Although the essays deal with a variety of topics, they all hover around a set of interrelated general themes. Braude’s targets include memory trace theory, inner-cause theories of human behavior generally, Sheldrake’s theory of morphogenetic fields, widespread but simplistic views on the nature of human abilities, multiple personality and moral responsibility, the efficacy of prayer, and the shoddy tactics often used to discredit research on dissociation and parapsychology
In this week’s StarTalk All-Stars, host Bill Nye applies his scientific mind and skeptical nature to fan-submitted Cosmic Queries chosen by co-host Chuck Nice, on subjects from miracles and levitation to conspiracy theories and climate change denial. Explore the nature and practice of magic and illusion, like Pepper’s Ghost shown above, and how the magician’s skill and artistry can be much more important than the technology of a trick. You’ll hear how magicians exploit the human brain’s programming for pattern recognition to fool us, even when they’re telling us exactly what they’re doing, like Penn & Teller. Examine the value Read More
