The Science of Why We Don't Believe Science
How our brains fool us on climate, creationism, and the vaccine-autism link
Through her, the aliens had given the precise date of an Earth-rending cataclysm: December 21, 1954. Some of Martin's followers quit their jobs and sold their property, expecting to be rescued by a flying saucer when the continent split asunder and a new Full Story »
Posted by Tanya J. Maurer - via David Corn, Mother Jones, David K. Miller (t), Jaimey Perham (t), Tshiung Han See (t), Joey Baker (t), Ron Steffens (t), Wil Kristin (t), Johan Jessen (t), Kaizar Campwala (t), Donica Mensing (t)
Despite advances in and continued education of science and technology, many people still believe certain ideas like "global warming is a myth" and "the world will end in 2012." Interestingly enough, we humans have connections between the reasoning and emotional parts of our brains. It is this that is responsible for that fiercely opinionated guy in your philosophy class and the homeless man screaming that the earth is going through a natural cycle. It allows cult members to think they're right even in the face of utter inaccuracy.