by J. Jerrald Hayes | Jul 17, 2021 | Critical Thinking, Irrational Thinking, Pseudoscience, Skepticism
The Doctor Carl Sagan Warned Us About Predictions made by psychics and astrologers tend to quickly fade from memory because of how wrong they often turn out to be, but one prediction made by Carl Sagan, an astrophysicist and famous science communicator, is so...
by J. Jerrald Hayes | Jul 1, 2021 | Critical Thinking, Health, Skepticism
I only drink diet soda and it been that way with me for decades now. Another Garbage Study Says Diet Soda is Bad For You This post contains a video, which you can also view here. To support more videos like this, head to patreon.com/rebecca! If you watch my Twitch...
by J. Jerrald Hayes | Jun 27, 2021 | • Politics, Critical Thinking, Irrational Thinking, Religion
I grew up in an off-the-grid Christian commune. Here’s what I know about America’s religious beliefs The only time I saw Brother Sam in person, he was marching like a soldier as he preached, with sweat running like tears from his temples and the Bible a...
by J. Jerrald Hayes | Sep 11, 2020 | Irrational Thinking, Multi Level Marketing, Skepticism
by J. Jerrald Hayes | Aug 1, 2020 | Coronavirus, Critical Thinking, Science Based Medicine
In a conversation last weekend I said despite my vaccine advocacy in the case of a vaccine for COVID-19 I said I would not want to be amongst the first to get vaccinated when “they’ come up with a vaccine because of how it is being rushed to market. Thinking about it...
by J. Jerrald Hayes | Aug 1, 2020 | Cognitive Bias, Critical Thinking, Irrational Thinking
Arguably one of the most important lessons on critical thinking I have ever seen articulated! This is exactly what I mean when I say, when I come to the relazation, that I AM NOT SO SMART… “…Even those of us with excellent critical thinking skills...
by J. Jerrald Hayes | Jul 20, 2020 | Critical Thinking, Irrational Thinking
How to talk to conspiracy theorists-and still be kind On May 4, a slick, 26-minute video was released, alleging that the coronavirus was actually a laboratory-manipulated virus deployed to wreak havoc so that a resulting vaccine could be used for profit. None of that...
by J. Jerrald Hayes | Jul 4, 2020 | Atheism, Critical Thinking, Reason & Rational Thinking, Religion
by J. Jerrald Hayes | Jun 28, 2020 | • Politics, Behavior, Cognitive Bias, Psychology
Why Facts Don’t Change Our Minds The economist J.K. Galbraith once wrote, “Faced with a choice between changing one’s mind and proving there is no need to do so, almost everyone gets busy with the...
by J. Jerrald Hayes | May 25, 2020 | • Politics, Behavior, Coronavirus, Critical Thinking, Partisan Idiocy, Pseudoscience, Psychology, Reason & Rational Thinking, Right Wing Lunacy
The 7 traits of conspiratorial thinking Science misinformation and conspiracy theories have surged during coronavirus. This guide can help you identify...
by J. Jerrald Hayes | May 24, 2020 | • Politics, Critical Thinking, Irrational Thinking, The 2020 Presidential Race, The Republicans
We Need to Speak Honestly About the GOP’s Evolution Into a Conspiracy Cult One of the challenges in analyzing modern American politics is accurately describing the Republican Party without seeming unserious and hyperbolic. Major publications are understandably...
by J. Jerrald Hayes | May 20, 2020 | Coronavirus, Critical Thinking
We have become a nation of magical thinkers, making decisions based on what we hope is the case and whom we want to believe. When confronted with opposing evidence, we do not engage with it. We dismiss it and stick a label on it: “fake,” “phony,” “biased,” etc. And...
