User:Lazaldej/sandbox/Theme: Gullibility

Gullibility
A reoccurring theme within Sagan’s book is that of Gullibility found in most pseudoscience believers. Gullibility as defined by Cambridge Dictionary is, “the quality of being easily deceived or tricked, and too willing to believe everything that other people say". This topic being introduced in Chapter 1: The Most Precious Thing, in which Sagan, after speaking to a man he referred to as Mr. Buckley, about his beliefs in different pseudoscientific claims he claimed to be an expert in which Sagan then debunked with rational scientific theories explaining the claims. He then used Mr. Buckley as an example to state that, “Naturally people try various belief systems on for size, to see if they help. And if we’re desperate enough, we become all too willing to abandon what may be perceived as the heavy burden of skepticism. Pseudoscience speaks to powerful emotional needs that science often leaves unfulfilled” (Sagan 1997, p.34). One of various quotes within the book that rationalizes people's gullibility as a simple fact of wanting to believe out of emotional desire. Sagan then revisits the topic of gullibility in Chapter 12: The City of Grief where he states that, “...widespread unfamiliarity with baloney detection, critical thinking, and the scientific method. Gullibility kills.”(Sagan 1997, p.305) In which he was speaking about those who take or took tobacco advertisements seriously and choose to ignore the real picture, but nonetheless this quote is applicable to many other examples throughout the book in which lack of skeptical thinking leads to gullibility triumphing in people’s choice of believing certain claims.

In Chapter 13: Obsessed with Reality, Sagan recounts the story of a Hoax that took place in Australia in 1988. This hoax constructed by American Canadian magician James Randi, in an attempt to demonstrate just how far a pseudoscientific claim, such as that of a ‘spirit channeler’ who can foresee the future and even heal people, can go without the proper skeptical and critical thinking. This hoax was brought to life by 19-year-old artist Jose Luis Alvarez. Who Randi trained to play the character of a ‘spirit channeler’ using the character of Carlos, a 2,000-year-old spirit. The spirit was said to have first appeared after Alvarez suffered a concussion in a motorcycle incident, from which thereafter the entity of Carlos was able to use Alvarez as a vessel for his apparitions. The fame Carlos and Jose Alvarez gained in Australia came from the media's exposition and fascination of how he channeled the spirit. It was a very dramatized spectacle in which Alvarez’s heartbeat slowed down to an almost complete stop that fascinated his audience of believers. The character was well planned out by Randi. He trained Alvarez showing him a trick in which he stuck a ball under his armpit and squeezed tight enough to slow down his heart rate, taught him how to act the part, and even narrated his interviews.

In the episode, The Great Carlos Hoax: the ‘Spirit Channeler’ that fooled the World that aired on the show Sixty Minutes Australia we see just how crucial the media was in bringing the character of the Carlos alive, as to prior to this Carlos did not exist. After his performance at the opera house in Sydney the attendee’s, of which included a mixture of both believers and skeptics, were asked how they had heard of the performance. All of which credited the media, including popular tv shows who gave Carlos airtime, such as the Today Show Australia.

Towards the end of the Carlos Hoax segment on Sixty minutes Australia the host had said, “...he was able to gain access to thousands of vulnerable minds who otherwise would have never heard of him, that’s the real teaching of Carlos” (Sixty Minutes Australia). Pointing out how the medias lack of skepticism or their “...eager[ness] for a new sensation” (Sixty Minutes Australia) clouded their common sense and critical thinking. Many times, in the segment it was mentioned that a single phone call to any of the newspapers or radio stations that Randi and his team faked to make the public relations handout Randi’s whole operation. Sagan later in Chapter 17: The Marriage of Skepticism and Wonder, mentions again his idea on the media's credulity by stating that the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the paranormal’s work on explaining pseudoscientific claims was “...not yet nearly a loud enough voice, to the pseudoscience gullibility that seems second nature to so much of the media” (Sagan 1997, p. 414). Revisiting the claim of the media’s gullibility as well as influence on their audience.

Similarly, in Chapter 4: Aliens, Sagan speaks on people's eager credulity to believe in extraterrestrial crafts and beings. Sagan after talking about many different claims on sightings of [flying saucers] without much evidence states, “All in all, the alleged evidence seemed thin—most often devolving into gullibility, hoax, hallucination, misunderstanding of the natural world, hopes and fears disguised as evidence, and a craving for attention, fame, and fortune” (Sagan 1997, p. 112). Here Sagan uses the problem that the lack of evidence to prove or disprove claims on alien abductions, sightings of flying saucers, and origin of crop circles is what Sagan says leads to people’s gullibility to surpass their skepticism. It could also be connected to the quote from chapter one in which pseudoscience speaks to people's emotional needs.

In Chapter 5: Spoofing and Secrecy with the similar theme of aliens, Sagan states that, “Gullibility about UFOs thrives on widespread mistrust of government, arising naturally enough from all those circumstances where—in the tension between public well-being and “national security”—the government lies.” (Sagan 1997, P. 123). Here Sagan offers yet another explanation to people’s gullibility attributed to the mistrust of the government. Which within the chapter states the government withholds information to avoid panic, as well as to avoid embarrassment such as enemy crafts being sighted over American soil. Overall, Sagan within his books offers many explanations as to why people become easily gullible and believe pseudoscientific claims than to practice skeptical thinking.