Sep 21, 2012
Appropriate to Episode #13, given the superstitious
associations of that particular number, our guest today, Guy P.
Harrison, is a debunker of superstitions and paranormal beliefs of
all stripes. He joins Justin Trottier at The Star Spot to discuss
his newest book 50 Popular Beliefs That People Think Are
True. After an introduction to skepticism, why it's vitally
important and how it differs from simply cynicism or denial, the
two focus down on a variety of exciting specific beliefs: ancient
aliens, modern UFOs, abductions, astrology, and the moon landing
hoax. Harrison explains what convinced him to give up his belief
that ancient aliens visited the Earth. He explains what we can
learn about psychology and culture by looking seriously at alien
abduction experiences. He confronts the most effective arguments of
the moon landing hoax community and finally explains why we
shouldn't take our newspaper horoscopes too seriously.
In Current in Space we comment on discussions from the 100
Year Starship initiative which seeks to prepare for interstellar
travel within a century. At a recent symposium everything from new
possibilities for warp drives to a debate about whether religion
should accompany humanity was on the table. Finally, we provide an
update on the status of the B612 Foundation's Sentinel
mission, a sun-orbiting telescope that will increase our ability to
track dangerous asteroids on potential collision courses with
Earth.
About Guy P. Harrison
Guy P. Harrison graduated with a history and anthropology
degree from the university of southern florida. He is an award
winning writer, journalist and photographer. Harrison is the author
of a number of books, including Race and Reality: What Everyone
Should Know about Our Biological Diversity, 50 Reasons
People Give for Believing in a God, and his newest book,
50 Popular Beliefs That People Think Are True, described
as a skeptical grand tour of extraordinary claims such as ESP,
ghosts, psyhics, hoemopathic medicine, bigfoot and more. His
primary interest is to promote science and skeptical inquiry.
