"Although there is a great deal of psychological research on misinformation, there's no summary of the literature that offers practical guidelines on the most effective ways of reducing the influence of myths.
The Debunking Handbook boils the research down into a short, simple summary, intended as a guide for communicators in all areas (not just climate) who encounter misinformation."
Direct PDF link.
posted by brundlefly
on Jan 3, 2012 -
33 comments
Expect a miracle? Freeman Dyson on Littlewood's Law of Miracles: "...the total number of events that happen to us is about thirty thousand per day, or about a million per month. ...The chance of a miracle is about one per million events. Therefore we should expect about one miracle to happen, on the average, every month." From his review of book debunking the paranormal (whose views he isn't entirely willing to accept).
Via
Marginal Revolution
posted by Jos Bleau
on Jul 14, 2004 -
33 comments
The Skeptic's Dictionary is a wonderful resource for all sentient individuals: 'A Collection of Strange Beliefs, Amusing Deceptions, and Dangerous Delusions (and
how to think critically about them)'. It's where I send people when they start telling me nonsense.
It is also a jolly good read: try the entry for
natural, for example. And some entries, like the entry for
IQ and race, verge on the profound.
There is a print edition, but the extensive internal and external site linkage makes reading the collection online a particular joy. While The Skeptic's Dictionary has been referred to
before on MeFi, the link made the site out to be a cornucopia of Urban legend-style oddities, like
Snopes. Which I thought was a shame: not dissing Snopes, but the Skeptic's Dictionary delivers a firm grounding in critical thinking as well.
This post is dedicated to all of my relatives who chipped in to buy
shark cartilage tablets and several fifty-dollar pamphlets full of
testimonials after my father had been diagnosed with terminal cancer, and who probably still think the worse of me for not contributing to their folly.
posted by chrisgregory
on Feb 6, 2004 -
28 comments
The Scholars and the Godess In "The scholars and the Godess" Charlotte Allen writes of the now debunked history of Wicca.
"Diotima Mantineia," age forty-eight, is the associate editor of
The Witches' Voice summed up her feelings on the debunking of the official Wiccan narrative this way: "It doesn't matter to me how old Wicca is, because when I connect with Deity as Lady and Lord, I know that I am connecting with something much larger and vaster than I can fully comprehend. The Creator of this universe has been manifesting to us for all time, in the forms of gods and goddesses that we can relate to. This personal connection with Deity is what is meaningful. For me, Wicca works to facilitate that connection, and that is what really matters."
I agree. Simply that it works for the individual is all that matters. What works for you?
posted by revbrian
on Mar 30, 2001 -
38 comments
