Humanity wins the more we become seekers of RELIABLE knowledge. What are the best ways to obtain it? What constitutes SOUND evidence? How do we asses sources? We as society will always come to the best solutions by following this tenet. We still have to be moral, to do the right thing, and I hope to aid those who would be oppressed for reasons they have no control over.
Lets make the world a better place. Getting the right answers to questions is a great start.
Someone sent me a link to this video early on and I just didn’t have time to look at it. Glad I didn’t bother. At that point I was in the midst of a time-crunched project (Powered Paragliding Bible 6). Someone I trust to rely on sound evidence, and who understands how reliable knowledge works, […]
Continue Reading“Freethought” for me means not being constrained by dogma. Going wherever the evidence leads, even if that goes against my previous understanding or societal thought. There is one exception: the dogma of sound evidence. It’s the toolkit that prevents us from fooling ourselves about what we see around us. It means valuing QUALITY research by […]
Continue ReadingYou weigh 1% less at the equator than at the poles. Earth’s spin is trying to fling you off like being on the outer edge of a merry-go-round. How would you quantify the effect, and differentiate between the poles and equator? I’m sometimes thinking of ways to help flat earthers re-embrace science and this came […]
Continue ReadingI was reading about this cool Russian X-Ray orbiting observatory when it dawned on me that I couldn’t even have a conversation about it with flat earthers. Besides believing in a flat earth, they don’t believe we have satellites. Think about that. It requires the increasing number of companies, in an increasing number of space-faring […]
Continue ReadingScience is merely the collection of tools that lead to our most reliable knowledge. Different tools work in different situations but they all require taking careful, methodical measurements. Quality tools work when wielded properly by people who know how to use them while sincerely trying to learn. An underpinning of science is the realization that […]
Continue ReadingWe now know that most stars have planets, meaning there are 100+ BILLION planets in our own galaxy, the Milky Way. If even one-in-a-million planets has life, there should be MILLIONS of planets with life in them! Where are all the aliens? This question is called the Fermi Paradox. The drake equation merely lists those […]
Continue ReadingAll knowledge comes in degrees of certainty or reliability. Reliability is merely an expression of certainty. We’re MORE certain of knowledge if it: Comes from sound evidence. Makes sense with how the universe works. Is not based on less reliable knowledge. We build stuff that works by basing it on reliable knowledge. How will gasoline […]
Continue ReadingBy 2010 it was clear that peanut allergies were a growing problem. And it wasn’t just doctors diagnosing them more often — more kids were presenting at emergency rooms with serious symptoms, and occasionally dying. Not surprisingly, the American Association of Pediatrics (AAP) came out with advice to not feed peanut containing foods to babies. […]
Continue ReadingIf you can test something yourself, that’s the best source. You can believe yourself *BUT*, realize the power of bias. We are the easiest to fool if we are trying to validate our own understanding rather than really test it. Test a claim using methods that others will use who question the claim. Otherwise they’ll […]
Continue ReadingIn spite of easily replicated evidence, there are people who still believe the earth is flat. Given how I marvel at how this could be true, I found this National Geographic video helps understand it. Go here to see my suggestion to a flat-earth believer on how to test it for himself with me. Mostly […]
Continue ReadingWe read about distances to stars but how do we know? What’s cool is how simple most of the techniques are–requiring little more than the willingness to look at the stars at different times of the year. After those curious humans figured out how fast light travels, and how reliably it travels that fast, they […]
Continue ReadingReliable knowledge is important. I saw how fragile it is, and how often nonsense gets pedalled after getting into paramotoring (see FootFlyer.com) and seeing just out how much misinformation was out there. Only a couple years in revealed that much of what was taught regarding safety was wrong. I’d get bits and pieces of good […]
Continue ReadingThere is only one Science. It’s the collection of tools that help us extract reliable knowledge. We know a tool works because the knowledge it uncovers can withstand challenge or serve as a reliable building block for other knowledge.
Continue ReadingSo why does this whole bit about knowledge matter? Good question. Primarily, it’s because knowledge has consequences. If you think that Albinos have special powers and are inately evil then you may be OK with killing them and mixing their bones into a special sauce. That’s happened. Search “Persecution of people with albinism” and marvel […]
Continue ReadingSo you fancy yourself a critical thinker. You get the importance of basing knowledge on evidence, but what constitutes GOOD evidence? Nearly everyone says they have evidence for all manner of claims. But evidence comes in degrees of quality, of certainty. Belief should be granted in proportion to the evidence. If you think that Lord […]
Continue ReadingCritical thinking is the process of analyzing information using logic, reason, and measurable evidence to gain the most reliable knowledge process. We should strive to thinkers. Not feigning intellect to impress people, but rather seeking the most reliable knowledge so we make the best decisions. It includes understanding and seeking sound evidence on which to base […]
Continue ReadingHow many times do we hear that something is “Black and White?” It may be true occasionally, but most often that something is shades of gray. The physical universe is full of shades. Planets orbit in a habitable zone, physical states like solids and liquids can be difficult to define, and all kinds of weirdness […]
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