,067 --> 00:11:20,890
but we believe the myth because of confirmation bias.

179
00:11:24,891 --> 00:11:27,630
Many people will often confuse
correlation with causation.

180
00:11:27,634 --> 00:11:30,045
If you happened to take
an herbal supplement

181
00:11:30,046 --> 00:11:32,456
around the same time your
cancer went into remission,

182
00:11:32,457 --> 00:11:36,242
you're likely to think
the supplement caused the remission.

183
00:11:36,663 --> 00:11:40,250
We confuse correlation with causation.

184
00:11:41,000 --> 00:11:42,251
Here's a valid correlation:

185
00:11:42,878 --> 00:11:46,357
People who eat a lot of rice tend to have black hair.

186
00:11:46,970 --> 00:11:49,320
I think we can all come up
with perfectly logical reasons

187
00:11:49,321 --> 00:11:51,620
why these two things happen to go together.

188
00:11:51,621 --> 00:11:53,893
But fortunately, I don't think

189
00:11:53,894 --> 00:11:56,166
too many of us think
one causes the other.

190
00:11:57,000 --> 00:11:58,644
Here's another valid correlation:

191
00:11:58,645 --> 00:12:01,493
Autistic children are often diagnosed

192
00:12:01,494 --> 00:12:04,341
shortly after receiving
their regular vaccinations.

193
00:12:04,342 --> 00:12:08,219
The reason for this correlation is
simply that vaccination age just

194
00:12:08,220 --> 00:12:12,097
happens to be about the same age that
autism symptoms become apparent.

195
00:12:12,098 --> 00:12:14,950
But many people have wrongly drawn a

196
00:12:14,951 --> 00:12:17,803
causal relationship, and look at
all the trouble that's resulted.

197
00:12:18,519 --> 00:12:20,335
Some people are actually preventing

198
00:12:20,336 --> 00:12:22,250
their children from getting vaccinated,

199
00:12:22,285 --> 00:12:24,164
due to a lack of critical thinking,

200
00:12:24,300 --> 00:12:26,760
and irresponsible promotion of alarmism

201
00:12:26,761 --> 00:12:29,221
and misinformation by the media.

202
00:12:29,713 --> 00:12:33,222
Correlation is not necessarily causation.

203
00:12:36,001 --> 00:12:37,801
A red herring is a distraction from

204
00:12:37,802 --> 00:12:39,601
following a logical line of evidence.

205
00:12:39,602 --> 00:12:41,451
In the old days, if a bloodhound was on

206
00:12:41,452 --> 00:12:43,301
your trail, it was believed that

207
00:12:43,302 --> 00:12:45,151
dragging a red herring across your path

208
00:12:45,152 --> 00:12:47,000
would distract the
bloodhound off your scent.

209
00:12:47,565 --> 00:12:49,560
Red herrings, therefore, are irrelevant

210
00:12:49,561 --> 00:12:51,556
pieces of information thrown into an

211
00:12:51,557 --> 00:12:55,430
argument to distract you from the real
topic.

212
00:12:55,431 --> 00:12:57,820
Red herrings are
a favorite of conspiracy theorists.

213
00:12:58,292 --> 00:13:00,611
If you listen to the people who try to

214
00:13:00,612 --> 00:13:02,930
convince us that September 11 was
perpetrated by our own government,

215
00:13:02,931 --> 00:13:06,333
their evidence consists of
virtually nothing but red herrings.

216
00:13:06,910 --> 00:13:08,518
Who crashed the planes
into the buildings?

217
00:13:09,000 --> 00:13:11,968
"Well, Dick Cheney had business
interests in the middle east."

218
00:13:11,969 --> 00:13:15,043
Maybe so, but
who crashed the planes into the buildings?

219
00:13:15,600 --> 00:13:19,380
"Well, the leaseholder had
an insurance policy on the skyscrapers."

220
00:13:20,091 --> 00:13:23,400
Maybe so,
but who crashed the planes into the buildings?

221
00:13:23,800 --> 00:13:25,700
"George Bush's younger brother Marvin

222
00:13:25,701 --> 00:13:27,658
was a principal in a
security company,

223
00:13:27,659 --> 00:13:30,400
and the World Trade Center was
one of their clients. "

224
00:13:30,980 --> 00:13:34,150
Maybe so,
but who crashed the planes into the buildings?

225
00:13:34,430 --> 00:13:36,548
"Brian Dunning visited
the World Trade Center

226
00:13:36,549 --> 00:13:38,571
only two years before they collapsed,

227
00:13:38,606 --> 00:13:40,593
and isn't it interesting that he did

228
00:13:40,594 --> 00:13:44,638
a podcast episode debunking
9/11 conspiracy claims?"

229
00:13:48,642 --> 00:13:50,068
Red herrings.

230
00:13:50,069 --> 00:13:52,477
These are irrelevant distractions that

231
00:13:52,478 --> 00:13:54,886
do not in any way address
the point under discussion,

232
00:13:55,000 --> 00:13:57,485
they merely have the
appearance of relevance

233
00:13:57,486 --> 00:13:59,970
because some of the names
or places are the same.

234
00:14:00,526 --> 00:14:01,826
Be on the lookout for them.

235
00:14:01,827 --> 00:14:04,833
And be the bloodhound that
keeps his nose on the trail;

236
00:14:04,834 --> 00:14:07,840
don't follow the red herring.

237
00:14:11,001 --> 00:14:12,776
While we're on the subject
of conspiracy theorists,

238
00:14:12,777 --> 00:14:14,716
let's talk about their
other favorite device.

239
00:14:15,050 --> 00:14:17,715
It's called "Proof by Verbosity",

240
00:14:17,716 --> 00:14:20,380
and it consists of laying out
huge volumes of information,

241
00:14:20,415 --> 00:14:23,712
more claims and allegations
on more subjects about

242
00:14:23,713 --> 00:14:27,425
more people and ideas
than anyone could ever possibly respond to.

243
00:14:27,963 --> 00:14:29,635
Such a blizzard of information

244
00:14:29,636 --> 00:14:33,360
gives the appearance of being
comprehensive and thoroughly researched.

245
00:14:33,361 --> 00:14:35,760
"If they have all that
amazing amount of evidence,

246
00:14:35,761 --> 00:14:37,600
their claim MUST be true!"

247
00:14:38,214 --> 00:14:40,532
But it's not the quantity
of information that matters,

248
00:14:40,533 --> 00:14:42,850
it's the quality of information.

249
00:14:42,851 --> 00:14:45,776
You can stack cowpies as high as you want;

250
00:14:45,777 --> 00:14:48,226
they won't turn into a bar of gold.

251
00:14:49,300 --> 00:14:52,316
Pointing out that the evil government fluoridates our water supply

252
00:14:52,317 --> 00:14:55,255
does not support the claim
that a particular brand of

253
00:14:55,256 --> 00:14:58,450
magically "ionized water" cures cancer.

254
00:14:59,060 --> 00:15:02,300
Makes no difference whether it's true or not,
it's irrelevant.

255
00:15:02,301 --> 00:15:05,120
Piling on red herring after red herring

256
00:15:05,121 --> 00:15:07,940
will never amount to useful evidence.

257
00:15:09,590 --> 00:15:12,025
Pay attention and soon you'll run into

258
00:15:12,026 --> 00:15:14,460
another claim supported
with Proof By Verbosity.

259
00:15:14,911 --> 00:15:16,703
It might be another conspiracy theory,

260
00:15:16,704 --> 00:15:18,500
it might be an advertisement for

261
00:15:18,501 --> 00:15:21,000
a new type of water with
medicinal properties,

262
00:15:21,465 --> 00:15:25,001
it might be an herbal product
claiming to detoxify your body.

263
00:15:25,440 --> 00:15:27,995
Look at all the wild claims they make,

264
00:15:27,996 --> 00:15:30,752
and take careful note
of how many of them

265
00:15:30,753 --> 00:15:34,950
are actually directly relevant,
and specific enough to be testable.

266
00:15:35,432 --> 00:15:37,495
Notice how it would be impractical

267
00:15:37,496 --> 00:15:41,135
to try and respond individually
to each of these many claims.

268
00:15:41,136 --> 00:15:44,066
It's an endless game of whack-a-mole.

269
00:15:44,400 --> 00:15:46,985
The only way to win?
Don't play.

270
00:15:50,601 --> 00:15:54,514
Virtually every pseudoscientific claim
credits some form of "energy".

271
00:15:54,515 --> 00:15:56,922
Life force, chi, negative energy,

272
00:15:56,923 --> 00:15:59,913
positive energy, the
body's energy fields -

273
00:15:59,914 --> 00:16:01,714
all meaningless nonsense,

274
00:16:01,715 --> 00:16:03,900
which sound plausible
simply because they

275
00:16:03,901 --> 00:16:07,835
throw in a scientific
sounding word: Energy.

276
00:16:08,090 --> 00:16:10,495
New Age practitioners seem to think that

277
00:16:10,496 --> 00:16:12,900
energy is a hovering, glowing cloud

278
00:16:12,901 --> 00:16:14,300
that can go wherever it's needed

279
00:16:14,301 --> 00:16:15,838
and from which adepts can

280
00:16:15,839 --> 00:16:19,220
draw power and feel rejuvenated
or accomplish healings.

281
00:16:19,221 --> 00:16:23,279
Imagine a vaporous creature
from the original Star Trek series,

282
00:16:23,280 --> 00:16:27,020
and you'll have a good idea of what
New Agers think energy is.

283
00:16:27,460 --> 00:16:31,560
Energy is a measurement of
something's ability to perform work.

284
00:16:31,900 --> 00:16:33,081
Given this context,

285
00:16:33,082 --> 00:16:36,500
when spiritualists talk about
your body's energy fields,

286
00:16:36,735 --> 00:16:39,494
they're really saying nothing
that's even remotely meaningful.

287
00:16:39,917 --> 00:16:42,660
Here's a good test.
When you hear the word "energy"

288
00:16:42,661 --> 00:16:47,370
used in a spiritual or paranormal sense,
substitute the phrase

289
00:16:47,371 --> 00:16:52,620
"measurable work capability".
Does the usage still make sense?

290
00:16:53,500 --> 00:16:55,246
There's a good reason why

291
00:16:55,247 --> 00:16:57,481
you don't hear medical
doctors or pharmacists

292
00:16:57,482 --> 00:16:59,715
talking about energy fields:

293
00:17:00,350 --> 00:17:01,500
it's meaningless.

294
00:17:05,201 --> 00:17:06,900
This is usually a really frail excuse

295
00:17:06,901 --> 00:17:08,600
for why mainstream scientists don't

296
00:17:08,601 --> 00:17:10,828
take their claim seriously,

297
00:17:10,829 --> 00:17:13,055
why the product is not
approved by the FDA,

298
00:17:13,056 --> 00:17:16,602
or why scientific journals
won't publish their articles.

299
00:17:16,603 --> 00:17:18,137
You'll often hear this in the form of a

300
00:17:18,138 --> 00:17:20,594
a conspiracy of the medical establishment

301
00:17:20,595 --> 00:17:22,190
to suppress a quack cure because

302
00:17:22,191 --> 00:17:26,100
it's in the interest of the
medical industry to keep you sick.

303
00:17:26,660 --> 00:17:28,655
In fact, any doctor or
pharmaceutical company

304
00:17:28,656 --> 00:17:30,650
that could develop a new cure

305
00:17:30,651 --> 00:17:33,415
would make a fortune;
they'd never suppress it.

306
00:17:33,975 --> 00:17:37,000
The same goes for auto manufacturers
worldwide who are said to be

307
00:17:37,001 --> 00:17:40,240
"suppressing" new efficient engine technologies.

308
00:17:40,840 --> 00:17:43,437
As much as some people with
particular ideological agendas

309
00:17:43,438 --> 00:17:48,438
would like you to believe it,
science never suppresses good science.

310
00:17:51,985 --> 00:17:56,383
As we've seen time and time again,
by no definition can "all natural"

311
00:17:56,384 --> 00:17:59,050
mean that a product is safe or healthy.

312
00:17:59,480 --> 00:18:03,108
I'm standing next to a
gigantic stand of poison oak.

313
00:18:03,800 --> 00:18:08,920
Consider other all-natural compounds
like hemlock, mercury, lead,

314
00:18:08,921 --> 00:18:13,940
toadstools, box jellyfish neurotoxin, asbestos -

315
00:18:14,167 --> 00:18:16,143
not to mention a nearly infinite

316
00:18:16,144 --> 00:18:18,120
number of toxic bacteria and viruses -

317
00:18:18,121 --> 00:18:23,171
E. coli, salmonella, bubonic plague, smallpox.

318
00:18:24,136 --> 00:18:26,820
For those natural compounds
that are not harmful,

319
00:18:26,821 --> 00:18:29,500
synthetic versions have been
engineered in many cases

320
00:18:29,501 --> 00:18:32,060
to make them even safer, more effective,

321
00:18:32,061 --> 00:18:34,810
or able to be produced
in large quantities.

322
00:18:35,889 --> 00:18:38,488
All natural?
Often that's a great thing.

323
00:18:38,489 --> 00:18:40,936
Just as often, it's not.

324
00:18:44,451 --> 00:18:46,865
Some claimants suggest
that it's moral, ethical,

325
00:18:46,866 --> 00:18:49,280
or politically correct to accept their claims,

326
00:18:49,281 --> 00:18:51,425
to redirect your attention from the fact

327
00:18:51,426 --> 00:18:53,677
that they may not be
scientifically sound.

328
00:18:53,678 --> 00:18:56,069
In some cases, such as the

329
00:18:56,070 --> 00:18:58,460
anti-vaccine or
anti-fluoridation activists,

330
00:18:58,461 --> 00:19:01,109
proponents try to use
the court system to force

331
00:19:01,110 --> 00:19:03,757
their beliefs to be adopted

332
00:19:03,758 --> 00:19:06,288
in place of what we've
learned through science.

333
00:19:07,145 --> 00:19:09,900
Generally,
when a theory is scientifically sound,

334
00:19:09,901 --> 00:19:12,342
even if it's brand
new it will eventually

335
00:19:12,343 --> 00:19:14,900
find its way into the
educational curriculum.

336
00:19:14,901 --> 00:19:18,337
Good science is done in the lab -
not in the courts,

337
00:19:18,338 --> 00:19:22,484
not in protest marches,
not in blogs, and not on Oprah.

338
00:19:22,485 --> 00:19:26,200
A political or cultural campaign
to legalize or promote

339
00:19:26,201 --> 00:19:30,759
some product or claim
is a major indicator that it's bogus.

340
00:19:30,760 --> 00:19:35,760
When you learn to
identify these warning signs

341
00:19:35,761 --> 00:19:38,700
and many others like them,
this list is certainly not complete,

342
00:19:38,701 --> 00:19:41,870
you'll find that you start
seeing them everywhere.

343
00:19:41,871 --> 00:19:44,127
And if you're having a
conversation with someone who's

344
00:19:44,128 --> 00:19:46,346
trying to convince you to try some

345
00:19:46,347 --> 00:19:48,565
herbal therapy or New Age meditation,

346
00:19:48,566 --> 00:19:51,215
you can point out these
fallacies in their arguments

347
00:19:51,216 --> 00:19:54,660
and it strips them of the
tools they depend on the most.

348
00:19:56,651 --> 00:19:58,833
Now that we understand what to look for,

349
00:19:58,834 --> 00:20:01,015
let's try applying these skills

350
00:20:01,016 --> 00:20:03,000
to some actual claims out there.

351
00:20:03,354 --> 00:20:05,780
But keep in mind that critical thinking

352
00:20:05,781 --> 00:20:08,206
must not be just about debunking.

353
00:20:08,207 --> 00:20:12,790
There’s no benefit in debunking for its own sake.
Rather, debunking

354
00:20:12,791 --> 00:20:17,890
is only necessary when
pseudoscience stands in the way of progress

355
00:20:17,891 --> 00:20:20,970
and then, it’s critical!

356
00:20:26,836 --> 00:20:30,650
Precognition is where you dream
or imagine or foresee some event

357
00:20:30,651 --> 00:20:34,285
that later comes true, when there's no possible way you could

358
00:20:34,286 --> 00:20:35,217
have known about it.

359
00:20:35,979 --> 00:20:39,218
One of the stories or precognition
you hear most often is of someone

360
00:20:39,219 --> 00:20:40,840
thinking or dreaming about another
person only to find later that

361
00:20:40,841 --> 00:20:48,000
that person died at that same moment.
It sounds like proof positive

362
00:20:48,001 --> 00:20:51,892
that there must have been some psychic connection.

363
00:20:52,810 --> 00:20:56,523
French Physicists Georges Charpak
and Henri Broch made a neat

364
00:20:56,524 --> 00:21:01,200
calculation to show that this
is not only possible, it's inevitable.

365
00:21:01,201 --> 00:21:05,744
On average it should happen to
about 1 in every 150 people

366
00:21:05,850 --> 00:21:07,700
sometime in their lifetime.

367
00:21:09,055 --> 00:21:12,701
Assume that everyone knows
about 10 people who die each year -

368
00:21:12,702 --> 00:21:14,941
either family, acquaintances,

369
00:21:14,942 --> 00:21:17,180
or mostly celebrities
and famous people -

370
00:21:17,181 --> 00:21:21,242
people who might pop into your
thoughts no more than once a year.

371
00:21:21,785 --> 00:21:26,141
There are 105,120
five-minute intervals in a year

372
00:21:26,142 --> 00:21:28,700
in which each of
those 10 people might die.

373
00:21:29,000 --> 00:21:34,226
That gives a 1 in 10,512 chance
that you'll think about someone

374
00:21:34,227 --> 00:21:38,602
during the exact same 5-minute interval in which they happen to die,

375
00:21:38,603 --> 00:21:40,215
in any given year.

376
00:21:40,700 --> 00:21:42,575
That doesn't sound
very probable by itself,

377
00:21:42,576 --> 00:21:44,450
but consider that there are

378
00:21:44,451 --> 00:21:50,000
300 million people in the United States.
This improbable coincidence

379
00:21:50,001 --> 00:21:55,174
must happen to about 28,500 Americans every year.

380
00:21:55,500 --> 00:21:57,800
Only a tiny percentage of those get their stories

381
00:21:57,801 --> 00:22:01,050
on television or in print,
but it's enough to convince

382
00:22:01,051 --> 00:22:05,780
an uncritical layperson that
precognition and psychic connections

383
00:22:05,781 --> 00:22:07,590
must be real.

384
00:22:08,759 --> 00:22:11,700
And when you relax
the criteria even slightly -

385
00:22:11,701 --> 00:22:14,650
you think or dream about someone,
then next time you talk to them

386
00:22:14,651 --> 00:22:17,779
you find that something
unpleasant has happened in their life -

387
00:22:17,780 --> 00:22:23,118
the probability goes up exponentially,
by a factor of millions.

388
00:22:23,119 --> 00:22:27,000
The mathematics behind this
concept universally apply

389
00:22:27,001 --> 00:22:31,400
to all pseudosciences that
depend on extraordinary coincidences

390
00:22:31,401 --> 00:22:32,381
for their support.

391
00:22:32,850 --> 00:22:37,355
The Law of Large Numbers -
the inevitability of improbable events -

392
00:22:37,356 --> 00:22:41,224
proves that the most
bizarre coincidences are merely

393
00:22:41,225 --> 00:22:42,949
mathematical certainties.

394
00:22:43,400 --> 00:22:48,375
Understand the math,
don't turn first to paranormal explanations.

395
00:22:54,980 --> 00:22:58,450
Next, let's consider
complementary and alternative medicine.

396
00:22:58,451 --> 00:23:01,438
You'd think that with a century of
modern medical science behind us,

397
00:23:01,439 --> 00:23:05,178
people would not still be looking
to the ancient state of knowledge

398
00:23:05,179 --> 00:23:06,600
when it comes to their health.

399
00:23:06,601 --> 00:23:09,760
But, unfortunately, it seems
that the more things change,

400
00:23:09,761 --> 00:23:11,720
the more they stay the same.

401
00:23:12,200 --> 00:23:15,770
Just a tiny sampling of
products and techniques still being sold,

402
00:23:15,771 --> 00:23:19,136
still in demand among
21st century Americans,

403
00:23:19,137 --> 00:23:22,850
and with no empirical or plausible
hypothetical foundations:

404
00:23:22,851 --> 00:23:27,500
Reflexology. Homeopathy.
lonized jewelry. Magnet therapy.

405
00:23:27,501 --> 00:23:30,800
Therapeutic touch.
Colonic irrigation. Chiropractic.

406
00:23:30,801 --> 00:23:33,801
Herbal detoxification.
Vitamin megadosing. Psychic healing.

407
00:23:33,802 --> 00:23:39,640
New Age blessings. Detoxifying
footpads and foot baths. Naturopathy.

408
00:23:39,641 --> 00:23:45,000
Aromatherapy. Bioidentical
hormone therapy. Chelation. Iridology...

409
00:23:52,778 --> 00:23:56,089
You'll notice that these
products are not FDA approved.

410
00:23:56,090 --> 00:23:59,777
It's legal to sell anything you want
that's not overtly dangerous,

411
00:23:59,778 --> 00:24:03,120
so long as you don't claim
that it is intended to diagnose,

412
00:24:03,121 --> 00:24:07,180
treat, cure, or prevent any disease or illness.

413
00:24:07,510 --> 00:24:11,320
And that's how billions of dollars
of worthless "supplements"

414
00:24:11,321 --> 00:24:12,900
are sold every year.

415
00:24:13,740 --> 00:24:16,850
They usually claim that their
product has wellness benefits,

416
00:24:16,851 --> 00:24:19,420
but in order to avoid
running afoul of the law,

417
00:24:19,421 --> 00:24:21,750
they leave these claims uselessly vague,

418
00:24:21,751 --> 00:24:25,787
saying that their product
"restores balance", "builds the blood",

419
00:24:25,788 --> 00:24:29,650
"boosts the immune system",
"restores vitality" or some other claim

420
00:24:29,651 --> 00:24:32,850
that's medically meaningless
but that sounds reasonable

421
00:24:32,851 --> 00:24:34,500
to an uncritical layperson.

422
00:24:35,000 --> 00:24:38,200
When a product does have merit
and warrants FDA approval,

423
00:24:38,201 --> 00:24:40,700
this merit is established
through a process called

424
00:24:40,701 --> 00:24:43,150
the randomized controlled trial,

425
00:24:43,151 --> 00:24:45,600
more commonly called a clinical trial.

426
00:24:45,601 --> 00:24:48,650
A clinical trial is a very special process.

427
00:24:48,651 --> 00:24:51,000
It's very different from
the way most alternative products

428
00:24:51,001 --> 00:24:53,345
demonstrate their effectiveness,
which is through

429
00:24:53,380 --> 00:24:55,881
personal testimonials and "studies".

430
00:24:56,775 --> 00:24:59,750
Spend 5 minutes browsing
through Wikipedia, and congratulations,

431
00:24:59,751 --> 00:25:04,486
you've just completed a "study".
Spend 2 minutes rubbing your chin

432
00:25:04,487 --> 00:25:06,423
thoughtfully and looking at the sky,

433
00:25:06,424 --> 00:25:08,360
and you've just completed a "study".

434
00:25:08,361 --> 00:25:11,700
You can now legally sell
your product with the claim

435
00:25:11,701 --> 00:25:16,500
"Studies show that this product
will repolarize your energy fields".

436
00:25:16,900 --> 00:25:21,540
Not good enough for the FDA.
To conduct a randomized controlled trial,

437
00:25:21,541 --> 00:25:24,400
a statistician will select
a sample size large enough

438
00:25:24,401 --> 00:25:26,460
to produce a significant result.

439
00:25:26,800 --> 00:25:30,500
Care must be taken that the
test subjects are properly representative

440
00:25:30,501 --> 00:25:34,474
of the target population,
and not tainted by selection biases

441
00:25:34,475 --> 00:25:36,286
that might skew the results.

442
00:25:36,600 --> 00:25:39,700
The subjects are blinded,
knowing as little as possible about

443
00:25:39,701 --> 00:25:41,300
what's being tested.

444
00:25:41,301 --> 00:25:45,290
They are randomly and blindly
assigned to one of several groups.

445
00:25:46,000 --> 00:25:48,660
There may be a group that will receive the treatment being studied;

446
00:25:48,661 --> 00:25:51,300
a group receiving an established treatment;

447
00:25:51,301 --> 00:25:53,900
and always at least
one control group receiving

448
00:25:53,901 --> 00:25:56,190
a control or placebo treatment.

449
00:25:57,446 --> 00:25:59,545
Test administrators are also blinded

450
00:25:59,546 --> 00:26:01,645
- this is called
double-blinding -

451
00:26:01,646 --> 00:26:04,892
such that they don't know
what group each subject is assigned to,

452
00:26:04,893 --> 00:26:07,000
and whenever possible,
they also don't know

453
00:26:07,001 --> 00:26:09,620
what the treatment is
that they are administering.

454
00:26:10,200 --> 00:26:13,742
Everything is coded to
avoid experimenter bias and to cancel out

455
00:26:13,743 --> 00:26:15,980
any effects like patients
trying to respond

456
00:26:15,981 --> 00:26:18,678
the way they feel the experimenters want them to.

457
00:26:19,400 --> 00:26:21,676
The trial lasts long enough to satisfy

458
00:26:21,677 --> 00:26:23,853
the statisticians and the scientists.

459
00:26:24,350 --> 00:26:28,383
Finally, when the results are
tabulated by a blinded statistician

460
00:26:28,384 --> 00:26:31,500
(this is called triple-blinding),
we get the results.

461
00:26:31,720 --> 00:26:34,619
The cloaks of anonymity
are whisked aside,

462
00:26:34,620 --> 00:26:37,890
and we finally learn for
a statistical certainty

463
00:26:37,891 --> 00:26:41,160
which treatments are
effective, and which are not.

464
00:26:43,111 --> 00:26:47,197
When this process shows significant
benefits for a new treatment,

465
00:26:47,198 --> 00:26:49,487
and the trial can be repeated by other

466
00:26:49,488 --> 00:26:52,003
experimenters and
yields similar results,

467
00:26:52,004 --> 00:26:55,086
then, and only then, do
scientists say that this is

468
00:26:55,087 --> 00:26:58,050
a product that works, and
is supported by evidence.

469
00:26:59,600 --> 00:27:03,900
Let's pick just one alternative
medicine to examine in closer detail.

470
00:27:03,901 --> 00:27:08,043
Homeopathy. This is a
system, invented around 1800,

471
00:27:08,044 --> 00:27:12,742
intended to bring into balance
your four basic bodily humors

472
00:27:12,743 --> 00:27:16,285
- blood, phlegm, yellow
bile, and black bile -

473
00:27:16,286 --> 00:27:19,633
by ingesting a
infinitesimally small amount

474
00:27:19,634 --> 00:27:22,600
of whatever poison caused the imbalance.

475
00:27:23,124 --> 00:27:26,136
Clearly, all of these
fundamental assumptions

476
00:27:26,137 --> 00:27:30,000
homeopathy is based on are now
known to be complete nonsense.

477
00:27:31,150 --> 00:27:33,745
Homeopathy is about extreme dilution.

478
00:27:33,746 --> 00:27:37,882
The greater the dilution, the
more effective the treatment.

479
00:27:37,883 --> 00:27:42,678
A tiny amount of extract, usually
from some herb, is diluted in water,

480
00:27:42,679 --> 00:27:45,988
far past the point of
being chemically pure water.

481
00:27:45,989 --> 00:27:49,648
Early in the dilution process,
they agitate it,

482
00:27:49,649 --> 00:27:53,307
and this is said to give the
water a "spiritual imprint"

483
00:27:53,308 --> 00:27:57,436
of the original compound, and
it can then be diluted infinitely

484
00:27:57,437 --> 00:28:00,500
without losing its
effectiveness. This water is

485
00:28:00,501 --> 00:28:03,500
then sold as is, or is
infused into sugar pills.

486
00:28:05,000 --> 00:28:08,426
Let's look at some of these.
These come in pill form.

487
00:28:08,427 --> 00:28:10,330
These are standard sugar pills,

488
00:28:10,331 --> 00:28:12,329
same as you can get at a pharmacy

489
00:28:12,330 --> 00:28:15,660
- sucrose and lactose, are
the only listed ingredients.

490
00:28:15,661 --> 00:28:18,420
Each pill has supposedly been infused

491
00:28:18,421 --> 00:28:21,402
with a single drop of the diluted water.

492
00:28:21,403 --> 00:28:25,835
Essentially it's a very small hard candy,
without any flavoring.

493
00:28:29,299 --> 00:28:32,581
This one is a 30C dilution of sulphur.

494
00:28:32,582 --> 00:28:37,160
That doesn't mean 1 part
sulphur and 30 parts water;

495
00:28:37,161 --> 00:28:41,565
it means C, or roman numeral
100, to the 30th power,

496
00:28:41,566 --> 00:28:45,167
or 10^60, which is 1
followed by 60 zeroes.

497
00:28:46,068 --> 00:28:50,947
Chemical purity is related
to Avogadro's number, 6x10^23,

498
00:28:50,982 --> 00:28:55,826
so technically this solution
is 37 orders of magnitude

499
00:28:55,827 --> 00:28:58,560
more pure than chemically pure.

500
00:28:59,000 --> 00:29:01,100
This is far more
diluted than one sulphur

501
00:29:01,135 --> 00:29:02,927
atom in all the oceans of the planet.

502
00:29:03,580 --> 00:29:06,284
How likely is it that there
is even a single molecule

503
00:29:06,285 --> 00:29:07,837
of sulphur in this bottle?

504
00:29:08,250 --> 00:29:10,860
Impossible. It's pure sugar.

505
00:29:12,646 --> 00:29:15,297
This whole shelf in the pharmacy,

506
00:29:15,298 --> 00:29:18,650
simply pure sugar,
infused with pure water.

507
00:29:22,174 --> 00:29:25,536
If all of this stuff is actually
unsupported by any good evidence,

508
00:29:25,571 --> 00:29:28,899
that means that it doesn't really work.

509
00:29:28,900 --> 00:29:31,416
But lots of people believe that it does.

510
00:29:31,417 --> 00:29:34,016
Smart people, your
friends and neighbors,

511
00:29:34,017 --> 00:29:36,181
and the professionals you work with.

512
00:29:36,182 --> 00:29:40,100
Let's look at some of the reasons
smart people believe weird things.

513
00:29:41,339 --> 00:29:43,906
First of all, the unexplained is cool!

514
00:29:43,907 --> 00:29:46,541
Who doesn't love a fascinating subject?

515
00:29:46,542 --> 00:29:48,746
Whether it's the Loch Ness Monster

516
00:29:48,747 --> 00:29:51,988
or a black hole at the
center of our galaxy, it's cool!

517
00:29:51,989 --> 00:29:53,500
Or what about a
new meditation technique

518
00:29:53,501 --> 00:29:55,579
that will let you change your
body's physical appearance?

519
00:29:56,800 --> 00:29:59,100
We're all naturally predisposed

520
00:29:59,101 --> 00:30:01,500
to be excited about new weird stuff.

521
00:30:01,946 --> 00:30:06,569
Not even the smartest people you
know are immune to this. It's human.

522
00:30:07,000 --> 00:30:09,008
Second, simple answers are seductive.

523
00:30:09,009 --> 00:30:11,070
You go to your doctor and he tells you

524
00:30:11,071 --> 00:30:13,404
"Gee I'm sorry, but
you have kidney failure,

525
00:30:13,405 --> 00:30:16,514
and you're going to need dialysis
for the rest of your life. "

526
00:30:17,180 --> 00:30:21,109
Your neighbor, who sells an
exotic fruit juice from Brazil says

527
00:30:21,110 --> 00:30:25,100
"Hey no problem, drink this
expensive juice, and you'll be cured. "

528
00:30:25,720 --> 00:30:30,117
Which sounds more attractive?
Is there any surprise that people

529
00:30:30,118 --> 00:30:33,166
who sell nonsense
continue to get customers?

530
00:30:33,167 --> 00:30:36,586
Most pseudosciences sell
easy answers. We all want

531
00:30:36,587 --> 00:30:39,737
to believe that anything
is attainable and easy.

532
00:30:40,815 --> 00:30:45,738
Third, our inquisitive nature
encourages us to focus on possibilities.

533
00:30:45,739 --> 00:30:48,200
Scientific explanations are called theories,

534
00:30:48,201 --> 00:30:50,562
and they always are and always will be

535
00:30:50,563 --> 00:30:54,290
subject to improvement or change
as we make new discoveries.

536
00:30:54,900 --> 00:30:58,267
No matter how solid our
foundation of knowledge is,

537
00:30:58,268 --> 00:31:02,698
and no matter how comprehensively
it's validated by experimentation,

538
00:31:02,699 --> 00:31:05,909
every theory will always
be subject to improvement.

539
00:31:06,840 --> 00:31:09,559
Some people take this
inherent incompleteness

540
00:31:09,560 --> 00:31:11,687
of any theory to its logical extreme.

541
00:31:11,688 --> 00:31:15,380
They latch onto that speck of
possibility that a theory is wrong,

542
00:31:15,381 --> 00:31:17,410
and they give that speck equal or

543
00:31:17,411 --> 00:31:19,439
greater significance than the theory!

544
00:31:19,440 --> 00:31:23,411
"Gravity is just a theory, it could
be wrong; an alternate possibility

545
00:31:23,412 --> 00:31:26,767
is that the Earth is expanding
and pushing against our feet. "

546
00:31:27,484 --> 00:31:29,741
Let Einstein and the others hold up

547
00:31:29,742 --> 00:31:32,063
their end; they know their business.

548
00:31:32,064 --> 00:31:35,325
Give our strongest theories
the respect they are due.

549
00:31:35,326 --> 00:31:37,392
It is rational to accept our best

550
00:31:37,393 --> 00:31:40,085
theories even if you
don't understand them.

551
00:31:40,086 --> 00:31:43,198
It is irrational to reject them for that reason,

552
00:31:43,199 --> 00:31:45,760
or to claim that you know better.

553
00:31:46,760 --> 00:31:50,405
Fourth, people simply lack the tools for critical thinking.

554
00:31:50,406 --> 00:31:52,875
We love the unexplained;
we love easy answers;

555
00:31:52,876 --> 00:31:55,029
we hate complicated stuff.

556
00:31:55,030 --> 00:31:58,466
And nobody's ever given us
tools, like those we talked

557
00:31:58,467 --> 00:32:01,527
about earlier, to tell
science from pseudoscience.

558
00:32:01,528 --> 00:32:05,351
It's no wonder that most people,
no matter how smart they are,

559
00:32:05,352 --> 00:32:08,446
believe in all sorts of
crazy stuff that's not true.

560
00:32:11,950 --> 00:32:15,708
Most of us rely on pop culture
for our exposure to science.

561
00:32:15,709 --> 00:32:18,966
As a result, our knowledge
is generally quite poor,

562
00:32:18,967 --> 00:32:22,097
and that illiteracy is
constantly being reinforced.

563
00:32:22,098 --> 00:32:26,076
What this exposure never seems
to include is healthy skepticism.

564
00:32:26,077 --> 00:32:29,780
Don't expect pop culture to
arm you with the tools you need.

565
00:32:29,781 --> 00:32:33,543
You will need to seek those out,
and then apply them, yourself.

566
00:32:35,630 --> 00:32:38,325
So we know what the red flags are, and

567
00:32:38,326 --> 00:32:41,020
we understand why people ignore them.

568
00:32:41,021 --> 00:32:44,065
What can we do to become better critical

569
00:32:44,066 --> 00:32:47,110
thinkers, and to help
other people do the same?

570
00:32:47,830 --> 00:32:50,000
Number one, Act Locally.

571
00:32:50,001 --> 00:32:52,216
The first thing you can do is to start

572
00:32:52,217 --> 00:32:54,431
actively looking for the red flags.

573
00:32:54,432 --> 00:32:57,578
Keep your eyes and
ears open for claims of

574
00:32:57,579 --> 00:33:01,090
ancient Chinese wisdom,
the body's energy fields,

575
00:33:01,091 --> 00:33:05,400
all-natural ingredients, pictures of
people in lab coats,

576
00:33:05,401 --> 00:33:08,918
and television shows that
uncritically presume the existence

577
00:33:08,919 --> 00:33:11,470
of ghosts or psychic powers.

578
00:33:11,471 --> 00:33:16,014
And then, question it. Research
it. Go online and do a search.

579
00:33:16,015 --> 00:33:18,550
But, beware of your sources.

580
00:33:18,551 --> 00:33:20,797
A Google search for virtually any

581
00:33:20,798 --> 00:33:23,043
pseudoscience is likely
to bring up sites that

582
00:33:23,044 --> 00:33:26,622
are commercially dedicated
to promoting some product or concept,

583
00:33:26,623 --> 00:33:29,318
and you're not
going to find criticism there.

584
00:33:29,319 --> 00:33:32,589
Wikipedia articles about
controversial topics

585
00:33:32,590 --> 00:33:35,860
always have a section on
Criticism or Skepticism.

586
00:33:35,861 --> 00:33:40,220
Follow those links. Read the
references on the bottom of the page.

587
00:33:40,800 --> 00:33:43,675
Your friend recommends acupuncture,

588
00:33:43,676 --> 00:33:47,207
or thinks aliens landed
in Roswell in 1947?

589
00:33:47,208 --> 00:33:50,240
Go and actively search
for scholarly criticism,

590
00:33:50,241 --> 00:33:53,453
then make an informed decision.

591
00:33:55,000 --> 00:33:57,000
Number two, Act Globally.

592
00:33:57,001 --> 00:33:59,640
Take a stand when your
community considers the question

593
00:33:59,641 --> 00:34:02,786
"Should education and
the media be balanced?"

594
00:34:02,787 --> 00:34:05,834
Isn’t it fair and better
to show both sides?

595
00:34:05,835 --> 00:34:10,100
Aren't free speech and academic
freedom of paramount importance?

596
00:34:11,000 --> 00:34:12,400
Well, that depends.

597
00:34:12,401 --> 00:34:15,078
In matters of opinion or philosophy,

598
00:34:15,079 --> 00:34:17,904
where "academic freedom" applies, yes.

599
00:34:17,905 --> 00:34:20,729
In matters of science, absolutely not.

600
00:34:20,730 --> 00:34:24,700
Math class does not
give equal time to 2+2=5.

601
00:34:24,701 --> 00:34:28,802
Geology class does not give
equal time to Flat Earth theories.

602
00:34:28,803 --> 00:34:32,950
Medical school does not give
equal time to bloodletting.

603
00:34:32,951 --> 00:34:37,170
History class does not give
equal time to Holocaust denial.

604
00:34:38,101 --> 00:34:41,231
Pseudoscience should
never be given equal time,

605
00:34:41,232 --> 00:34:44,220
and that's not being
biased or closed-minded.

606
00:34:44,221 --> 00:34:47,641
Facts and fallacies
are not equally valid.

607
00:34:47,642 --> 00:34:51,327
Embrace the information that
stands up to the scrutiny of testing,

608
00:34:51,328 --> 00:34:55,080
not the information
that fails such scrutiny.

609
00:34:55,994 --> 00:34:57,545
You want to make a difference globally?

610
00:34:57,546 --> 00:35:01,343
Do whatever you can to end
this politically correct

611
00:35:01,344 --> 00:35:04,118
fad of giving pseudoscience equal time.

612
00:35:04,119 --> 00:35:08,424
Next time your TV show or
newspaper presents fallacy as fact,

613
00:35:08,425 --> 00:35:11,599
let them know that you don't
support the harm they're doing.

614
00:35:11,950 --> 00:35:14,429
Next time your local school board

615
00:35:14,430 --> 00:35:16,909
wants to replace science with opinion,

616
00:35:16,910 --> 00:35:20,305
help put an end to the
folly of "balanced" science.

617
00:35:20,900 --> 00:35:24,125
It might be very politically correct to
want to accommodate that 5,

618
00:35:24,126 --> 00:35:29,330
but I'm sorry,
the question on the board is 2+2.

619
00:35:31,020 --> 00:35:32,931
There's one final present I'd like to

620
00:35:32,932 --> 00:35:35,100
leave you with, and
that's a reading list.

621
00:35:35,101 --> 00:35:37,137
Like any list it's woefully incomplete,

622
00:35:37,138 --> 00:35:40,112
but I'm going to give you
what I consider the best books

623
00:35:40,113 --> 00:35:42,930
to get anyone started on the
path to critical thinking.

624
00:35:44,502 --> 00:35:47,938
First off, everyone in the
world should read Carl Sagan's classic

625
00:35:47,939 --> 00:35:51,729
"The Demon Haunted World:
Science as a Candle in the Dark. "

626
00:35:51,730 --> 00:35:55,343
This book is the magnum opus of
critical thinking for everyone.

627
00:35:55,344 --> 00:35:57,374
It's easy to read,
approachable,

628
00:35:57,375 --> 00:36:00,648
and every page is fascinating
no matter who you are.

629
00:36:00,649 --> 00:36:04,164
Chapter 12 includes Sagan's
famous Baloney Detection Kit,

630
00:36:04,165 --> 00:36:06,539
quite possibly the handiest Swiss army knife

631
00:36:06,540 --> 00:36:08,850
for understanding our universe.

632
00:36:11,100 --> 00:36:15,979
The second book is Flim Flam,
by James "The Amazing" Randi.

633
00:36:15,980 --> 00:36:19,302
Randi makes no effort to be
everyone's favorite guy like Carl Sagan;

634
00:36:19,303 --> 00:36:22,390
instead he hits
the nail on the head hard.

635
00:36:22,391 --> 00:36:26,999
This book is chock full of no-nonsense
exposure of frauds and rip-offs.

636
00:36:27,000 --> 00:36:29,211
You'll learn how easily
people can be deceived,

637
00:36:29,212 --> 00:36:31,780
and it can
be a big wake-up call.

638
00:36:31,781 --> 00:36:34,247
If you want to be able to
recognize when someone's taking advantage

639
00:36:34,248 --> 00:36:36,500
of you with a
fraudulent product or service,

640
00:36:36,501 --> 00:36:41,980
expertise in the art of Flim Flam
is your first line of defense.

641
00:36:44,000 --> 00:36:48,024
Third, I'm going to recommend a
book that you probably didn't expect,

642
00:36:48,025 --> 00:36:50,725
Mark Twain's The Adventures
of Huckleberry Finn.

643
00:36:50,726 --> 00:36:53,672
Mark Twain was perhaps
the most effective critic

644
00:36:53,673 --> 00:36:56,619
of human ignorance and
folly who ever lived.

645
00:36:56,620 --> 00:36:59,418
Although on its surface it appears
to be an adventure story,

646
00:36:59,419 --> 00:37:01,669
it’s really a collection of quite

647
00:37:01,670 --> 00:37:03,919
shocking exposés of human weaknesses,

648
00:37:03,920 --> 00:37:08,122
driven by superstition, racism,
greed, and ignorance.

649
00:37:08,123 --> 00:37:10,771
If you think James
Randi pulls no punches,

650
00:37:10,772 --> 00:37:13,420
try re-reading Mark
Twain with new eyes.

651
00:37:15,854 --> 00:37:18,200
Finally, I'm going to recommend
my own book,

652
00:37:18,201 --> 00:37:21,296
Skeptoid, Critical
Analysis of Pop Phenomena,

653
00:37:21,297 --> 00:37:23,300
with a foreword by James Randi.

654
00:37:23,600 --> 00:37:27,384
This is 50 short subjects based
on my podcast episodes,

655
00:37:27,385 --> 00:37:29,242
quick and easy analyses of 50 phenomena

656
00:37:29,243 --> 00:37:31,100
that you've always wondered about:

657
00:37:31,150 --> 00:37:34,290
The Amityville Horror,
The Philadelphia Experiment,

658
00:37:34,291 --> 00:37:37,650
organic food myths,
Bigfoot, spirit orbs.

659
00:37:37,651 --> 00:37:40,987
There's something in here
to challenge everyone.

660
00:37:44,450 --> 00:37:47,233
Some people criticize science
by pointing out that it

661
00:37:47,234 --> 00:37:50,016
does not know
everything and doesn't have all the answers.

662
00:37:50,017 --> 00:37:51,927
Obviously, this criticism is true.

663
00:37:51,928 --> 00:37:55,053
Science is all about the fact that we don't know everything.

664
00:37:55,500 --> 00:37:58,050
Science is the learning process.

665
00:37:58,500 --> 00:38:01,189
If we want to improve the world, improve

666
00:38:01,190 --> 00:38:03,879
the human condition, improve technology;

667
00:38:03,900 --> 00:38:07,980
learning, and thus science,
is the essential way forward.

668
00:38:08,600 --> 00:38:11,239
When your hear someone criticize
science because it

669
00:38:11,240 --> 00:38:13,878
doesn't have all the answers, don't
argue with them;

670
00:38:14,000 --> 00:38:17,500
instead point out that that's the central strength of science.

671
00:38:17,501 --> 00:38:20,250
We couldn't be learning more every day

672
00:38:20,251 --> 00:38:22,999
if we presumed to
already know everything.

673
00:38:23,920 --> 00:38:25,985
Some people criticize skepticism

674
00:38:25,986 --> 00:38:28,050
because it doesn't
leave well enough alone.

675
00:38:28,551 --> 00:38:30,367
Many paranormal and alternative beliefs

676
00:38:30,368 --> 00:38:32,184
bring comfort to those who practice them,

677
00:38:32,185 --> 00:38:35,818
and are a positive force in many
peoples' lives.

678
00:38:36,200 --> 00:38:39,264
But happiness and enlightenment
are all around us in our world;

679
00:38:39,265 --> 00:38:42,328
you don't have to turn to
pseudoscience to find them.

680
00:38:42,800 --> 00:38:45,972
And moreover, once we begin investing our faith

681
00:38:45,973 --> 00:38:49,144
in unsubstantiated
or supernatural phenomena,

682
00:38:49,500 --> 00:38:52,006
we are contributing to the
redirection of attention,

683
00:38:52,007 --> 00:38:57,100
influence, and funding
away from technologies and concepts

684
00:38:57,101 --> 00:38:59,241
that have been evidenced to be

685
00:38:59,242 --> 00:39:01,382
beneficial to humanity and to our world.

686
00:39:01,800 --> 00:39:05,212
The choice between pseudoscience and science

687
00:39:05,213 --> 00:39:08,625
is the choice between
stagnation and progress:

688
00:39:09,150 --> 00:39:13,575
progress toward long
life, health, happiness,

689
00:39:13,576 --> 00:39:18,000
a cleaner planet, bountiful
food, knowledge, and peace.

690
00:39:19,870 --> 00:39:23,317
There may indeed be
undiscovered dragons in our world.

691
00:39:23,318 --> 00:39:25,909
But there is also
something we know for a fact:

692
00:39:25,910 --> 00:39:28,500
we haven't
found any dragons yet.

693
00:39:28,816 --> 00:39:32,480
We've looked in a lot of places,
and seen some extraordinary things;

694
00:39:32,650 --> 00:39:36,240
but never yet has science been forced
to throw in the towel

695
00:39:36,241 --> 00:39:39,830
and admit the reality of magic.