Skeptic Magazine founder Michael Shermer takes us on a hilarious romp through the strange claims we humans put forth as truth - from alien encounters to Virgin Mary sightings on pizza pies, to hidden messages revealed while playing "Stairway to Heaven" backwards - and explains the evolutionary and cognitive basis for these lapses in reason. Don't miss the one-minute challenge testing your own observational skills... Shermer is the founder/publisher of Skeptic Magazine, and author of several books, including Why People Believe Weird Things. (Recorded February 2006 in Monterey, CA. Duration: 17:29)
Download this talk: Audio (MP3) | Video (MP4)
More TEDTalks: TEDTalks website | iTunes (audio) | iTunes (video)
Blog this video: Use this code to run the video on your own site:
Subscribe to TEDTalks for free, automatic updates.
