Promoting Science and Critical Thinking
I do wonder if the line that defines a distinct technology gap is marked by those that see kids with phones and respond with a shake of their head as they mumble about it eating their brains, and those that don’t notice because they are busy surfing the web on their mobile. There is a … Read more
Climate Denial is the rejection of what is now a well established observational fact – our climate is warming and all the fossil fuel greenhouse gases we are pumping into the atmosphere are causing it. Regardless of the tribal GOP stance on the topic, the vast majority do accept that this really is happening. This … Read more
What do people who believe in creationism and people who believe in conspiracy theories have in common? According to a new study the correlation is Teleological thinking. What the heck is that? OK, more on that in a second. First, let’s think briefly about why knowing about this matters. Understanding how we as humans can be … Read more
The term “Dunning-Kruger” is a reference to a cognitive bias. This is where people who know next to nothing on some topic truly believe that the little they do know makes them an expert and grants them the mantle of “expert”. It’s not about bluster or pretense, they truly believe it. In essence, they know … Read more
On 9th August Time magazine published a really great article titled “How Your Brain Tricks You Into Believing Fake News“. I can highly recommend reading. It dives below the surface into the heart of the problem and is not simply another article having a bit of a moan about it all. I have one huge … Read more
The Marshmallow Test is all about delayed gratification and the potential impact that can have on our lives. It dates back to the late 1960s when psychologist Walter Mischel conducted a series of tests on very young children. It works like this. The child is presented with a marshmallow on a plate and told something like … Read more