Michael Shermer

Michael Shermer
Michael Shermer on Strange Beliefs


He talks about “strange beliefs”, things like seeing the virgin Mary on toast as being something that we want to believe is there, and that we take whatever it is and almost twist it to suit what we would like to see.

I agree with him that some things people want to believe in are things that we look to hard at and almost fool ourselves into believing. He had some lyrics to a song that he played backwards. The audience only caught the word “Satan”, but when he played the song backwards again, but this time presented a whole set of lyrics, the words that didn’t make sense, suddenly seemed crystal clear. That, and things like wanting to, and perhaps because it’s wired biologically into us to, see faces in things that don’t have a face (like Mars). That part of his talk I agree with. Other things he’s skeptic of, I tend to think that while no science can back it up yet, it shouldn’t be discounted. While I personally agree with some of his views, I think that he has long since decided to close off a certain degree of open-mindedness many people still have.



Three links associated with the individual or talk:

The work of Michael Shermer
It is his website. Specifically, this link is to his about page and shows books he’s written, education, and television programs he has been a part of.

Skeptic Magazine
The online front page of Skeptic magazine that Michael Shermer helped start. It is probably a very good representation of the things he believes (or rather doesn’t) in.


Why People Believe Weird Things: Pseudoscience, Superstition, and Other Confusions of Our Time
It’s the amazon.com page to buy Michael Shermer’s book “Why People Believe Weird Things: Pseudoscience, Superstition, and Other Confusions of Our Time”. The book itself seems to be a longer, better articulated version of his talk at TED.