We all have something we feel certain about; the Sun will rise, the sky is blue and dried egg is hard to remove from shag carpet. You may feel strongly about these things – even swear by them; but that doesn’t make them true, only that your neurochemistry is in high gear.
We’ll hear how chemicals in the brain conspire to produce certainty and why even death and taxes are not foregone conclusions. Also, Sam Harris on the biology of belief… Phil Plait on vacationing brains and our Hollywood skeptic raises an eye at sure-fire, tinseltown blockbusters.
Guests:
- Phil Plait – Astronomer and keeper of the website www.badastronomy.com
- Sam Harris – Neuroscientist and author of The End of Faith
- Robert Burton – Neurologist and author of On Being Certain: Believing You Are Right Even When You’re Not
- James Underdown – Executive Director of the Center for Inquiry West in Los Angeles
