Thursday, May 9, 2013

IVC's Distinguished Academic Lecture Series: Michael Shermer, "Skeptic"

Shermer is the author of The Believing Brain: From Ghosts and Gods to Politics and Conspiracies—How We Construct Beliefs and Reinforce Them as Truths

I mildly entertaining presentation
But "skepticism" is important

IVC's Performing Arts Center: a full house

Shermer is, well, shorter in person

Professor Roopa Mathur

Professor Michael Cassens

Performing Arts Center

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Michael Shermer was there? Wow: great! Much needed. I listened to my students talking about astrology the other day and could hardly stand it. I didn't want to seem to grumpy, so I just let them know that I do not believe in any such thing at ALL--not one iota. Who knows if that moved them at all. I will recommend that they take my "reasoning and logic" course next year, though.----MAH

Anonymous said...

Why doesn't your "fair blog" do a new thread on the corrupt Obama admin and the Democrats? It now dominates headline news, ya know...

I recall this blog doing countless hit pieces on "those corrupt conservatives and Republicans"

Let's be fair, Roy. The Oboy admin is turning out to be more corrupt than tricky Dick!

Anonymous said...

Oh oh! Someone's been listening to AM talk radio and watching Fox and thinking they
are actually reporting "news."

Anonymous said...

Actually I saw it this morning on George Stephanopolus's show.

Roy Bauer said...

We have never been in the habit of covering national news, unless it concerns higher education. We made some exceptions during the height of the Presidential election, I suppose.
I observe, however, that Obama will have to work much much harder to ever reach the depths of corruption and incompetence reached by the Bush administration, which, you'll recall, caused our nation to sink $2 trillion on a war justified by lies and cherry-picked evidence. Fudging the facts about an Embassy fiasco? That's barely a blip on the screen in comparison, and you know it.
In fact, the Bush nadir is so low that it is virtually unreachable for Obama and his crowd.
F*cking pay attention. Think for once. And stop watching Fox. It'll rot your brain.

Anonymous said...

But remember, he "saw" "it." Surely that settles "it."

Anonymous said...

Roy sounds really pissed. Probably cuz his team is losing big time. See no evil, huh? It's all beginning to unravel...

Anonymous said...

Time to run along, little man, and have mom make you a sandwich. A nap will help, too.

Anonymous said...

Cherry-picking; what the state-controlled media does.

Anonymous said...

Looks like liberal Democrats are really the ones who are inherently corrupt.

Anonymous said...

10:56, you are so funny. It's actually the opposite: it's the ones with the progressive mindset who are napping at mid-day, having mommy make them sandwiches, cookies and milk, and getting their news from the View. They lay on their beds, srairing at faded posters of Oboy hopelessly wondering when a job will be delivered. The unemployment check comes: Oboy, time to partaaay, get bath salts, do beer bongs and get inked! Then its back to mom's to crash. Next day, get mommy to call Social Security to see what's holding up that SSI application!

On the other hand it's really the young conservatives who have the jobs and don't depend on mommy. The one's who can think for themselves without the help of single mommy and big daddy Govt., who never bought into all the false promises and hopes from Oboy, that genius metrosexual hell bent on transforming America into something totally FUBAR.

Roy Bauer said...

As usual: no arguments, just assertions.
1:33, this is a college blog. Make a case for your theses. And don't beg questions.
You might want to take a basic logic course before proceeding. We offer them here at the college.
10:56: funny, but utterly dismissive, insubstantial.
Perhaps that is the best one can do with these Tea People.

Anonymous said...

It looks like junior's all cwanky--mom forgot to buy Oreos again, eh? Run along and play with your little friends and let the grownups do the thinking, ok?

Anonymous said...

Seems to me, Roy, that BO has abused the unlimited power of his govt. to violate some people's civil rights.

As I recall, not long ago you accused Raghu of doing the same exact thing to you and your friends. And you were all over it like stink on shit.

So where's all the outrage, Roy? Where is your pal Carol Soble on this? Where are all the multiple, daily update threads on your bolg?

Or is it just acceptable to you because it happened to conservatives?

Where's all the outrage about a president who violates citizen's civil rights?

Roy Bauer said...

Please ignore the troll. Do not respond to him.

Anonymous said...

Please, don't pay any attention to that man behind the curtain, he shouldn't concern you.

Just do what Roy says and concentrate on following that yellow brick road he calls DTB.

Roy's obituary in LA Times and Register: "we were lucky to have you while we did"

  This ran in the Sunday December 24, 2023 edition of the Los Angeles Times and the Orange County Register : July 14, 1955 - November 20, 2...