Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
www.ghostvillage.com
Ateneo FootballField,
Ateneo Football Field,Feb
Feb2007,
2007,6PM
1AM
Monkey Face
Monument on
Martian Surface?
Humans are
predisposed to look
for familiar patterns
Why We Believe Weird Things
There is a Belief Industry
• Because cranks (fortune tellers, cold readers, spirit
mediums) can be very persuasive and skilled
– Make general statements about a person: “You have a
loved one living or working abroad.”
– Make specific-sounding statements to a group: “I am
hearing from a spirit whose name starts with J, like Jim or
Jason.”
– Make ambiguous statements: “You’re not from here, are
you?”
• Famous crackpots: Galileo, Edison
– All other crackpots are just crackpots: Dingel, Escosa,
the late Ernie “Walking Encyclopedia” Baron
Why We Believe Weird Things
There is a Belief Industry
• Magic + spiritual content = mystical experience
– Cranks wrap weird beliefs with religion to enhance legitimacy
– Why professional magicians are noted skeptics and debunkers:
Houdini, Amazing Randi, Penn & Teller
Why We Believe Weird Things
• Because people lie, even
people you don’t expect to
– No reason to lie? Other than
money: boredom, fame,
tourism, fanaticism
– People who make fantastic
claims sound smart, special,
gifted or holy
– Claims from FOAF: sources
have no reason to lie because
they’re not sure either
• Bigfoot, crop circles: people
continue to believe even
AFTER the hoax is admitted
Why We Believe Weird Things
• Because we underestimate our capacities to be
deceived
– People can be mistaken, even those who should know
better
– Memories are selective, testimonies often faulty: why
courts require material evidence
– Delusions and hallucinations can be very real to
schizophrenics and their audience
– Strange events at night: solitude, darkness, sleepy
witnesses often explain them
– If it’s on TV/newspapers/internet, it’s gotta be true
• Michael Shermer, Why People Believe Weird
Things (2002): People simply hate changing their
minds
Why We Believe Weird Things