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A recent article in the New Yorker entitled “Why Smart People Are Stupid” has been getting a lot of play in the media lately. The article is based off a study that shows that being “cognitively sophisticated” makes you blinder to your own biases, and does not protect you from having less bias than those with a lower sophistication. This inability for intelligence to inoculate you against bias then makes up the headline above.

As I have already written about in primers here and here, much of this cognitive information processing research is based on a dual-process model of human cognition. Based largely on the work of Nobel prize-winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman, humans are found to engage in two types or “systems” of cognition. System 1 thinking is described as quick, shoot-from-the-hip style thinking, relying on cognitive shortcuts called heuristics. As the brain is a miser of cognitive resources, System 1 thinking is the go-to style, a back of the envelope calculator based on basic rules, emotional reactions, and gut-instincts. Conversely, System 2 thinking is described as systematic, or relying on effortful processing strategies that include a thoughtful evaluation of the evidence at hand. Of course we would all hope to engage in this kind of thinking all the time, but because of the resources required for System 2 thinking, we filter much of what we think about through System 1, as there are literally not enough cognitive resources to evaluate all the information we are bombarded with so critically.

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The JREF is proud to announce a new series on randi.org featuring articles by skeptical teachers exploring critical thinking in the classroom, using the investigation of the paranormal, fringe science, and pseudoscience to teach methods of science and reason. We welcome feedback, discussion, and further suggestions from educators and parents in the comments section. If you would like to be involved in this project, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Most required freshman composition courses focus on argument or persuasive writing, and most composition textbooks rely to some degree on the Toulmin model, developed by British philosopher Stephen Toulmin. The Toulmin model consists of three necessary components and three components that may or may not appear in an argument. The three vital elements are the claim, the ground (evidence, data or support) and the warrant. The first two are fairly easy to explain and understand. The claim is the argument’s thesis, what the author is trying to establish. The support takes up the bulk of most arguments: all the data, information and logical reasoning used to establish the validity of the claim. Warrants are a bit trickier. When I first began teaching, I found warrants rather confusing and therefore had difficulty in explaining them to students. By discussing the matter with other instructors, I found that my confusion was commonplace and that many of us felt that our textbooks’ definitions of warrants were rather inadequate (they’ve improved in the last decade or so). Toulmin himself introduces the warrant by contrasting it with data: warrants are

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I am pleased to share some exciting news straight from the James Randi Educational Foundation, and to introduce you to the newest member of our team, Carrie Poppy. After months of searching and interviews, we are thrilled to have Carrie join us. She has been involved in the non-profit world for several years, and has worked on many successful campaigns in LGBTQ rights, animal protection, and skepticism, a cause about which she is especially passionate. I asked Carrie a few questions from our brand new offices in the heart of Hollywood, California. (Open house details to be announced in the weeks ahead; stay tuned!)

First and foremost, Carrie, what made you want to join the James Randi Educational Foundation, and why is skepticism important to you?

I like to think skepticism is important to everyone, whether they self-identify as a “skeptic” or not. I was a skeptic about many things a decade ago when I was buying homeopathy and getting my chakras cleansed—I just didn’t have the right information yet about homeopathy and chakras. As long as a person values critical thinking at all, they are a skeptic, at least to some extent. What’s been important to me about organized skepticism is that it provides powerful tools for helping people evaluate evidence for unsupportable and often harmful claims. That’s something James Randi in particular has been marvelous at. I encountered him for the first time when I was taking a homeopathic remedy for headaches, and someone sent me a video of Randi explaining how homeopathy is made and why there is no evidence that it actually works. I think within about five days I had watched almost every online Randi video I could find! So I know firsthand the incredible value of Randi’s and the JREF’s work exposing baseless and harmful claims, and I want to do what I can to help the JREF reach more people with its mission. And for the record, after I watched Randi’s homeopathy video, I went out and bought some aspirin.

Tell us about the other issues and social movements you’ve been involved in and how they might inform your work at the JREF.

For the last six years, I’ve been working in communications and media for various regional and national non-profit organizations, primarily creating and executing campaigns to garner media attention and spread the word about each cause. I am excited to bring my knowledge and experience in communications and campaigns to the JREF, and help promote skepticism to a wider audience.

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An undead Carrie helped the JREF confront alleged medium James Van Praagh with our Million Dollar Challenge last October.

Photo by Eduard Pastor 

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Here is a rundown of the top stories in pseudoscience, paranormal and anomaly news from the past week courtesy of

Doubtful News.  

Two disturbing vaccine-related stories came out last week, both outwardly reject the body of scientific knowledge about vaccination. First, a Muslim cleric says the polio vaccine administered by a team of health workers is un-Islamic and must be rejected  and an Italian court rules in favor of an autism-MMR vaccine link.  

The work of James Randi is highlighted by Professor Chris French where he reviews the parapsychology-themed movie Red Lights.  

Here’s one freaky story that turned out to be true about eating squid and one that was not true about melanistic or black lions.  

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Sanal Edamaruku is the well-known Indian Rationalist who has now taken refuge in Finland, where he has fled to avoid prison in his homeland. He faces arrest due his criticism of a so-called "miracle" claimed by the Catholic Church in his country, a "weeping statue" fueled by sewage water that leaked in from a drain.  This is a preposterous action, a violation of human rights and an affront to reason and justice.  We should all be both alarmed and insulted by the government of India, from whom we certainly could have expected a rational reaction rather than this pandering to "political correctness" that threatens the liberty of Mr. Edamaruku. To quote Sanal himself:

It is nothing new that the Catholic bishops try to sentence their opponents to the stake when they run out of arguments. Giordano Bruno’s is a case in point. But try as they may, they cannot stop me to stand for reason, science and historic facts. And I am not alone. Freedom of expression is under attack and we are going to defend it!

TV channel TV-9 had invited Sanal to investigate a “miracle” at Mumbaia that resulted in some local excitement. He inspected the crucifix standing in front of the Church of Our Lady of Velankanni. This had become the centre of attraction for an ever-growing crowd of believers arriving from far and wide, thus the Church was anxious to take advantage of their credulity. For some days, there were little droplets of water trickling from the feet of the painted plaster figure. Hundreds of people came every day to pray and collect some of the “holy water” in bottles. The town was becoming a pilgrimage centre. But within minutes, Sanal Edamaruku clearly identified the source of the water  – a drainage pipe near a laundry room – and the means by which it reached the figure’s feet – capillary action. The local church leaders who were present during this investigation, were far from pleased. See the investigation in detail on YouTube.

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I just received an email note from Mr. Edamaruku:


Yesterday I reached Helsinki. My first breath of free air after two months in hiding. My new anticipatory bail is filed at Mumbai High Court. It will come up for consideration on Monday or Tuesday. Here is my local mobile number in Finland: +358414874408

Folks, as you may know, I’m currently involved in a legal action involving my partner, and I’m much preoccupied with that matter.  However, I will take these few moments to urge you to go to click here if you feel you might wish to provide some support for Sanal. He’s a good and effective fighter for reason and rationality, and deserves support. Please consider that possibility…

And I thank you, all.

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