UFOs: Examining the Evidence | Michael Shermer & Peter Boghossian
Alien week continues! Last Monday, Peter Boghossian spoke with investigative journalist and author Michael Shellenberger, and on Thursday, we released this SSE discussion about alleged alien visitations to Earth. Stay tuned for another alien discussion this Thursday, July 20.
In this conversation, the world’s leading skeptic, author
, explains what it would take for him to believe claims of extraterrestrial visitation. Michael follows Pierre-Simon Laplace’s principle, popularized by Carl Sagan: “Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.” Michael has bet $1,000 that irrefutable evidence of human contact with aliens will not materialize by the end of next year. So far, he has no takers.Peter and Michael discuss the brain as “an engine of belief” and how the human desire for transcendence and moralization leads people to extend their confidence beyond the warrant of the evidence. Education is one antidote to this cognitive malady, and Michael promotes teaching children statistics, probability, and how to “think like scientists”.
Peter and Michael also discuss organizational splintering (including in the skeptic and atheist movement), fashionable beliefs, why believers in alien visitations aren’t interested in SETI, Bayesian reasoning, the deep state, true conspiracies, Dr. Paul Hotez vs. RFK Jr., childhood gender transition, and Michael’s forthcoming book, Truth.
Dr. Michael Shermer is the founding publisher of Skeptic magazine, the host of The Michael Shermer Show, and a Presidential Fellow at Chapman University where he teaches Skepticism 101.
Michael wrote a monthly column for Scientific American for 18 years. He is the author of several books, including the New York Times bestsellers Why People Believe Weird Things and The Believing Brain. His latest book is Conspiracy: Why the Rational Believe the Irrational.
Twitter: @michaelshermer
“How to think like scientists” 😆 I was asked to join the Skeptic cult. What’s great about it, is you could be as thick as two short planks and pretend you know what you are taking about by saying not a lot, just a bunch of parroted indoctrinated nonsense pushed by their vested interest sponsors. I don’t disagree with everything touted, it’s just I can’t even take them seriously anymore.
Legendary guest and deep interview, thank you for sharing! Is gender ideology a social contagion? I think there might be an argument that what we are currently experiencing did not arise organically. I think sexual preference is a real thing and has been around a long time. The prominence of the use of the word gender is unusual in my opinion.
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