Discuss this talk: Why people believe strange things ( Michael Shermer )
About this talk
Why do people see the Virgin Mary on a cheese sandwich or hear demonic lyrics in "Stairway to Heaven"? Using video and music, skeptic Michael Shermer shows how we convince ourselves to believe -- and overlook the facts.
About Michael Shermer
Skeptic Society founder Michael Shermer dedicates his life to debunking myths, superstitions and urban legends, and also explaining why we believe them. Along with publishing Skeptic Magazine, he's... Full bio and more links »
Other talks from "Unconventional Explanations"
Length: 17:44
Filmed: Mar 2008
Posted: May 2008
Length: 18:15
Filmed: Feb 2004
Posted: Sep 2006
Length: 19:04
Filmed: Jul 2005
Posted: Jun 2008
Length: 21:01
Filmed: Jan 2007
Posted: Nov 2007
Length: 16:04
Filmed: Sep 2007
Posted: Nov 2007
Length: 20:39
Filmed: Feb 2005
Posted: Nov 2006
Subscribe to TED
New talks are released weekly. Be the first to know!
Related themes
Related tags
Share this talk
TED's mission is to spread ideas, and we encourage you to share these talks widely: Email them; link to them; embed them in your website; show them in your classroom; discuss them at a salon... All our videos are distributed under a Creative Commons license, so they can be freely played and reposted (so long as you follow certain guidelines).