by J. Jerrald Hayes | Mar 22, 2018 | Agriculture, Critical Thinking, GMOs
Genetically modified disbelief and the lonely road to the sorcerer’s stone It’s an issue that is much debated and one that parties on both sides of the argument are impassioned over when it comes to food safety and nutrition. The hot topic, of course, is...
by J. Jerrald Hayes | Mar 12, 2018 | Critical Thinking
…The liberal philosopher John Stuart Mill once explained that, “The greatest orator, save one, of antiquity, has left it on record that he always studied his adversary’s case with as great, if not with still greater, intensity than even his own.” Mill held that...
by J. Jerrald Hayes | Dec 24, 2017 | • Politics, Critical Thinking
The Overton Window… How Trump makes extreme things look normal “Don’t normalize this” has become a kind of rallying cry during President Trump’s first year in office — a reminder to not get too acclimated to Trump’s...
by J. Jerrald Hayes | Dec 24, 2017 | • Politics, Behavior, Critical Thinking
A massive new study reviews the evidence on whether campaigning works. The answer’s bleak. All the outreach activity by political campaigns, including door to door canvassing, phone banking, direct mail, and even advertising, has basically no effect on...
by J. Jerrald Hayes | Dec 4, 2017 | • Politics, Critical Thinking
To the very best of my recollection, I have unfriended just one person for vulgar and racist ranting in a discussion on my timeline even after I asked him to stop. On the other hand, I have been un-friended 3 people for my science-based positions when I wrote about...
by J. Jerrald Hayes | Nov 26, 2017 | Cognitive Bias, Critical Thinking, Irrational Thinking
Why incompetent people often think they’re actually the best Maybe you’ve experienced this at school or work before: Dealing with someone who thinks he’s much better at his job than he really is. This can not only be really annoying, but it can lead...
by J. Jerrald Hayes | Oct 8, 2017 | Critical Thinking
Conspiracy theories make people feel like they’re special Conspiracy theories and the people who disseminate them are no longer on the fringe. Don’t believe me? Ask yourself this: How many people on my Facebook friends list have shared and bolstered...
by J. Jerrald Hayes | Oct 7, 2017 | Brain Science, Cognitive Bias, Critical Thinking, Irrational Thinking
Dr. Steven Novella Talks About Why Our Brains Really Suck at QED 2011 in Manchester. At approximately 37:00 minutes in he explains how the reasoning powers in our prefrontal cortex can evaluate the interpretations from other areas of our brain and use “Critical...
