Michael Shermer
Host Science Salon Podcast, skeptic.com/science-salon/ Publisher Skeptic Magazine, Presidential Fellow Chapman University, author The Moral Arc & more.
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| #6 | The New Center |
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eSkeptic Archives
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Michael Shermer
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17h
Cesare Beccaria’s radical ideas on crime and punishment – Lorenzo Zucca | Aeon Essays
Well before Bentham, Cesare Beccaria radically questioned the right of the state to imprison and execute its citizens
Michael Shermer
The modern idea that the punishment should fit the crime (the principle of proportionality) is grounded in social contract theory & developed by Cesare Beccaria: a crime is a breach of the social contract in a secular state, not a sin in a theocracy.
35h
How Gullible are We? A Review of the Evidence from Psychology and Social Science - Hugo Mercier, 2017
A long tradition of scholarship, from ancient Greece to Marxism or some contemporary social psychology, portrays humans as strongly gullible—wont to accept harm...
Michael Shermer
Encouraging evidence reviewed by Hugo Mercier that humans are not as gullible & irrational as we have assumed based on levels of belief influence of "religion, demagoguery, propaganda, political campaigns, advertising, erroneous medical beliefs, & rumors"
journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.103… pic.twitter.com/aWwIuJhDTK
4d
Kary Mullis, quirky Nobel laureate whose DNA discovery changed the science world, dies
Kary Mullis was an unconventional and often controversial Nobel laureate.
1
Michael Shermer
RIP Kary Mullis (1944-2019)—one of the most colorful characters I ever met. At a party he regaled me for hours about his belief in ESP & astrology & his skepticism of global warming & HIV-AIDS. Not sure if he wasn't just provocatively poking the nest.
5d
Thirty-Two Short Stories About Death in Prison
These stories don’t mention Jeffrey Epstein, but they are about him.
Michael Shermer
Perhaps Epstein's death was not a conspiracy of dunces, as I suggested yesterday, but a conspiracy of cruelty & indifference on the part of prison staff. Again, what's more likely—that he was secretly murdered by a Clinton/Trump operative, or this?
6d
Portland, Oregon, braces for far-right rally, counterprotest
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Portland police are mobilizing to prevent clashes between out-of-state far-right groups planning a rally here and the homegrown anti-fascists who oppose them as America's...
Michael Shermer with Dr. Donald Hoffman — The Case Against Reality: Why Evolution Hid the Truth From Our Eyes
In Science Salon # 78, Michael Shermer speaks with cognitive scientist Dr. Donald Hoffman about his new book The Case Against Reality: Why Evolution Hid the Truth From Our Eyes, which challenges the leading scientific theories that claim that our...
Michael Shermer
Science Salon #78
Dr. Donald Hoffman
The Case Against Reality
—how we know reality
—living in a simulation
—brain in a vat
—hard problem of consciousness
—does the moon exist if there is no consciousness?
—Jordan Peterson’s Archetypal Theory of Truth
skeptic.com/science-salon/… pic.twitter.com/CjbWXoQIMU
6d
Michael Shermer
In case you missed this week's Science Salon podcast, Donald Hoffman & I debate the nature of reality & how we know what is true. I'm skeptical of his thesis but nonetheless loved the book & our conversation.
skeptic.com/science-salon/… pic.twitter.com/vmlBrKf1H8
42h
Jeffrey Epstein's death by apparent suicide inspires new conspiracy theories
Online theorists Saturday quickly offered unsubstantiated speculation — including some retweeted by President Trump — that Epstein's death wasn't a suicide, or it was faked
Michael Shermer
If you're promoting Epstein suicide conspiracy theories, Russian bots and trolls thank you. They know Americans are like Pavlov's dogs: ring the conspiratorial bell and they'll salivate on command. Just wait until we get closer to the 2020 election.
6d
Jeffrey Epstein Suicide: Barr Criticizes ‘Serious Irregularities’ at Jail
“We are now learning of serious irregularities at this facility that are deeply concerning and demand a thorough investigation,” Attorney General William P. Barr said.
Michael Shermer
Epstein's suicide: it's a conspiracy after all...a conspiracy of dunces. Again...
"never attribute to malice what can be explained by incompetence or chance."
6d
Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary Explains Donald Trump's Success
1
Michael Shermer
If you're a fan of Shark Tank and/or Mr. Wonderful @kevinolearytv you'll enjoy this conversation with @nickgillespie on why women are better entrepreneurs than men, capitalism, China, Trump, tariffs, social safety nets, the deficit etc. Great dialogue guys
youtube.com/watch?time_con… pic.twitter.com/zhtcZJMIGB
7d
The Latest: Epstein guards were on heavy OT, sources tell AP
NEW YORK (AP) — The Latest on the death of Jeffrey Epstein (all times local): 4:50 p.m. A person familiar with the Manhattan jail that housed Jeffrey Epstein says it was so...
1
Michael Shermer
Remember this adage regarding conspiracy theories:
"Never attribute to malice what can be explained by incompetence or chance."
Epstein's suicide conspiracy theory: guards were working overtime, exhausted, & failed to complete their rounds every 30 min
8d
Op-Ed: Mike Huckabee ties mass shootings to an absence of faith in God. Social science proves him wrong
After the recent mass shootings, Mike Huckabee points the finger at a lack of religion, not at guns. Social science proves him and other Christian moralizers wrong.
Michael Shermer
Good Op-Ed by @phil_zuckerman on why, if anything, more religion means more gun violence, not less like Mike Huckabee thinks. In reality gun violence & religion are orthogonal (independent) variables. If religion promotes more moral behavior it is failing.
8d
‘Screed’: From a Scrap of Paper to a Lengthy Message of Hate
A term used to describe violent diatribes once referred to shreds of material, until it was influenced by ‘scream’ and ‘shriek’
Michael Shermer
I agree & wish I'd referenced the El Paso killer's "manifesto" as it really is—a "screed". Manifesto is too elevated for what these statements are: "a smudge of excrement on a tissue surging out to sea with a million tons of raw sewage." (Charles Bukowski)
8d
The Physics of Dissent
For people power movements, does momentum equal mass times velocity? Erica Chenoweth & Margherita Belgioioso reflect on their recent findings in Nature Human Behaviour.
Michael Shermer
Yet another reason why non-violent political movements succeed far more than violent ones: you need a sizable % of the population to back your movement to bring about real change, & violence alienates most people who would otherwise support your cause.
9d
Train station experiment reveals one way to counteract bias against Muslims
People were less willing to help a woman who dropped her belongings if she appeared to be Muslim, unless they'd seen her signal her respect for social norms.
Michael Shermer
The @latimes has a good summary of the new German train station study on discrimination against immigrants. My take: religion is more divisive than unifying, particularly if the dominant religion seeks political power over minority religions (eg, the U.S.)
9d
Parochialism, social norms, and discrimination against immigrants
As immigration increases due to globalization, wars, and climate change, there is more interaction between native and immigrant populations and more potential for conflict. Policymakers have emphasized the need to better integrate immigrants to...
Michael Shermer
"As long as public debates and policies heighten the importance of religious differences, cultural integration will not be able to eliminate intergroup conflict."
New study finds "a shared understanding of civic behavior can form the basis of cooperation."
9d
The Family: It's Not About Faith, It's About Power | Official Trailer | Netflix
It’s not about faith. It’s about power. The Family explores the history of a quietly powerful religious organization with strong ties to US politics. Meet Th...
Michael Shermer
Binge watching this Netflix series The Family. Gripping & disturbing for separation of church & state. "Behind the scenes at every National Prayer Breakfast since 1953 has been the Family, an elite network dedicated to a religion of power for the powerful"
youtube.com/watch?v=7knN2T… pic.twitter.com/y8Xrlg4xXw
9d
How to Fight the New Domestic Terrorism
The U.S. should use its hard-won experience against al Qaeda and Islamic State to combat today’s surge of lethal white supremacist attacks
1
Michael Shermer
"White supremacist terrorism has now eclipsed international jihadist terrorism in frequency and severity." Conservatives/Republicans: will you devote equivalent resources to combatting this form of terrorism as you have against jihadism since 9/11?
9d
July Was the Hottest Month in Recorded History
After a record-breaking heat wave in Europe and the Arctic, last month edged out July 2016
2
Michael Shermer
Let's put our thinking caps on & see if this single datapoint falls on a long-term trend line. Why yes, it does. Could it be that anthropogenic warming is real & human caused? It's ok to acknowledge this fact & still debate solutions (sci-tech/political).
10d
Police: El Paso shooting suspect said he targeted Mexicans
EL PASO, Texas (AP) — Authorities say the 21-year-old man accused of carrying out the deadly mass shooting at an El Paso Walmart confessed after surrendering and said he had been targeting...