Torture Doesn't Work

In this video, based on his column on the subject in Scientific American, Michael Shermer demonstrates why torture does not work as a method of extracting useful and actionable information, primarily because people being tortured will say anything to stop the pain, including confessing to crimes they didn’t commit (like witchcraft) and giving false information (where a terrorist attack may happen next).

Instead, studies show that developing a rapport with the person under interrogation produces higher quality intelligence.



Read the column on which this video is based: Why torture doesn’t work by Michael Shermer

Believe Me, It’s Torture by Christopher Hitchens

Learn more about the Skeptics Society

Bible Interpretation: Upside Down

In an upside-down world, with upside-down understandings of morality and of the value of love,... their interpretation of the bible and the debate about its relevance sure sounds familiar, in an upside-down-ish kind of way. [Read on...]



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Listening to a radio discussion from a few years back featuring Richard Dawkins on the morality of the old testament (Premier Christian Radio (UK) "Unbelievable?" program: https://goo.gl/mg6lU6) and what that meant for the value of the bible generally as a source of morality, I was struck by how the bible is so fundamentally muddled within itself, and indeed such a useless source of guidance on matters of morality, that it would be about as much use in a crazy world that valued hatred over love, violence over compassion, and death over life.

Insert the bible into a world where the goal is to cause the maximum misery and suffering to one another, and it fits right in: and the debate sounds almost exactly the same; just... upside down.

Why do people join cults? - Janja Lalich

Today, there are thousands of cults around the world. Broadly speaking, a cult is a group or movement with a shared commitment to a usually extreme ideology that’s typically embodied in a charismatic leader. But what exactly differentiates cults from other groups – and why do people join them? Janja Lalich describes how cults recruit and manipulate their members.

Instruction manual for life

The one book to rule your life.

Ask God: YOLO

QUESTION: Whatever happened to living life to its fullest?

Why do people join cults? - Janja Lalich

Today, there are thousands of cults around the world. Broadly speaking, a cult is a group or movement with a shared commitment to a usually extreme ideology that’s typically embodied in a charismatic leader. But what exactly differentiates cults from other groups – and why do people join them? Janja Lalich describes how cults recruit and manipulate their members.

Can you solve the pirate riddle? - Alex Gendler

It’s a good day to be a pirate. Amaro and his four mateys – Bart, Charlotte, Daniel, and Eliza have struck gold – a chest with 100 coins. But now, they must divvy up the booty according to the pirate code — and pirate code is notoriously complicated. Can you help come up with the distribution that Amaro should propose to make sure he lives to tell the tale? Alex Gendler shows how.

A brief history of goths - Dan Adams

What do fans of atmospheric post-punk music have in common with ancient barbarians? Not much ... so why are both known as “goths”? Is it a weird coincidence – or is there a deeper connection stretching across the centuries? Dan Adams investigates.



Lesson by Dan Adams, animation by Globizco.

Who were the Vestal Virgins, and what was their job?

In ancient Rome, Vestal Virgins were tasked with keeping vigil over the flame of Vesta, the virgin goddess of the hearth. The flame represented two things: the continuation of Rome as a power in the world and the continuing virginity of Vesta’s priestesses. But what was life really like for these Vestal Virgins? Peta Greenfield goes back in time to find out.



Lesson by Peta Greenfield, animation by Kozmonot Animation Studio.


Who were the Vestal Virgins, and what was their job? - Peta Greenfield

Can you solve the three gods riddle?

You and your team have crash-landed on an ancient planet. Can you appease the three alien overlords who rule it and get your team safely home? Created by logician Raymond Smullyan, and popularized by his colleague George Boolos, this riddle has been called the hardest logic puzzle ever. Alex Gendler shows how to solve it.



Can you solve the three gods riddle? - Alex Gendler
TED-EX

Why the metric system matters - Matt Anticole

For the majority of recorded human history, units like the weight of a grain or the length of a hand weren’t exact and varied from place to place. Now, consistent measurements are such an integral part of our daily lives that it’s hard to appreciate what a major accomplishment for humanity they’ve been. Matt Anticole traces the wild history of the metric system.

Cartoon Pope Francis Roasts Donald Trump

Fresh off of his fat joke about the President at the Vatican on Wednesday morning, Pope Francis stops by The Late Show to keep the Trump burns rolling.



The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. May 2017

CBS

A Dangerous Idea

Bad ideas need special protections to propagate.

Good ideas stand up to criticism.

This doesn’t only apply to religion, but also to many other forms of dogma.

Jesus...Homer

The Simpsons S23E21 Ned N Ednas Blend Agenda

The Simpsons - Protestant Heaven vs. Catholic Heaven

South Park - Mr.Garrison's Evolution Theory

Catholic Church We've Made a Few Changes

What happens when we die? Jewish, Buddhist and Catholic perspective

Family Guy - Peter a Muslim

LightSail Then and Now

In 1976, Carl Sagan appeared on The Tonight Show to talk about a crazy new idea: solar sailing. Nearly 40 years later, The Planetary Society is realizing this dream with a new spacecraft called LightSail designed to propel through space on beams of sunlight.



LightSail - SOLAR SAILING

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Carson Footage Supplied Courtesy of Carson Entertainment Group