Notes from a good book

Notes

1/8/19

Notes from The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe-How to Know What’s Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake, By Dr. Steven Novella.

1. Antiquity as expert.

“Millions of people can believe something for thousands of years, even if that belief has no basis in reality.”

I am thinking of acupuncture and religion for starters.

2. If it is natural it is good for you.

…”every organism and species is out for itself.Plants for example have evolved all sorts of chemicals that are poisonous to animals as a deterrent to eating them. In this sense, nature is actively trying to kill us.”… some herbalists have taken a decidedly creationist approach.They argue that God or some benevolent being created natural things specifically to serve humanity.

It takes that extreme level of hubris to conclude that nature is inherently healthful to humans.” My advice, don’t go wandering around the woods sampling random plants, especially mushrooms.

3…”all physical effects have physical causes. There are no non physical or nonmaterial causes of physical effects. p. 145

4. “Supernatural” therefore, is untestable magic. p.146.

5.”It actually does not matter how scientists come up with their ideas.They can get them from science fiction, popular culture or a drug trip. It simply doesn’t matter. What does matter is how those ideas are tested— later justification”. p.154.

6. Objective science. Through observation we see that the earth is round: a sphere. Then we studied more and found it is flattened at the equator and slightly fatter in the Southern Hemisphere.  “These detail however don’t change the basic understanding of Earth as roughly a sphere. That is objectively its shape. This paradigm will never shift into a model of the Earth as a cube”. p.155 

7. The UFO problem.

So far the UFO problem has not resulted in any visit by aliens to the White House lawn.

Occam’s razor applies here and the supporters of alien visits introduce a new explanation for every hitch in their narrative.

“For each question, they introduce a new assumption to explain the apparent problem away.

They don’t just violate Occam’s razor, they dig up the corpse of Ockham and pound his bones to dust.

Sometimes Occam’s razor is all we have between us and belief in nonsense. It’s often true that the elaborate and highly rigged theories of pseudoscientists aren’t impossible. We may even not be able to prove they are not true. But they’re often simply unnecessary. Once sliced away by an appropriate use of Occam’s razor, there is no reason to reject the far simpler conclusion that aliens are simply not visiting Earth.” p. 160.

I love owning this book, and so far it has afforded me many belly laughs. I am half way through, and will write more on the subject in the future, but may not post it to sensitive relatives who would be insulted by the contents.

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History

Just a few comments this morning from a concerned citizen.

History repeats

1/8/19

When Hitler came to power back in the 1930’s Germany, he had a great propaganda machine going.

He had the Jews to hate, and the rest of the world to blame for his own country’s defeat in war and subsequent economic collapse.

His whole focus was to “Make Germany Great Again”, and simply to rule the world.

Our present leader is not smart enough to follow the guidelines set down by the National Socialist Party of Germany in 1930.

He simply uses his own faulty reasoning and petty grievances to try to convince the American electorate that black is white and pain is good.

If we look at the pain part, we have plenty to go around.

After “owning” the government shut down and causing hundreds of thousands of people worry and pain and economic hardship, he sends his lackey Pence to the news outlets to say it is all the Democrats’ fault for “not coming to the negotiating table”.

There you go- black is white!

When we have such monumental liars in charge of our government, it is never a good outcome.

When the Fool in Chief addresses the country tonight I will not watch or listen.

I may tune in tomorrow to see the fallout and exposure of his lies on news outlets, but for the sake of my mental well being, I think watching a Disney movie would be more beneficial.

At least there I know that the story is all fiction, and I will be entertained

Note- For the readers that do not study history, you will not understand the seriousness of our national situation.

For those who are entrenched in their good opinion of the liar in the White House, there is no changing a block heads’ mind. Good luck with trying to think logically..

Truth

The Truth is in there somewhere.

12/31/18

For my end of the year blog I am cribbing from a book published this year.

The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe is one of the more intelligent books out there, and I will be picking out relevant bits to share with my readers, if any.

Here is a direct quote.

“ It’s intimidating to realize that we live in a world overflowing with misinformation, bias, myths, deception, and flawed knowledge. We are all children and there are no adults. There is no ultimate authority figures; no one has the secret; there is no revealed knowledge; and there is no place to look up the definitive answers to our questions (not even Google).” Page xiii.

Here are the stumbling blocks to accurate memory.

Fusion-We mix up past memories.

Confabulation-Put simply, we make shit up.

Personalize- We put ourselves in other peoples’ stories.

Contamination-People are social animals and in a group often details will be exchanged, so that others’ memories become our own.

Distortion-Memories can be distorted by suggestion.

As I have stated in other essays, I have some memories that concern my children, and they do not match with their version.

Since so much time has passed, it is pointless to hash over 40 year old events to try to get down to the “real” happening, but we can be on the lookout that our brain likes to make up stuff, and we can’t always trust our memories.

I was discussing the social media with my son, and we agreed that we have some immunity from the effects of television and the internet “news”.

If you are not subjected to the media from age 1 onwards, you have some protection.

For the most part, I ignore the media, as I have only a phone that can make calls and not support “apps”.

A lifetime of reading good literature instead of checking my phone 40 times a day has given me a different perspective on life.

I would not say that I have the Truth of things, but pride myself on not being taken in by snake oil salesman through social media.

Memories

Memories

12/30/18

In a new book I am reading a section that deals with memories. I had a discussion with my adult daughter some years back where she denied some story that had happened years before.

She had intended to go to Reno to get married to her Significant Other. On the way they had an argument and the hotel room was spoiled by having to hear construction noises next door.

They decided just to drink the champagne without going through with the ceremony. They remained “engaged” for 22 years while living together.

When I asked what had led to the argument she denied ever telling me that story.

I think she had some memory loss due to drugs while going through chemo therapy and self medicating with cannabis for years.

Our memories are not perfect.

Another case in point was when my youngest son told me that he never forgot me spanking him in front of his kindergarten class.

That kind of action would definitely not have happened as I never would have shamed him in public. I cannot even recall spanking him at all.

At five years old, a child can pick up emotions very readily and transfer guilt feelings to fantastical scenarios.

Now that we have Fact Check facilities on our social media it is getting more difficult to “remember” something incorrectly due to ego or expedience.

Memories

Past year

Past Year

12/29/18

At the end of the calendar year we hear of those who look ahead and make promises to themselves about what they want to accomplish. I look back and wonder what I have learned.

A case in point was the ongoing problem of housing. I want to move to an area that is safer and not over run with homeless.

Just this week I noticed that a little shelter has been built in the corner of the apartment property next to the shopping center. It is on neither property but an easement for utilities.

No one has done anything about it yet, and the rain storm was warded off by oilcloth table cloth and plastic tarps. The walls are fiberboard and junk laden carts.

I do not feel like it is dangerous and must be very uncomfortable, but it is a sign of society breakdown which makes me feel vulnerable.

I went on my own to apply to a complex in a small town closer to my son, and I forgot to check with him to see if he was available to take me there to put in the papers.

Unfortunately he was not, and would be out of town for a week.

I missed out on getting a nice apartment there, with upscale shopping, but there is hope that another unit will come available in a few months.

Then I had to go to the doctor for a flare up on my arm where I had a growth removed.

I took two busses and waled for 30 minutes to get to the doctor’s office. After the doctor prescribed antibiotics, I came back to my drugstore and found that it was not ready.

The next morning I went back to the drugstore to buy 20 tablets at $52.50.

All of these problems taught me that I can handle most little crisis on my own, and though my son has declared that he wants me closer to him so that he can tend to my health needs, I suspect that the more that I handle my own health the better off I will be.

We make grandiose plans, and then think that all will be well, but life intervenes.

To make myself a bit more independent, I will save up to buy a car and in the meantime buy a bus pass.

I think for the future to help my mental health I should do some volunteering in the new town.

As it is, the two years that I have spent in a Hispanic neighborhood has been educational no matter what the crime rate and national dysfunction.

Family

Family minefield

12/15/18

Thee have been plenty of stories about family holiday disasters. I have had my share as a child, and several as an adult.

When I was a teen ager I was responsible for cooking a homegrown turkey for Thanksgiving. I forgot to precook the celery in the dressing, and so it was half baked. Before that, one Easter, my younger brother made some nasty remark at the table and was sent to his room without his dinner.

On both occasions there were family friends invited, and so my embarrassment was very public.

As an adult, I did have some successes cooking for the tribe and having a nice holiday season. One Christmas we were sort of short on cash for gifts, so I took a dead tree limb and wrapped it with crepe paper and wrapped up empty boxes to put under it.

My in laws were aghast at this pitiful attempt to disguise our poverty.

At least I tried.

Later on, as I was getting away from big family gatherings, my son refused a gift for his son.

I had such a downer over that, until I remembered that I was so used to having the role of provider and holding a good opinion as to what was suitable to give. I had to re think my feelings and realize that I did not have to offer gifts at all, so could stay out of trouble with daughter in law who is of a different culture, and has decided opinions of her own as how to raise her child.

The moral of the story is – if you want to avoid explosions, stay out of the minefields.