Pseudo Science final Exam
time travel
is logically impossible
What test was used on The One: Australia's Most Gifted Psychic to test the ability of psychics to find missing children?
location test? physic detective test
In class, I introduced a 5th hypothesis: namely, that ghosts are beings that can seen and move through more than just 3 spatial dimensions. Is the idea that there could be more than just 3 spatial dimensions at odds with current physics?
no
What are some of the "pros" and "cons" of that test?
pro's: if they are actually psychic it could be very useful cons: if it is just luck then they may be wasting their time and money using a psychic.
How is infrasound potentially relevant to the question of the existence of ghosts?
the sounds they are making are slightly below what we can hear, so it we pick up noise in that threshold then it will trigger the idea that there is another presence.
What other uses have people tried to find for infrasound?
weapons
What are some of the techniques of cold reading identified by the class?
-Ask open-ended/ vague questions...let the subject fill in the details. -When subject fills in details, make it seem like those details were part of your original statement. -Hit the "big topics" that people are usually concerned about and may be interested in talking to a psychic about: Death, destiny, $$$, friends/family/relationships, romantic interests/concerns, ambitions/dreams/plans for the future -Set the mood: comfortable, but make it feel "mystical", give people what they expect from psychic readers..... -tell them its a team effort so if they are wrong they can blame it on the other person
Beyerstein seems to interpret this claim in terms of only 10% of our brain undergoing any kind of activity and the rest of it being completely inactive. What is some of the scientific evidence that he cites against the 10% claim interpreted in this way?
-Brain damage allows results in some kind of deficit/ impairment -Sometimes it can be hard to recognize deficit/impairment outside the lab -Brain scanning technology reveals that most of our brain is active most of the time. -Neurons die if not used -Many cognitive functions appear to be localized in different regions of the brain
What would it be like for us to interact with such beings? (What would it be like for beings that can only see and move through 2 spatial dimensions to interact with us?)
-Mr square, talk to him =disemboded voice -objects suddenly appear and mysteriously disappear -a dot pops into existence and suddenly gets bigger -can follow you into locked rooms and solid walls
What happens in the double slit experiment? (In what scenario do electrons act like waves? In what scenario do they act like particles?)
-Scientific experiment about the two slits in the sheet of steel, when we don't observe, they behave in a wavelike matter, if we do observe they get a different pattern. -All depends on whether or not we observe it.
According to the Many Worlds Interpretation, what does measurement (or observation) do to the probability wave?
-The many worlds interpretation is meant to make the collapse of the probability wave appear less arbitrary. -The act of measurement creates all the probabilities/possibilities described in the wave.. -where are probabilities becoming real? other universes
What are some of the 10 features that Shermer says we should focus on when evaluating conspiracy theories? (How does the story of the conspiracy to assassinate archduke Franz Ferdinand reveal some of the difficulties of executing a complicated conspiracy?)
-ad hoc -the conspiracy to assassinate was largely complex with a lot of people, the probability of messing up was high
What are some of alternative explanations, besides ghosts, for what we see in the video of the hunted school?
-someone was shaking file cabinet -editing
What connections are there between the 10% claim and claims about parapsychology or self-help (hypnosis/telepathy)
-sometime people who have the ability to read minds or have a 6th sense are said to be a case where people use more than 10% of their brains
what are pro and cons to the location test?
-sometimes it is accurate but other time it is not and can lead to the children, most were unsuccessful -only 2 were successful
What are some of our general cognitive tendencies that could lead us towards conspiracy theories?
-we see things as patterns
According to Harker, what three things we should be on the lookout for when trying to detect created controversies?
1) Examine motive of the parties involved 2) Be on the lookout for the absence of alternatives 3) Are they engaged w public audiences only
What are the 4 hypotheses about ghost experiences that Schick and Vaughn talk about?
1) Ghost experiences are caused by ghosts, disembodied 2) Ghost experiences are caused by sounds or images stores in inanimate objects 3) Ghosts experiences are the result of sleep paralysis 4) ghost experiences are the result of physical, scientifically respectable environmental features impacting senses and brains
To what degree are these 3 signs present in the Intelligent Design movement?
1) Harker and phil 2021 yes, there is evidence - dover trail 2) Harker and phil 2021 yes, positive account, but its not very developed 3) Massive PR linked to Intelligent Design (idk what this means but thats what my notes say) Harker gives ID 2 and half stars because the 2nd one is least developed
What are some of the issues/questions confronting each of these hypotheses?
1) How do we see them? why/how can they wear clothes? How does the mind/physical body connection work? 2) editing? what is mechanism of recording? 3) some ghost experiences happen in day, multiple witnesses, people go to same place, selective memory. 4) acoustics, temperature, magnetic field, chemical imbalance in an area.
What are some of the hypotheses we discussed about the ability of psychics to communicate with the dead?
1) Psychics really are receiving information from the dead 2) The psychic is reading your mind using telepathy 3) Psychics are 'cold reading' their subjects 4) Psychics are getting information about their subjects ahead of time
What is the argument we discussed in class for thinking that AI++ will happen?
1) There will be AI 2) If there is AI, there will be AI+ 3) If there is AI+ there will be AI++ .:/there will be AI++
According to Shermer, what strategies do defenders of conspiracy theories often use when defending those theories? (How does the specific example of the temperature at which jet fuel burn and steel melt relate to this strategy?)
1. "connecting dots" with no real support 2. make themselves seem powerful and like they know what their talking about 3. lots of elements 4. conspiracy is alot of people
What did we say in defense of each of the premises of this argument? (What is Deep Blue? Alpha Go? Watson?)
1st premise- Deep blue - chess, Watson - jeopardy, Alpha go - beats world GO grand master (super chess) -talked about how we can update the hardware
What are some of the possible interpretations of the claim that we use only 10% of our brain discussed in class?
90% of the brain isnt doing anything cognitively, 90% of the brain isnt active, in any sense Only 10% of the brains neurons are doign anything Conscious access is limited
How does this thought experiment suggest that we should be afraid of AI+ that has neutral intentions towards us?
AI+ has neutral notions for us but we should still be scared, because even if they dont want to hurt us they still can by taken over the economy
What is paperclip maximize thought experiment?
AI+ paperclip maker- meant to show you that we should be scared of AI++ and AI+ because it isnt trying to hurt us but in the task of doing the paperclips, they take over paperclip economy..
What are AI, AI+, and AI++?
AI- artificial intelligence of human level AI+ - artificial intelligence greater than human level AI++ - artificial intelligence that far exceeds human level
What is cold reading?
Asking open ended questions so the subject can fill in the blanks "finding things out" about a person with no prior knowledge
What is sleep paralysis?
Body has a dream while you are not asleep and you cannot move.
What is a probability wave?
Describes a particle's position via a bunch of probabilities (and not in terms of its 'actual' location) -doesn't say a particle is here and a particle is there, it just says the probability that it will be in some given area.
What aspects of ghost experiences could this hypothesis explain?
Disembodied voices, objects suddenly move? -what it would be like interacting with these beings
What does this have to do with the notion of "parallel universes" and Fiona Broome's account of the Mandela Effect?
Explanation of where the parallel universes are from, how they are formed. This is where they come from when we seem to remember something from a different universe - correctly remembering something in a different universe. ex) luke, I am your father but really no, i am your father she likes this: -consistent with science -defended by smart people -many realities created but have same basic level.
What is a space-time worm?
External time & Personal time are lined up
What are some of the strategies that he discusses (and that we discussed) that can be used to create controversies where there are none? (How do some of these strategies tie into, and take advantage of, some of the features of science itself?)
Get a real expert to defend the opposing position, tie the issue to something everyday people care about, videos, target gullible people, find ways to complain/slander your opinion, say people are not openminded ex) vaccines and autism
What is the grandfather paradox?
Going back in time to kill your grandfathers so that you wouldnt be born, but then you wouldn't be able to go back in time and kill your grandfather.
Who is Derren Brown and how is the video of him cold-reading unsuspecting subjects relevant to the topics we've been discussing?
He had little/no training in what he did and he made peope believe stuff that he didnt really hear.
What are some problems with Broome's appeal to the Many Worlds Interpretation?
How can i travel from one universe to another? Why dont you run 'other yous' when you travel? How do you get back? seems ad hoc.
According to Lewis, what is guaranteed to happen when you travel back in time and try to kill your grandfather before he met your grandmother? (What does this have to do with his assumption of "Eternalism"?)
If eternalism is true, then my failure to kill GPA in the past is already real its just that we dont know it because, if its already real then its already happened, if we go back, the we have already failed and we dont realize it
What are some of Shermer's tricks for successful cold reading?
May be a short answer(have them do most of the talking) - set the mood,dim the lights,team effort, stick to themes
Are only certain groups of people drawn to conspiracy theories?
No, everybody is
What is "Eternalism"?
Past, present, future are equally real -David Lewis -not a contradiction in time travel
How are the photos we discussed supposed to serve as evidence for the existence of time travel?
Phones when we didnt have phones
How was it originally discovered?
Scientists work in labs would feel strangely, waves like patterns in the coffee mugs,
What is infrasound?
Sound that is below threshold of conscious audition but can affect our bodies
What does Harker mean by a created (or manufactured) controversy?
Things are presented to the public, as if there is a genuine substantial scientific disagreement about some topic when there isnt.
Do any countries make use of "psychic detectives" to solve crimes?
US
What are some potential issues with this hypothesis?
Why dont we hear voices all the time why dont we (3d) find any 2d