Promoting Science and Critical Thinking
Learning how to work out what is fact and what is fiction is all part of growing up, and so a 4 year old who believes Santa Claus is real is cute. If however a grown adult was seriously asserting that Santa Claus was quite real then we would be quite rightly concerned because clearly something has … Read more
So yesterday was finally the day to walk the Ancestors Trail, a walk that is not just a walk, but an annual biological pilgrimage through Epping forest and the Lee valley that combines walking, evolution and art. As you proceed, each step takes you back in time to the origins of life and so step by … Read more
OK, let’s cut to the chase and give you the answer up front … probably not in our immediate future, because humans are by nature naturally selected with many cognitive biases that make us like this. There is a really good article over at BBC Future by Rachel Nuwer that covers this question, and so I’m … Read more
While sitting the the cafeteria of a well-known oil company chatting to a few offshore colleagues, one newly arrived chap was explaining that he had just completed training and was now a fully certified Siebel consultant. That sounded impressive, and as we were chatting he expanded upon this and explained that he had done the 3 day course … Read more
People believe what they believe for cultural and emotional reasons and never for evidential reasons. They might indeed claim “evidence” and assert “evidence”, but examine it and … well no, none. What tends to happen is that we rationalise and stick on reasons later to explain the adherence to a specific position, sort of akin … Read more
OK, just a bit of mild fun today. Ever felt that you are caught between a rock and a hard place? OK, so how about this. There is what is known as Impostor syndrome. This is where an individual is unable to come to terms with their abilities and skills, even when faced with clear decisive … Read more