Things by the way this is called superstition are true and therefore believing weird things by the way this is called superstition or magical thinking believing weird things like that is not a bug in the magical thinking believing weird things like that is not a bug in the system its a feature that comes equipped in the software of our program a system its a feature it comes equipped in the software of our programming to try to connect things in the environment just in case theres a real connection to try to connect things in the environment just in case theres a real connection. All right so. Youre saying believe star almost restraint all right so. Heres a believe star almost restraint by common sense just like a writing bit helps to harness an emotional hole by common sense just like a writing bait helps to harness an emotional horse but this horse well you know it still go where and where if it wants but this horse well you know it still go where and where if it once are you saying that our emotional self will always take over that rational its are you saying that our emotional self will always take over that rational one yes well we are both rational and emotional that is really one yes well we are both rational and emotional that is reason is a tool that we use to try to understand how the world work. Is a tool that we use to try to understand how the world works emotions are also a kind of a tool its a way of reasoning very quick ricks emotions are also kind of a tool its a way of reasoning very quickly so evolution designed our emotions to drive us lee so evolution designed our emotions to drive us to do things so you dont have to calculate how many calories your body needs to do things so you dont have to calculate how many calories your body needs it in a given day you just feel hungry so that a motion of hunger drives you to any given day you just feel hungry so that a motion of hunger drives you to eat something and then when youre satisfied youve had enough you no longer have that feeling or desire eat something and then when youre satisfied youve had enough you no longer have that feeling or desire to be attracted to somebody else this is an evolved trait that helps the species perpetrator to be attracted to somebody else this is an evolved trait that helps the species perpetrator. You have sex in children and so on but no one calculates. You have sex and children and so on but no one calculates exactly why theyre attracted to somebody else you know the waist to hip ratio or the actually why theyre attracted to somebody else you know the waist to hip ratio or the cement summitry of their faces or the complection of their skin no one does those calculations you just feel a cemetery of their faces or the complection of their skin no one does those calculations you just feel attracted to somebody so in that sense things emotions like anger and jealousy attracted to somebody so in that sense things emotions like anger and jealousy and you know those sorts of things that theyre a way of reasoning about the world be and you know those sorts of things that theyre a way of reasoning about the world very quickly this call rapid cognition you just have a into a sense about something in very quickly this call rapid cognition you just have a into a sense about something and were pretty good about this with people for example if you have a sense like this person and i were pretty good about this with people for example if you have a sense like this person i dont have a good feeling about him i dont trust him i dont know what it is i just dont feel right i dont have a good feeling about him i dont trust him i dont know what it is i just dont feel right about him or the situation here and those are usually pretty accurate feelings about him or the situation here and those are usually pretty accurate feelings that we have but its not its not psychic power its its a way of reasoning that we have but its not its not psychic power its its a way of reasoning very rapidly about the environment youre picking things up from the from the environment you dont know what they are you rapidly about the environment youre picking things up from the from the environment you dont know what they are i dont know what they are but its just a feeling you get and thats actually a good trait that we have i dont know what they are but its just a feeling you get and thats actually a good trait that we have. Ok let me take this a little step further well ok let me take this a little step further lets talk about whats real or not at the end of the day what we do lets not about whats real or not at the end of the day what we do decipher is real right because many we now and physicists. Decipher is real right because many were now and physicists. For instance he says she is suggesting that everything that with your cockle for instance he says she is suggesting that everything that we think is real and might just be. What do you think think is real and might just be. When you think. Yeah i dont think thats correct at the level that. Yeah i dont think thats correct at the level that which we live that is the macro physical world with michio is talking which we live that is the macro physical world with michio is talking about there or brian cox or any of the physicists that study quantum physics for example in about there or brian cox or any of the physicists that study quantum physics for example theyre talking about the subatomic particle and this is a very different world it is the size theyre talking about the subatomic particle and this is a very different world it is the size of atoms if you had like a tennis ball here is the nucleus of the atom of atoms if you had like a tennis ball here is the nucleus of the atom and the electrons going around it sort of the energy and the electrons going to. Feel that the Energy Shield or field of the electrons going around it these would be like blocks away from the little tennis ball here trons going around these would be like blocks away from the little tennis ball here its most. Empty space the atom is mostly empty space so thats why people new age groups talk about you know this chair is completely empty or its mostly empty space the atom is mostly empty space so thats why people new age groups talk about you know this chair is completely empty or or this is really empty space you have but not at the macro level at the macro level the atoms are or this is really empty space yeah but not at the macro level at the macro level the atoms are so tightly bound that essentially this chair that im sitting in is not empty space so tightly bound that essentially this chair that im sitting in is not empty space its a solid thing thats why i dont fall through it and and have a little accident a so its a solid thing thats why i dont fall through it and and have a little accident here so at the macro level its not an illusion what we see here is so at the macro level its not an illusion what we see and feel is it is a fairly accurate portrait of reality now there are see and feel is it is a fairly accurate portrait of reality now there are some people that argue that say this problem of whats it like to be a bat some people that argue that say this problem of whats it like to be a bat like i cant know what its like to be a bag because i dont have sonar this echolocation system and like i cant know what its like to be a bag because i dont have sonar this echolocation system and the big ears to pick up the sound bouncing up objects in the brain the big ears to pick up the sound bouncing up objects in the brain apparatus to process the sound information and so on i can know what its like the apparatus to process the sound information and so on i can know what its like to be a bad back cant know what its like to be me and so whatever lets say to be a bad a bad cant know what its like to be me and so whatever lets say. In the environment looks like to a bat it probably doesnt look like that to me we probably have very thing in the environment looks like to a bat it probably doesnt look like that to me we probably have very different images of what the world looks like but theres still really as say a wall here different images of what the world looks like but theres still really as say a wall here and if the bat is flying toward it its going to move around the wall and i are and if the bat is flying toward it its going to move around the wall and i see the wall or i feel the wall the bad heres the wall the sensory apparatus is you see the wall or i feel the wall the bad heres the wall the sensory apparatus is different the neural structure of processing the sensory information is different between me and the bat but the different the neural structure of processing the sensory information is different between me and the bat but there really are walls there really are things that we have to navigate around in the world so that really our walls there really are things that we have to navigate around in the world so that part is not an illusion thats reality so i argue that we evolved part is not an illusion thats reality so i argue that we evolve senses that give us a fairly accurate portrait of what the world is real senses that give us a fairly accurate portrait of what the world is really like and the best tool we have for understanding that world is science because we like and the best tool we have for understanding that world is science because subjectively you and i may be wrong or or or distorted or in our subjectively you and i may be wrong or or or distorted or in our or suffering from illusions but collectively we can get an accurate picture of the world or suffering from illusions but collectively we can get an accurate picture of the world ok so well what about creativity how desk creativity. So well what about creativity how dass creativity of fact our. Ability to believe in things does that mean that the richer act our ability to believe in things does that mean that the richer imagination we have the more likely we are to believe weird stuff or not necessarily imagination we have the more likely we are to believe weird stuff or not necessarily. I think theres a relationship between this and the believing brain i. I think theres a relationship between this and the believing brain i i toyed with the idea that this relationship between say madness and creativity or that that with the idea that this relationship between say madness and creativity or that that people are they who are very open to new ideas they can they make connections that people are they who are very open to new ideas they can they make connections across disciplines or new fields that you and i maybe wouldnt make across disciplines or new fields that you and i maybe wouldnt make but that they are so open to new ideas they also believe a lot of wacky ideas but that there are so open to new ideas they also believe a lot of wacky ideas so for example i know a lot of really smart people nobel Prize Winners and so on so for example i know a lot of really smart people nobel Prize Winners and so on they believe the weirdest things like what and in part i sometimes wonder if. You believe the weirdest things like what and part i sometimes wonder. Oh that like 911 was a conspiracy or that astrology works or that oh like 911 was a conspiracy or that astrology works or that e. S. P. Is real these kinds of things that most scientists and skeptics are skeptical that e. S. P. Is real these kinds of things that most scientists and skeptics are skeptical they think there might be something to this talk and in the believe in brain about kary mullis why you think there might be something to this i talked in the believe in brain about kary mullis who won the nobel prize for his work in genetics the p. C. R. Technique of the nobel prize for his work in genetics the p. C. R. Technique of taking a little snippet of d. N. A. And then reproducing that its a very common technique and taking a little snippet of d. N. A. And then reproducing that its a very common technique that. Kary mullis super interesting super smart creative guy he drum he dreamt kary mullis super interesting super smart creative guy he drum he dreamt up this this solution to this problem for which he won the nobel prize while he was surfing this this solution to this problem for which he won the nobel prize while he was surfing and smoking pot and just kind of having a creative moment out in nature and smoking pot and just kind of having a creative moment out in nature you know. Like you and i are not going to have that kind of experience all right or einstein had no. Like you and i are not going to have that kind of experience all right or einstein has this dream of flying on a beam of light yeah whoa ok i was this dream of flying on a beam of light yeah whoa ok i dont have dreams like that but but that kind of openness and creative dont have dreams like that but but that kind of openness and creativity might lead you to think well all these other things are real not all of them or might lead you to think well all these other things are real not all of them are real sometimes theyre Creative Ideas you come up with are just theyre just great great deal sometimes the Creative Ideas you come up with are just theyre just great crazy theyre crackerjack theyre not real and so the rub here is to have is either crackerjack theyre not real and so the rub here is to have a mind open enough to accept radical new Creative Ideas that no one else of a mind open enough to accept radical new Creative Ideas that no one else has thought of that turn out to be right but not so open minded that you believe every wacky has thought of that turn out to be right but not so open minded that you believe every wacky idea that comes down the pike and so you know when people say well you know they laughed at the idea that comes down the pike and so you know when people say well you know they laughed at they laughed. Go away oh they laughed at the Wright Brothers you know its like well they laughed at the Marx Brothers being laughed at and left to go away oh they laughed at the Wright Brothers you know its like well they laughed at the Marx Brothers being laughed at does it mean youre right so for every galileo. Theres 10000 it doesnt mean youre right so for every galileo. Theres 10000 other scientists who had creative new ideas and they were wrong and i encounter other scientists who had creative new ideas and they were wrong and i encountered these people all the time they send me they send me their letters every week of new theories that they have all these people all the time they send me they send me their letters every week of new theories that they have most of which are completely incomprehensible so its not that being creative and having a new idea of which are completely and comprehensible so its not that being creative and having a new idea means youre right and you should win the nobel prize most new ideas even in some means youre right and you should win the nobel prize most new ideas even in science even by professional scientists are not right so so its even by professional scientists are not right so so just one final point. Just because you brought up science just one final point. Just because you brought up science is just really interesting i want to ask you because i hurt the idea that suit us is just really interesting i want to ask you because i hurt the idea that pseudo Scientific Research usually precede scientific revolution and people try to feel and to Fake Research usually precede scientific revolution and they will try to fill some gaps in the existing picture of the world and. Some gaps in the existing picture of the world and then the city said a Scientific Research leads to the socalled paradigm shift and said a Scientific Research leads to the socalled paradigm shift. Saying that we are actually on the verge of another scientific revolution if we look at that way to saying that we are actually on the verge of another scientific revolution if we look at that way well it depends on the field i mean most fields in the sciences are fairly well it depends on the field i mean most fields in the sciences are fairly well set it doesnt mean theyre right but so heres how it works so you mention the word paradigm well set that doesnt mean theyre right but so heres how it works so you mention the word paradigm so a paradigm is this sort of collective body of knowledge that most of the people working in that field and so paradigm is this sort of collective body of knowledge that most of the people working in that field agree this is pretty true these are pretty solid well supported ideas that agree this is pretty true these are pretty solid well supported ideas then around the paradigm you have these anomalies that dont quite fit and what do you do within around the paradigm you have these anomalies that dont quite fit and what do you do with the anomalies well you assign graduate students to figure out what what the problem is the anomalies well you assign graduate students to figure out what what the problem is. Or you know somebody has to try to work on that problem now if its if or you know somebody has to try to work on that problem now if its if its true that theres enough of these anomalies that build up and you have a new theory that says i can expense true that theres enough of these anomalies that build up and you have a new theory that says i can explain not only the anomalies but all the the core ideas to explain not only the anomalies but all the the core ideas to then you might have a paradigm shift you might have a brand new scientific theory that overthrows then you might have a paradigm shift you might have a brand new scientific theory that overthrows the past idea doubt but the problem is that most people who think they have the past idea doubt but the problem is that most people who think they have a. Paradigm shift e new idea they dont they theyve gone off the rails of a paradigm shifting new idea they dont they theyve gone off the rails they just think they do but they dont and you never hear about these because they just think they do but they dont and you never hear about these because they get thrown out fairly early on they run experiments they dont pass the test or they dont even they get thrown out fairly early on they run experiments they dont pass the test or they dont even try to test their ideas they just bounce them off colleagues or friends and try to test their ideas they just bounce them off colleagues or friends and and they go nowhere and theres a lot more of those than there are the famous parents and they go nowhere and theres a lot more of those than there are the famous paradigm shifting ideas like so im stein comes up with you know his is theory of relativity and ideas like so im just im comes up with you know his is theory of relativity that explains some of the things that newton couldnt explain but its not that newton was w