The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe Quotes

“An ignorant mind is precisely not a spotless, empty vessel, but one that’s filled with the clutter of irrelevant or misleading life experiences, theories, facts, intuitions, strategies, algorithms, heuristics, metaphors, and hunches that regrettably have the look and feel of useful and accurate knowledge.”
― Steven Novella, The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: How to Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake

“science requires courage—the courage to face reality and accept its findings, even if they upset us or are disruptive to our comfortable ideology.”
― Steven Novella, The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: How to Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake

“The human mind is like a sailboat on a sea with strong currents and a steady wind. We tend to just follow the currents of our biases and can easily be manipulated and blown about.”
― Steven Novella, The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: How to Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake

“It’s understandable, then, that pretty much every human culture independently developed some version of the belief that a special animating force makes living things alive. The Romans called it spiritus and the Greeks pneuma (both words also meaning “breath”). In China it is called chi, which also translates to “blood” because they felt the life force was carried in the blood. In Japan it is ki, in India prana, in Polynesia mana, and in Arabic it is baraka.”
― Steven Novella, The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: How To Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake

“So, while we cannot trust the stories we are told, tradition, faith, convenient or reassuring narratives, charismatic figures, or even our own memories, we can slowly and carefully build a process by which to evaluate all claims to truth and knowledge. A big part of that process is science, which systematically tests our ideas against reality, using the most objective data possible. Science is still a messy and flawed process, but it is a process. It has, at least, the capacity for self-correction, to move our beliefs incrementally in the direction of reality. In essence, science is the process of making our best effort to know what’s really real.”
― Steven Novella, The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: How to Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake

“This is the essence of skepticism: How do we know what to believe and what to doubt?
Once you begin to ask questions like “How do we actually know anything?” our beliefs start to fall one by one.”
― Steven Novella, The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: How to Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake

“Anyone who engages in social media witnesses the attribution error on a regular basis. Not only is there a tendency to assume other people’s motivations; we hastily infer their arguments and positions, based upon the pigeonhole into which we think they fit. Without listening to what they are actually saying, charitably interpreting that, and giving them an opportunity to clarify their position, we risk attributing a position to them that they don’t have, attacking a straw man, and then looking foolish. I’ve seen these exchanges rapidly degrade into mutual accusations of being a troll. There are real trolls out there, but sometimes trolling is in the eye of the beholder. Sometimes we can be the troll.”
― Steven Novella, The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: How to Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake

“Don’t panic. This whole notion of thinking for yourself and questioning everything is actually quite fun and empowering. We can do this together.”
― Steven Novella, The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: How to Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake

“We all start as children believing pretty much whatever we’re told. The gulf of knowledge and experience between adults and young children is so great that to a child, any adult is perceived as the ultimate authority on any topic. As we mature we realize that not all adults agree with each other, so some of them must be wrong. We become more sophisticated in our choice of authority figures, but we still tend to rely on others to know what to think—on experts, leaders, religious figures, celebrities, talking heads, or just “common knowledge.”
― Steven Novella, The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: How to Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake

“Opposition to transgenic technology often takes the form of “This couldn’t happen in nature.” This is not valid logic (it is an example of both the appeal-to-nature fallacy and the genetic fallacy), and it’s also factually incorrect. There is something called horizontal gene transfer. Genes can move between unrelated organisms. For example, it was discovered in 2014 that cultivated sweet potatoes contain a transgene from a soil bacterium (Agrobacterium), a completely natural transgene. Objection to transgenes seems to be based on the notion that genes from one organism are inherently different from genes from another organism. But this is untrue. A gene doesn’t know it’s a fish gene or a tomato gene or a person gene. They are just genes. In fact, fish and tomatoes share about 60 percent of their genes. It’s true that different kingdoms use different promoters, which are gene regulators, but these are easily swapped out to make them compatible with the target species.”
― Steven Novella, The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: How to Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake

“Humans in general are great at coming up with reasons to maintain their desired beliefs in the face of contradictory data. More intelligent and educated people aren’t necessarily better at critical thinking, but they are likely to be more clever and creative in coming up with such excuses—and scientists are no exception.”
― Steven Novella, The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: How to Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake

“If it’s natural, it has to be good for you. Well, bird shit and gravel are natural, but I won’t eat them! —James “The Amazing” Randi”
― Steven Novella, The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: How to Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake

“Respect for Knowledge and Truth—Skeptics value reality and what is true. We therefore endeavor to be as reality-based as possible in our beliefs and opinions. This means subjecting all claims to a well-founded process of evaluation. Skeptics believe that the world is knowable because it follows certain rules, or laws of nature. The only legitimate method for knowing anything empirical about the universe follows this naturalistic assumption. In other words, within the realm of the empirical (factual knowledge based on evidence), you don’t get to invoke magic or the supernatural.”
― Steven Novella, The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: How to Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake

“As we try to make sense of the world, we work with our existing knowledge and paradigms. We formulate ideas and then systematically seek out information that confirms those ideas. We dismiss contrary information as exceptions. We interpret ambiguous experiences as in line with our theories. We make subjective judgments that further reinforce our beliefs. We remember these apparent confirmations, and then our memories are tweaked over time to make the appearance of confirmation even more dramatic.”
― Steven Novella, The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: How To Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake

“Evolution works as an explanation for the complexity of life on earth and has vanquished the need to invoke magical creation. Biology works as an explanation for why living things are different from nonliving things, and we no longer have to invoke a life force. Neuroscience works as an explanation of mind and consciousness, and we no longer have to invoke a spirit to fill in the gaps. We will never have all the answers, never fill in all the gaps, but as long as these paradigms continue to flourish and succeed, scientists and the scientific community will follow them. And the deniers will be further and further marginalized to griping on the sideline, peevishly pointing at the shrinking gaps and desperately trying to prop up false anomalies.”
― Steven Novella, The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: How To Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake

“It’s not my position or the scientific position that all GMOs are automatically safe. That would be just as irrational as blanket hostility. Rather, it is simply clear that the label “GMO” is arbitrary and you can’t treat all cultivars labeled as GMO as a group. They should be evaluated individually for their safety and environmental effects. Not all plants made from traditional breeding are safe, and not all GMOs are harmful.”
― Steven Novella, The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: How to Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake

“Genetic modification” refers to several techniques for changing organisms to suit our wants and needs. The technology involves various methods for inserting one or more specific genes directly into a target organism, or selectively altering or silencing a gene that is already there. There are two basic types of gene insertions: transgenic and cisgenic. Cisgenic insertion involves inserting genes from closely related species, ones that could potentially crossbreed with the target species. Transgenic insertion involves genes from distant species—even from different kingdoms of life, such as putting a gene from a bacterium into a plant.”
― Steven Novella, The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: How to Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake

“Even with a legitimate MLM and product, the ultimate enemy is math. The structure of an MLM is inherently self-defeating. If, for example, the company starts with just six people, and each level has to recruit six people of their own, in just twelve levels you have over two billion people. Even without complete recruitment, you quickly saturate a population. Further, every person you recruit is now a competitor. They may share your social network, and you’ll both be recruiting from the same pool.”
― Steven Novella, The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: How to Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake

“An excessively positive outlook can also complicate dying. Psychologist James Coyne has focused his career on end-of-life attitudes in patients with terminal cancer. He points out that dying in a culture obsessed with positive thinking can have devastating psychological consequences for the person facing death. Dying is difficult. Everyone copes and grieves in different ways. But one thing is for certain: If you think you can will your way out of a terminal illness, you will be faced with profound disappointment. Individuals swept up in the positive-thinking movement may delay meaningful, evidence-based treatment (or neglect it altogether), instead clinging to so-called “manifestation” practices in the hope of curing disease. Unfortunately, this approach will most often lead to tragedy. In perhaps one of the largest investigations on the topic to date, Dr. Coyne found that there is simply no relationship between emotional well-being and mortality in the terminally ill (see James Coyne, Howard Tennen, and Adelita Ranchor, 2010). Not only will positive thinking do nothing to delay the inevitable; it may make what little time is left more difficult. People die in different ways, and quality of life can be heavily affected by external societal pressures. If an individual feels angry or sad but continues to bear the burden of friends’, loved ones’, and even medical professionals’ expectations to “keep a brave face” or “stay positive,” such tension can significantly diminish quality of life in one’s final days. And it’s not just the sick and dying who are negatively impacted by positive-thinking pseudoscience. By its very design, it preys on the weak, the poor, the needy, the down-and-out. Preaching a gospel of abundance through mental power sets society as a whole up for failure. Instead of doing the required work or taking stock of the harsh realities we often face, individuals find themselves hoping, wishing, and praying for that love, money, or fame that will likely never come. This in turn has the potential to set off a feedback loop of despair and failure.”
― Steven Novella, The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: How to Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake

“Those who deny the existence of mental illness play similar semantic games. They narrowly define illness as pathological disease, meaning that there has to be something objectively abnormal about cells, tissues, or organs. This description does apply to some diseases, but not all: There are disorders that are defined by the way some organ or system is functioning, but in the absence of clear pathology. Migraine headaches, for example, are a clear disorder without any diagnosable pathology. There are many brain disorders, because brain function depends upon more than just the health of brain cells. Healthy brain cells may still be organized and networked in such a way that their function is disordered. The brain is the organ of mood, thoughts, and behavior. Disordered brain function may therefore lead to a mood disorder or thought disorder. We call such entities mental illness.”
― Steven Novella, The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: How to Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake

“ocean levels rise. Tides will also increase, as will coastal flooding from storms. Also, the optimal zone for growing our crops is shifting north. We are pretty much using all the available highly arable land to grow food for over seven billion people. Destabilizing this infrastructure should not be done lightly. Some will point out, however, that increased levels of CO2 are actually good for plants. CO2 is their food, and there is some increase in yield as a result. This is accurate, but as temperatures increase further, the net effect on agriculture will be negative. Any gains from CO2 itself will be”
― Steven Novella, The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: How to Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake

“But so what? a denier might say. The Earth has been much warmer in the past. There is no one perfect temperature for the Earth. Climate is not static, it changes all the time. This, of course, is true, which is why it is an effective misdirection. It is also a straw man. The problem with global warming is not that there is one perfect climate for the Earth. The problem is actually twofold. The first problem is that we build our civilization around the current climate. This means that we have built many cities along coastlines. The Earth itself might not mind being a little warmer—but we will. Millions will be displaced as”
― Steven Novella, The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: How to Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake

“denialism is a subset of pseudoscience, one that tries to cloak itself in the language of skepticism while eschewing the actual process of scientific skepticism.”
― Steven Novella, The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: How to Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake

“Sometimes one side is completely wrong (like anti-vaxxers).”
― Steven Novella, The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: How To Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake

“It’s one thing to report the news—if an important public figure makes a statement that’s in opposition to reality, it should be printed. But not without context. And not without the necessary fact-checking and presentation of opposing evidence to show just why such a statement is untrue. This is when balance and fairness work for the good of the people.”
― Steven Novella, The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: How to Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake

“But the core lesson remains—if you want to test your hypothesis, try to prove it wrong. Do not only look for evidence to prove it right.”
― Steven Novella, The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: How to Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake

“We are also predisposed to believe stories, especially when they have an emotional theme. Perhaps this is a result of our evolution. Let’s say your friend tells you to avoid the valley over the ridge because a large lion is hunting there. We probably descended from those who chose to believe their friend and not those who decided to go to the valley and check it out for themselves. In other words, selective pressures may favor accepting stories as probably true as a default.”
― Steven Novella, The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: How to Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake

“A logical fallacy is an invalid connection between a premise and a conclusion, where the conclusion does not necessarily flow from the premise(s) but is argued as if it does.”
― Steven Novella, The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: How to Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake

“Your travels will take you through some interesting and exciting twists and turns. It can be scary. At some point you will confront a belief you really want to be true, that may even be part of your identity, but that does not stand up to close scrutiny. Ultimately this is a journey of self-discovery, and hopefully this book will serve as a guide on that journey.”
― Steven Novella, The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: How to Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake