Gene Expression: James Watson Tells the Inconvenient Truth: Faces the Consequences ... [M]ight it be fair also to say that the champions of 'no difference' in race or sex, or intelligence ... are the guardians of a greater 'untruth' that allows people to live together in mutual harmony, implying that these critics really deserve to be praised as our protectors even when they are factually wrong? ... it is roughly how the self-appointed guardians choose to present themselves - leaving aside, usually, the step of frankly admitting that they are promoting factual untruths when they know that they are. W.D. Hamilton - ("... one of the greatest evolutionary theorists of the 20th century"). The public intellectual forum is being manipulated with intimidation and coercion and you are being lied to. It's difficult to name many more important living figures in 20th century biology than James Watson. Given such an august curriculum vitae, you would think that this man perhaps understands just a few things about genetics. ... Dr. ...
Top 10 Thinking Traps Exposed Our minds set up many traps for us. Unless we’re aware of them, these traps can seriously hinder our ability to think rationally, leading us to bad reasoning and making stupid decisions. Features of our minds that are meant to help us may, eventually, get us into trouble. Here are the first 5 of the most harmful of these traps and how to avoid each one of them. 1. The Anchoring Trap: Over-Relying on First Thoughts “Is the population of Turkey greater than 35 million? Lesson: Your starting point can heavily bias your thinking: initial impressions, ideas, estimates or data “anchor” subsequent thoughts. This trap is particularly dangerous as it’s deliberately used in many occasions, such as by experienced salesmen, who will show you a higher-priced item first, “anchoring” that price in your mind, for example. What can you do about it? Always view a problem from different perspectives. 2. Consider the status quo as just another alternative. 3. Be OK with making mistakes. 4. 5.
Cognitive science gaining ground in U.S. academic religion studies | FaithWorld The academic study of religion has come a long way from the days when knowledge of scripture, history and a few ancient languages were the main qualifications a scholar needed. Psychology, sociology and other social sciences have been applied to the field for over a century. Over the past 20 years, cognitive science has been edging into the field, especially with the explosion of neuroscience research. Some of the hottest research into religion is now being done with brain scanners searching for data on what happens inside believers’ heads when they pray or feel a special connection to God. (Photo: John Teehan at the Neuroscience Boot Camp, 6 Aug 2009/Tom Heneghan) Among the participants at the University of Pennsylvania’s Neuroscience Boot Camp I’m attending this week and next is John Teehan, an associate professor in the religion department at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. Religion also seems to play a role in drawing lines between an in-group and an out-group.
10 More Common Faults in Human Thought Humans This list is a follow up to Top 10 Common Faults in Human Thought. Thanks for everyone’s comments and feedback; you have inspired this second list! It is amazing that with all these biases, people are able to actually have a rational thought every now and then. There is no end to the mistakes we make when we process information, so here are 10 more common errors to be aware of. The confirmation bias is the tendency to look for or interpret information in a way that confirms beliefs. The Availability heuristic is gauging what is more likely based on vivid memories. Illusion of Control is the tendency for individuals to believe they can control or at least influence outcomes that they clearly have no influence on. Interesting Fact: when playing craps in a casino, people will throw the dice hard when they need a high number and soft when they need a low number. The Planning fallacy is the tendency to underestimate the time needed to complete tasks. Bonus Attribute Substitution
Journal for the Cognitive Science of Religion Editors Pascal Boyer, Washington University in St. LouisArmin W. Geertz, Aarhus University Luther H. Martin, University of Vermont Managing EditorsRyan McKay, Royal Holloway, University of London Dimitris Xygalatas. Book review Editor Istvan Czachesz, Ruprecht-Karls-Universitat Heidelberg Send books for review to: Istvan Czachesz Ruprecht-Karls-Universitat Heidelberg Wissenschaftlich-Theologisches Seminar Kisselgasse 1 D-69117 HeidelbergGermany Journal for the Cognitive Science of Religion is the official journal of the International Association for the Cognitive Science of Religion (IACSR). The cognitive science of religion is a burgeoning field that finds itself in the center of cross-disciplinary research. The editors will consider the following types of original papers: YouTube channel of the Brno research centre LEVYNA - Laboratory for the experimental research of religions Frequency: Continuous online publication comprising 2 issues per volume year Announcements
Developing Creativity and Innovation: Think More Abstractly Creative problem solving is enhanced by thinking more abstractly or at an intellectual distance, rather than more concretely, according to research studies. In my post Using Research to Enhance Creative Thinking – Part 2, I quoted from the article “15 Scientific Facts About Creativity” which notes that “psychological distance” facilitates creativity, and “when hitting a creative snag, the best thing thinkers can do for themselves is step away and try to look at everything from a completely different point of view.” Evan Polman of New York University and Kyle Emich of Cornell University devised four studies on this creative strategy, with results published in their paper: “Decisions for others are more creative than decisions for the self” [Abstract]. One of the interesting comments on this post: “I suspect this demonstrates the advantage of being in careers which empower us to solve the problems of people who desire creative solutions. Books by Daniel Pink:
Cognitive Science and Religion John F. Kihlstrom University of California, Berkeley Paper presented at a conference on "Religion and Cognitive Science: From conflict to connection", co-sponsored by the Graduate Theological Union and the University of California, Berkeley. For those of you who are from out of town, or at least not denizens of either Berkeley or Holy Hill, let me welcome you again to this conference on religion and cognitive science. So here's mine. Cognition is about knowledge and knowing, and cognitive science tries to understand the acquisition, representation, and use of knowledge by minds, brains, machines, and social entities. A Capsule History of Cognitive Science The deep origins of cognitive science are in modern philosophy -- which, since Descartes, has been focused on problems of epistemology, as opposed to metaphysics, ethics, and other traditional areas. Nevertheless, the 1960s were a period of rapid development on many fronts (Baars, 1986; Gardner, 1985; Hirst & Miller, 1988).
Meditation Health Benefits: What The Practice Does To Your Body We hear it all the time: Meditation can improve our creative thinking, our energy, stress levels and even our success. Prominent artists, businessmen and politicians cop to the practice. Would it work for you? "It did to my mind what going to the gym did to my body -- it made it both stronger and more flexible," said Dr. Studies show that meditation is associated with improvement in a variety of psychological areas, including stress, anxiety, addiction, depression, eating disorders and cognitive function, among others. For one thing, it changes our brain. "Think of the end of a neuron as a hand, with thousands of 'fingers,'" said Dr. Want to learn more? This story appears in Issue 47 of our weekly iPad magazine, Huffington, in the iTunes App store, available Friday, May 3. Related on HuffPost:
Best evidence yet that a single gene can affect IQ - health - 16 April 2012 By Andy Coghlan A massive genetics study relying on MRI brain scans and DNA samples from over 20,000 people has revealed what is claimed as the biggest effect yet of a single gene on intelligence – although the effect is small. There is little dispute that genetics accounts for a large amount of the variation in people’s intelligence, but studies have consistently failed to find any single genes that have a substantial impact. Instead, researchers typically find that hundreds of genes contribute. Following a brain study on an unprecedented scale, an international collaboration has now managed to tease out a single gene that does have a measurable effect on intelligence. But the effect – although measurable – is small: the gene alters IQ by just 1.29 points. “It seems like the biggest single-gene impact we know of that affects IQ,” says Paul Thompson of the University of California, Los Angeles, who led the collaboration of 207 researchers. Two teaspoons “C is the good one,” says Thompson.
The 'thinking cap' that could unlock your inner genius and boost creativity By Fiona Macrae Updated: 07:39 GMT, 30 September 2008 There is a theory that the spark of genius lurks hidden within all of us. Now scientists are developing a 'thinking cap' that could turn that theory into practice and unlock the amazing potential of the human brain. The device uses tiny magnetic pulses to change the way the brain works and has produced remarkable results in tests. Wearing the hairnet-like cap for a few minutes improved artistic ability and proof-reading skills. If the technique is perfected, the device could be marketed as a cap slipped on to boost creativity when inspiration is low. The Australian experiments are inspired by savants, people who, like Dustin Hoffman's character in the film Rain Man, have amazing skills or talents despite a severe mental disability. Some have mind-boggling calculating skills or 'internal calendar' that can almost instantly work out the day that any given date fell on. Around 10 per cent of people with autism are savants.
Richard Carrier Blogs: Books on Ancient Science Ptolemy, Galen, Soranus, etc.). Next in line is the much shorter (and easier to read) two-volume set by G.E.R. Lloyd, Greek Science: Thales to Aristotle (1970) and Greek Science after Aristotle (1973). These are also out of date, but less so, and though they are much less extensive in coverage, this fact adds up to the converse advantage that they are a quick read. They also cover the Roman period. An even shorter survey of ancient science has recently been written. Rihll's book has three defects. A good supplement to all of the above is the collection of Cohen and Drabkin, A Source Book in Greek Science (1948). Finally, there is Lucio Russo's The Forgotten Revolution: How Science Was Born in 300 BC and Why it Had to Be Reborn (2003), which is a revised edition (and translation) of La rivoluzione dimenticata (1996). There are a few related tendencies toward hyperbolic theorizing in the book, such as his effort to argue that the Roman engineer Hero invented motion pictures (pp. 139-41).
The Neuroscience of Imagination Albert Einstein said of the theory of relativity, "I thought of it while riding my bicycle." Anyone who exercises regularly knows that your thinking process changes when you are walking, jogging, biking, swimming, riding the elliptical trainer, etc. New ideas tend to bubble up and crystallize when you are inside the aerobic zone. You are able to connect the dots and problem solve with a cognitive flexibility that you don't have when you are sitting at your desk. Aerobic exercise clears the cobwebs from your mind and gives you access to insights that are out of reach when you are sedentary. What is happening to the electrical, chemical and architectural environment of our brains when we exercise that stimulates our imagination and makes us more creative? Many scientists believe that the creative process springs as much from the subconscious as it does from a conscious thought process. The moment of truth, the sudden emergence of a new insight, is an act of intuition .
IQ scores reflect motivation as well as 'intelligence' Ever since there have been IQ tests, people have debated what they actually measure. Is it “intelligence”, is it an abstract combination of mental abilities, or is it, as Edwin Boring said, “the capacity to do well in an intelligence test”? Regardless of the answer, studies have repeatedly shown that people who achieve higher scores in IQ tests are more likely to do well in school, perform well in their jobs, earn more money, avoid criminal convictions, and even live longer. Say what you like about the tests, but they have predictive power. However, Angela Lee Duckworth from the University of Pennsylvania has found that this power is overrated. The link between our IQs and our fates becomes muddier when we consider motivation – an aspect of test-taking that is often ignored. Many standardised tests assume that the people who take them are alert and motivated. To look at how motivation affects IQ scores, Duckworth reviewed 25 previous studies, which included a total of 2,008 people.
15 styles of Distorted Thinking 15 styles of Distorted Thinking Filtering: You take the negative details and magnify them while filtering out all positive aspects of a situation. Polarized Thinking: Things are black or white, good or bad. You have to be perfect or you're a failure. Checklist for Hidden Anger Procrastination in the completion of imposed tasks.