Tag Archives: Psychology

“Why Experts Create Few New Ideas | Psychology Today”

Psychology Today on a topic that just might be of interest to evolutionary scientists: Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp., thought the idea of a personal computer absurd, as he said, “there is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.” Robert Goddard, the father of modern rocketry, was …

October 31, 2011 – 9:57 am | By Tom Gilson | Posted in Origins and Science | Tagged , , | Comments (7)

“Born believers: How your brain creates God — New Scientist”

The question at New Scientist was, how did we ever come up with the idea of gods? The answer begins, It turns out that human beings have a natural inclination for religious belief, especially during hard times. Our brains effortlessly conjure up an imaginary world of spirits, gods and monsters, and the more insecure we …

February 11, 2009 – 6:00 am | By Tom Gilson | Posted in Origins and Science | Tagged , , , | Comments (3)

“The functional neuroanatomy of science journalism”

This entry is part 2 of 5 in the series Science "Journalism"

Language Log takes frequent note of strange things science journalists say. Their most recent is about the neuroscience of mothers watching children in distress. Here is part of what LL’s Mark Liberman’s had to say: It’s rhetorically interesting that Ms. Parker-Pope takes the existence of brain differences observed by fMRI as evidence that the reactions …

March 13, 2008 – 6:02 am | By Tom Gilson | Posted in Origins and Science | Tagged , , | Comments (196)