This Ted Talk is about belief. It's a quick overview of the science on the subject and some conjecture about how we evolved to be this way. Michael Shermer says that our natural tendency to identify patterns is related to dopamine levels, and that a person who is "too skeptical" may not have enough dopamine. My doctor recently told me that I might benefit from a supplement intended to increase dopamine levels. I am a full bore skeptic. I wonder if it will make a difference. It occurs to me also that my friend B who has Asperger's takes Ritalin prior to attending social events. This is an interesting new association for this unbeliever to contemplate...
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- liveonearth (
liveonearth) wrote,
liveonearth
liveonearth
Belief vs Skepticism
This Ted Talk is about belief. It's a quick overview of the science on the subject and some conjecture about how we evolved to be this way. Michael Shermer says that our natural tendency to identify patterns is related to dopamine levels, and that a person who is "too skeptical" may not have enough dopamine. My doctor recently told me that I might benefit from a supplement intended to increase dopamine levels. I am a full bore skeptic. I wonder if it will make a difference. It occurs to me also that my friend B who has Asperger's takes Ritalin prior to attending social events. This is an interesting new association for this unbeliever to contemplate...
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QotD: What is an Intellectual?
An intellectual is someone who's discovered something more interesting than sex. --Aldous Huxley
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QotD: I Think
I think, therefore I am... confused. --Benjamin Hoff in The Tao of Pooh
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QotD: the cost of loving
“If you’ve got a heart at all, someday it will kill you.” —Rita Dove, poet
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