Brain, Mind and Consciousness - Michael Shermer - Session 1

The 2005 Skeptics Society Annual Conference was held in Pasadena, California and was themed: "Brain, Mind, and Consciousness".




Brain, Mind and Consciousness - Session 1

1956 - Christian missionaries killed by the Huaorani tribe - Operation Auca

Operation Auca
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Operation Auca was an attempt by five Evangelical Christian missionaries from the United States to make contact with the Huaorani people of the rainforest of Ecuador. The Huaorani, also known as the Aucas (the Quechua word for "naked savages"), were an isolated tribe known for their violence, against both their own people and outsiders who entered their territory. With the intention of being the first Protestants to evangelize the previously unreached Huaorani, the missionaries began making regular flights over Huaorani settlements in September 1955, dropping gifts. After several months of exchanging gifts, on January 2, 1956 the missionaries established a camp at "Palm Beach", a sandbar along the Curaray River, a few miles from Huaorani settlements. Their efforts came to an end on January 8, 1956, when all five—Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, Ed McCully, Peter Fleming, and Roger Youderian—were attacked and speared by a group of Huaorani warriors. The news of their deaths was broadcast around the world, and Life magazine covered the event with a photo essay.

The deaths of the men galvanized the missionary effort in the United States, sparking an outpouring of funding for evangelization efforts around the world. Their work is still frequently remembered in evangelical publications, and in 2006 was the subject of the film production End of the Spear. Several years after the death of the men, the widow of Jim Elliot, Elisabeth, and the sister of Nate Saint, Rachel, returned to Ecuador as missionaries with the Summer Institute of Linguistics (now SIL International) to live among the Huaorani. This eventually led to the conversion of many, including some of those involved in the killing. While largely eliminating tribal violence, their efforts exposed the tribe to exploitation and increased influence from the outside. This has caused Huaorani culture to begin to disappear, but anthropologists argue over the ultimate effect—some negatively view the missionary work as cultural imperialism, while others contend that the influence has been beneficial for the tribe.






Operation Auca - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sam Gosling - Snoop: The Secret Language of Stuff

The Commonwealth Club of California
San Francisco, CA
Jun 16th, 2008

Does what's on your desk reveal what's on your mind? Do those pictures on your walls tell true tales about your character? Is your favorite outfit about to give you away?

For the last 10 years psychologist Gosling has been studying how people project (and protect) their inner selves. By exploring our private worlds (desks, bedrooms, even our clothes and cars), he shows not only how we showcase our personalities in unexpected ways, but also how we create personality in the first place, communicate it others and interpret the world around us - The Commonwealth Club of California







FORA.tv - Sam Gosling - Snoop: The Secret Language of Stuff

Penn & Teller - "Bullshit"

Penn & Teller discuss their hit series "Bullshit" at The Amaz!ng Meeting 3 in Las Vegas. is a celebration of critical thinking and skepticism sponsored by the James Randi Educational Foundation. Thinking people travel the world to share learning, laughs and life with fellow skeptics and distinguished guest speakers.

Kent Hovind vs. Dr. Mike Shermer. Creation v. Evolution

Christian apologist Kent Hovind debates Dr. Mike Shermer(chief Editor of Skeptic magazine) and schools Dr. Shermer in the topic of evolution vs creation. "Be ready always to give answer to every man that asks you for the reason of the faith you have"-

Michael Shermer - The Mind of the Market - Authors@Google:

Michael Shermer discusses his book "Mind of the Market" as part of the Authors@Google series.

How did we evolve from ancient hunter-gatherers to modern consumer-traders? Why are people so irrational when it comes to money and business? Bestselling author Dr. Michael Shermer argues that evolution provides an answer to both of these questions through the new science of evolutionary economics. Drawing on research from neuroeconomics, Shermer explores what brain scans reveal about bargaining, snap purchases, and how trust is established in business. Utilizing experiments in behavioral economics, Shermer shows why people hang on to losing stocks and failing companies, why business negotiations often disintegrate into emotional tit-for-tat disputes, and why money does not make us happy. Employing research from complexity theory, Shermer shows how evolution and economics are both examples of a larger phenomenon of complex adaptive systems. Along the way, Shermer answers such provocative questions as: Do our tribal roots mean that we will always be a sucker for brands? How is the biochemical joy of sex similar to the rewards of business cooperation? How can nations increase trust within and between their borders? Finally, Shermer considers the consequences of globalization and what will happen if nations allow free trade across their borders.

This event took place January 29, 2008 at Google Headquarters in Mountain View, CA.





Authors@Google: Michael Shermer