Why do we believe things that aren't true? | Philip Fernbach | TEDxMileHigh

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Published 2017-09-13
It seems like we're living in an epidemic of false belief. Clearly the other side just doesn’t have all the facts, right? Or are they really that stupid? In this fascinating and hilarious talk, cognitive scientist Philip Fernbach peels back the layers of what we really know and reveals some surprising truths about the human mind. Philip Fernbach is a cognitive scientist and professor in the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Co-author of The Knowledge Ilusion: Why We Never Think Alone, Philip's research focuses on why we think we know more than we actually do and the implications this has on individuals and society. He lives in Boulder with his wife and two children. In his free time, he plays bluegrass music and ice hockey. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx

All Comments (21)
  • 'When contagious understanding is paired with individual ignorance '... Just too good
  • @reidmock2165
    "It feels like we're in the midst of an epidemic." This line really hits differently in 2021
  • Two things he mentioned that we need desperately “A culture that values truth” “ intellectual humility “
  • @caldoyle1572
    "You will never learn anything if everyone you talk to agrees with you." An opposing valid viewpoint can open our mind and give us opportunities to evaluate our own, if we are willing, to let them. Arrogance often prevents that from happening.
  • @te5401
    This is why the phrase "I don't know" is so powerful.
  • @JamesCappleman
    For the past several years, I've been puzzled about the rise in fake news and how easily people believe things that aren't true. I've read all types of articles and books about it, and this is the first piece of information that makes sense. This talk helps me to be more patient with those who both spread and so easily believe fake news, and it also challenges my own assumptions about what I know must be true.
  • @lkytmryan
    “I would rather have questions that can't be answered than answers that can't be questioned.” ― Richard P. Feynman Covid comes to mind
  • @krelllab6366
    As someone who was involved with Project Apollo and putting a man on the moon, I can assure you there was no one man that understood more than 0.01% of the system. Apollo is arguably the greatest collaborative effort ever done by mankind. It took 410,000 people. To this day, project Apollo is studied from a management standpoint not just space exploration. A Saturn V moon rocket had approximately 4,000,000 parts. Compare that to a modern automobile which contains about 30,000 parts.
  • @VultureClone
    "We don't do enough to verify it." He summed it up in one sentence there.
  • @benevolent6705
    I love this quotation: "Ignorance is a feature of the human mind."
  • This is a great reminder that we all believe what we believe and we all think we are right!
  • @Michael-ih1it
    I am so amazed about how he literally stayed and stood still on one spot from start to finish. 🤓
  • Every moment of this video is as good as the last. I loved the moment when he said, "We can build Cathedrals, but we can also build Houses of Cards.", then the silence and the camera panning the audience. Powerful. Given that without the proper context such a statement or shot of a silent pensive audience would be unremarkable. Damn I'm hyped, what an extraordinary talk! So glad I stumbled across this precious gem of a video. Definitely worth sharing and bookmarking to rewatch.
  • @kermit1234
    "I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing." - Socrates
  • @seeker1602
    This explains religion better than anything I've ever heard.
  • @dawnemile4974
    That's why democracy is just a popularity contest not the reasoned voting of informed people.
  • @angrytedtalks
    I used to think I was wrong, but then I realised that thinking I was wrong meant I was actually right.
  • @waynemyers2469
    I loved how he artfully dodged the opportunity to call any one of us the moron we most certainly are based upon politics.
  • @Yourmom-tc4rn
    The answer has been around a long time: "It is difficult to free fools from the chains they revere" Voltaire