Gijón FIMP 2010 (I): Skepticism and Science in Internet E hese days held in Gijón the third edition of Meeting Point Internet
Eset, a Spaniard annual forum organized by bringing together elcomerciodigital.com known bloggers and publishers of digital content to discuss various issues with the Internet as a backdrop. Today in particular have taken place two panels of the most interesting: "Critical thinking, skepticism and science", which talk about today, we brought together the heads of the village irreducible
,
Magonia and Return of charlatans , moderated by the
Maikelnai's blog , and "Science and network", which will discuss the next day, which are the two events Forum to attend as I was interested in public and I will share with you the impressions I had.
The official website of the forum, see the complete program and read brief articles that reflected the main content of the talks, and even see them live. The truth is that I've enjoyed it. Have been some interesting talks, entertaining and fun. The relaxed and casual, good cheer and humor. Time has passed fairly quickly. Hotel amenities which reflected the event, very cool and comfortable. The venue was not completed by any means, but we were not few. Touch phones, laptops and netbooks on the tables of a few assistants, and some other ipad, live twittering the event, whose contents come from a review without further delay.
Science Fiction and skepticism
The first question that the moderator wanted to deal with the guests was that told a little about what their experiences had led to the development of critical and skeptical, to which all seemed to have one thing in common: the attraction of science fiction. All young people started taking great interest in various topics addressed by science fiction, a common pattern and quite interesting in itself. Scifi has always had that natural hook that fascinates because outside of the special effects and better or worse success in using science, creative play with possibilities for being different from the known poses interesting thoughts, get easily and almost without trying to make us think. This is in my opinion the great merit of scifi and perhaps is responsible for many skeptics and critics who like to know how the world see in it an attractive vehicle for meeting those needs. Although scifi is, of course, that and more. Moreover, all also began feeling attracted to a pseudo-issue, which was initially approached with sound ingenuity that wants to unravel the mysteries of the unknown and fascinating research. Thus, many critics are aware of the skepticism start as gullible, are interested in a topic while investigating for details on the sole interest of exploring a possible new field of knowledge, they take the great disappointment of the lack of tests, the data manipulated and outright deceptions. And is not that scientists are against aliens visiting us, as pointed Luis Alfonso Gámez of Magonia, because what greater pleasure could be for them, as scientists, that this was true. We would like to believe so, we are wanting. The possibilities for exploration of new knowledge would be immense. Responsible for Magonia also said, apropos of pseudoscience, that there are areas that are attractive in themselves, like the pyramids, aliens who do not need to draw attention, and that kind of cuesiones should be harnessed to adequately inform, and you can do cool things with real content and true, simply because the issues are unmodified. Also alluded to the importance of critical thinking as a tool to use just to make sure they are cheating us. One of the guests used as a metaphor explaining the act of buying a second hand car, where before you buy we make some checks, such as the engine look a little kick or hit four wheels, as an example of critical thinking. If we use for it, use it also for the rest. Check things out, we did not create them just because, cuestionémoslas.
recruitment strategies Another question inquired was the moderator of the type of audience that wanted to reach bloggers and the more general question of how to bring critical thinking to the whole world . Here there were two strategies different. Mauricio Schwarz, The Return of charlatans, favored a direct and aggressive critical style, which is why some readers attributed rather abruptly in his texts. This has the disadvantage of being a journalist rather limited to the circle of those who are sympathetic to their ideas, so that a direct and negative title as "The Power Balance is a scam" and by itself will make those who believe it does not tempted to read the article. It is a psychological issue. People do not like being told they're wrong. Direct denials cause a negative psychological impact of a sudden, as I commented perceptively
Dale Carnegie in How to friends and influence people , who suggested a little more tact in these matters. Perhaps that is why Javier Peláez, irreducible village uses a different strategy. He proposes, in his words, the use of misleading titles, and joked with the famous bracelet explaining that instead of "The Power Balance does not work", he titled "The Power Balance makes theirs", so that to the gullible who have bought are attracted or tempted to read the content, which increases the chances of that report back. I take communion more with this second view. If we want to reach everyone, including the gullible, if we have the possibility to "convert" to the "infidels" have to be smarter than them, use psychology, that it is. Have not used by advertisers to encourage us to eat? As disseminators should have no more scruples.
abuse of scientists on television The issue of scientific and critical thinkers as partners in television, both debates as sections, also had its place in this discussion. The guest explained how many scientists were invited to programs that had nothing to do with the issue that supposedly were going to try, suddenly found himself in embarrassing situations with a feeling almost shameful not to paint anything there, and we all remember the "I've come to talk about my book, and understood a little better how bad could one feel cheated if carried to a television program. Many interventions also distort visiting scientist, out of context or using them for the benefit of the program itself, using the halo of prestige that surrounds the real science to force the guarantor of the pseudoscience offered. It also mentioned some tricks of these magazines: photo montages or custom-made computer graphics to media studies for use as evidence in the contents of their magazines or documentaries uncovered by critical that personal contacts with the study in question confirms the authorship of the commission, and therefore, misleading, and concealed then after the publication of the critic and the subsequent refusal of journals and studies to make statements to regard. In this item I would also remember the words of denunciation
who wrote the psychologist Pilar Varela relating to poor staging that scientists often have as guests on TV, compared to sellers of smoke, seasoned real showmen in the art of getting to their audience through the use of the word as a weapon, not really, but of authority. Another strategy magufa very fashionable lately, is to change the terms of lifelong science-sounding jargon without being, creating a greater impact on people. Louis, Magonia, gave as an example the recent change in terminology has been the EVP
lifetime, a word that was not serious and was taken to laughter even among non-critical, the most instrumental modeln transcommunication buzzword
, which of course, is thinner and more serious as it seems.
works for me! The great psychological trap the gullible. The "works for me." The output of all fears the most critical listen as the argument to the least can do. Self-deception where the same individual who gives all power to the belief in making erroneous attributions. Superstition combines with the other great classic "injury is not going to do." And so we have more than half the population being some kind of red clothing on New Years Eve. Some because they believe it brings good luck. Others just in case, total damage is not going to do. It is also interesting to see how the human mind when it unveils a scam. The subject automatically finds another way to justify the investment to feel better, and so we have people who have acquired miraculous bracelets and finally become convinced that it does not work, reacting with a "good, is cool." I know someone who invested a considerable sum of money in one of those new vibrating platforms that only vibrate but that promise weight loss and muscle toning. I managed to convince her that it is impossible to serve for that purpose, and we looked for reasons cited by Internet. His reaction was: "Oh ... Well, at least the sessions relaxed and let me sleep better." It is found that "the consoles is not because they want."
The strength of belief But a magazine or a person to deny the facts of which he is accused is not the worst and saddest que puede suceder. Lo más triste que puede suceder y que de hecho sucede es cuando el medio difusor del bulo reconoce públicamente la estafa y, pese a ello, quienes se lo habían creído niegan entonces la validez de la confesión y se reafirman en la creencia del engaño. Y es que la estupidez humana a veces parece no tener límites. Y hablando de creencias les dio tiempo a los invitados a mencionar la Psicología cognitiva y la inmensa cantidad de maneras que tenemos de engañarnos a nosotros mismos, sobre lo cual los invitados nos pusieron algunos ejemplos prácticos divertidos de los que participamos todos los asistentes en vivo y en directo. Con Mauricio vimos manipulaciones de imágenes para convertir casi cualquier cosa en un elemento parapsychology, and Luis Alfonso Gámez saw a couple of
Pareidolia , including the famous pareidolia sound of the song "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin, who like me did not know, I discovered in real time at the moment and I was stunned. It was also noted that although we have psychology as mental schemes that favor the irrational belief because our brain is also a heuristic to solve problems not necessarily appeal to reason, if only for reasons of efficiency (I add), however the people distinguish very well between fantasy and reality, and concludes that the problem is mainly that most people have no alternative data (and often conflicting, I also add) that given the means to those who have regular contact, with all this more a matter of misinformation than anything else, which leads to problem of education and responsibility of the media, issues have been addressed at the next lecture and we will discuss the next day.
Excerpt from the book 
