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    « When is something bogus? | Main | Wednesdays Collection »
    Wednesday
    08Jul2009

    The Baloney Detection Kit 

    Here's a great video I stumbled upon today.  Even though it goes for 14 minutes, it's worth watching.

    With a sea of information coming at us from all directions, how do we sift out the misinformation and bogus claims, and get to the truth? Michael Shermer of Skeptic Magazine lays out a "Baloney Detection Kit," ten questions we should ask when encountering a claim.

    The Baloney Detection Kit

    And mainly for my own reference, here are the ten questions:

    1. How reliable is the source of the claim?

    2. Does the source make similar claims?

    3. Have the claims been verified by somebody else?

    4. Does this fit with the way the world works?

    5. Has anyone tried to disprove the claim?

    6. Where does the preponderance of evidence point?

    7. Is the claimant playing by the rules of science?

    8. Is the claimant providing positive evidence?

    9. Does the new theory account for as many phenomena as the old theory?

    10. Are personal beliefs driving the claim?

     

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