THE SKEPTICAL INTELLIGENCER The Quarterly Magazine of ASKE THE ASSOCIATION FOR SKEPTICAL ENQUIRY Vol 23, 2020, Number 4 (Winter) Incorporating the Skeptical Adversaria: the ASKE Newsletter ________________________________________________________________________ Edited by Michael Heap To access a Word or pdf copy of this issue, please contact the Editor at [email protected]. If you are an ASKE member in the UK and would like a paper copy, again email the Editor. CONTENTS Regular features and announcements From the ASKE Chair 2 Language on the Fringe 5 Logic and Intuition 3 Of Interest 16 The European Scene 4 Upcoming Events 18 Medicine on the Fringe 4 About ASKE 19 Contributed articles Skepticism, Racism, Science, Semantics and More: Recent Controversies Mark Newbrook 7 Book reviews and commentaries Shaping Psychology: Perspectives on Legacy, Controversy and the Future of the Field reviewed by Michael Heap 13 Seriously Curious: The Economist Explains: the Facts and Figures that Turn your World Upside Down reviewed by Ray Ward 15 Skeptical Intelligencer, Winter 2020 FROM THE ASKE CHAIR Michael Heap The ASKE website have been established in countries evidence-based perspective. (Can I Constrained by my (slowly improving) across the world (notes 2 & 3). have my cheque now Mr Murdoch?) IT skills, I have now refurbished the The need is to ensure that the public On 28.11.20, the Times colour ASKE website at http://www.aske- in general are mindful that there is a lot magazine included an article on Lyric skeptics.org.uk/. This is still a work in of blatantly false and ultimately quite Jain, ‘the 25-year-old from progress and there is material to be dangerous information ‘out there’, Staffordshire taking on the world of added and replaced (and will be much of it only serving the interests and fake news and conspiracy theories’. regularly). ASKE members are perverted needs and prejudices of those Three years ago, Mr Jain set up a fact- welcome to be involved in this. promulgating this nonsense. People also checking company called Logically need to be able to distinguish the (note 8): Conspiracy theories. fake news dubious from the genuine. It is a for-profit social enterprise with and misinformation __________________________ around 30 investigators and fact It is interesting to witness how, over the checkers working in its office in last 20 years or so, conspiracy theories, I would especially commend Brighouse, West Yorkshire, and 40 in fake news and misinformation generally Matthew Syed of the Sunday India. As well as the scrutiny it have risen to the top of the skeptic Times who this year began undertakes for governments and agenda. These are not new phenomena, writing a regular column for companies, it runs a website and but their escalation has no doubt been that newspaper. offers a browser extension that rates fuelled by the growth of the internet, in __________________________ other sites’ credibility. It also has an particular social media, digital app, which presents fact-checked technology that has hugely facilitated It is gratifying that television and the news stories and flags up others important areas of activity of everyday national press (which in the past, and “FALSE”. life, both desirable and undesirable. even now, has not covered itself in glory The following day, the Observer ran Political leaders, notably the current US when it comes to disseminating ‘the a feature in the ‘Science Tech’ section President, have also played an active truth’) are now much more cognisant of of their ‘New Review’ entitled ‘How to role; the Covid-19 pandemic and, in the these issues. I restrict my reading of the deal with a conspiracy theorist’ which is UK, the Brexit referendum and its national press to the Times and, on accessible online (note 9). It is written repercussions have also had their Sunday, the Sunday Times and the by David Robson, who has just had a catalytic effects. To compound this Observer so I can only really speak for book published on the subject (note 10). unhappy state of affairs, we may throw these ‘posh’ newspapers, but of all the The author of the article lists ‘five ways onto the heap the growing realisation newspapers I know of, in my opinion to spot the holes in the logic’. Definitely that too much research reported in our the first two of these make the best worth reading. academic journals is unreliable to the reading for skeptics. I would especially Also, have a listen to the Full Fact point of being useless or worse, as well commend Matthew Syed of the Sunday Podcast of 19.10.20 entitled ‘The as ‘the replication crisis’, the failure to Times who this year began writing a History of Misinformation’ (note 11): reproduce existing research findings— regular column for that newspaper. He We often think of misinformation as a some influential, others of little is definitely ‘one of us’ and extremely modern problem. But its roots go back consequence. well-informed. You can find his column thousands of years. In this episode we But do not despair! The fightback online (note 4) but to read it in full you explore the history of false has been gathering momentum for some have to subscribe (you can have a free information and track how it has time and maybe 2021 will be the year trial first). David Aaronovitch, who, developed into the ‘fake news’ climate the tide really started to turn; the amongst other topics, writes on we see today. departure, willing or assisted, of Mr conspiracy theories (note 5) and has Finally, if you like games have a Trump from the White House in spoken at several Skeptics in the Pub look at Go Viral! (note 12) This is an January will be more than symbolic in venues, is a frequent contributor, as is online game developed by Dr Sander this respect (note 1). The social media Max Hastings who is extremely van der Linden and colleagues at the corporations have accepted some knowledgeable on military and political University of Cambridge aimed at responsibility for content. Also, there is history, and well-balanced. Likewise, ‘vaccinating’ people against fake news much on the internet about the growing the business and economic and conspiracy theories about Covid- dangers of misinformation and an correspondents, notably David Smith 19. The game puts the player in the abundance of fact-checking websites (notes 6 &7), who writes from an shoes of someone spreading 2 Skeptical Intelligencer, Winter 2020 misinformation online and illustrates is going on. Maybe younger or more 5. Voodoo Histories: How Conspiracy some of the common ploys. Dr van der tech-savvy players will be better placed Theory has Shaped Modern History by Linden is quoted in the December 2020 to get more out of it. David Aaronovitch, Penguin, 2010. issue of the Psychologist (the monthly The game was discussed on BBC 6. https://tinyurl.com/yb8ep45l periodical of the British Psychological Radio’s ‘Digital Planet’ on 20.10.20 7. I recommend as an introduction to Society) saying: (note 13). Incidentally, their broadcast economics, his book Free Lunch: Easily The WHO has included the game in its on 3.11.11 is entitled ‘Who is most Digestible Economics (2nd edition) mailing list and on their website and susceptible to fake news?’ (note 14). Profile Books, 2012. we recorded a video with the United Notes 8. https://www.logically.ai/ Nations which they posted on their 1. Also, a good uptake of the Covid-19 9. https://tinyurl.com/y32fnovm feed as well. At the end of the day, we vaccination should take the wind out of 10 The Intelligence Trap: How to are trying to help governments and the sails of anti-vaccination Revolutionise your Thinking and Make international institutions combat fake campaigners. Wiser Decisions, Hodder & Stoughton. news more effectively so it’s been 2. https://guides.lib.berkeley.edu/fake- 11. https://tinyurl.com/yx9xaddr great to see a real appetite for more news 12.https://www.goviralgame.com/en/pl evidence-based communications. 3. https://tinyurl.com/qn3fxxr ay I gave it a try but found I am not 4. https://tinyurl.com/ybrvtey7 13. https://tinyurl.com/y8fs2j3d nerdy enough to fully understand what 14. https://tinyurl.com/yym78hje ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ LOGIC AND INTUITION Another coin-tossing game so long as they remain naïve about the acknowledgement but can’t now find it! Back in January, I described the rule. Here goes. following gambling game. Someone Now suppose you have to choose a It’s Christmas and a posh lady is starts tossing a coin repeatedly after you sequence of two, not three, tosses? I am having her hair coiffured in a high street and your (only) opponent have each grateful to Jon Scaife for sending me salon. She says to the hairdresser, ‘Do chosen a sequence of three consecutive this version of the puzzle: you see that bedraggled little girl out outcomes—e.g. heads, tails, tails Someone tosses a coin after you there? She is just plain stupid. Every (HTT). The winner is the one whose have chosen the sequence HH and time I see her I say to her, “I’ll give you sequence comes up first. Then you have your opponent, TH. After just one a 2 pound coin or two 50 pence coins— another go, and so on. The only toss who is more likely to win? which do you want?” And she always condition is that, under the pretence of Whenever a game is won the game says, “Ooh! I’ll have the two 50 pence generosity, you insist on giving your starts again. If you keep to the same coins please!”.