Dude, Where’s My Null Hypothesis?
WWJD?
The indisputable evidence box was a conceptual mind-exercise I came up with a while back to test one’s ability to maintain justifiable skepticism. It’s like a pregnancy test for logic, except you don’t have to pee on anything.
In a nutshell, the test is to imagine a set of hypothetical evidence that is so overwhelmingly AGAINST your own belief system that you’d have no choice but to accept that you are undeniably wrong. The question is then: presented with this indisputable evidence box, would you abandon your beliefs?
I like this exercise because it’s naturally polarizing. For those with a strong scientific background, it’s a layup; the scientific method flourishes in this sort of situation where new evidence presents itself against a commonly accepted theory. But when the user’s response is fuddled, ambiguous, or even hostile toward the test, it’s quite clear that skepticism and rationality are not frequently-used tools in their personal bag of tricks.
BREAKING NEWS: The Internet Causes Autism!
(Click for larger version)
As the above graph clearly shows, the number of reported autism cases in the United States directly correlates with the size of the Internet.
Holy crap! The Internet is causing autism!
How can those rich brainiacs at Google and Microsoft sleep at night, knowing their technology is somehow polluting our children’s bodies with dangerous toxins? At this rate, by 2068 every single person in America will have autism! This is an outrage!
Why haven’t the major news networks caught on to this? Obviously they are in bed with the big pharmaceutical companies who want this information suppressed from the public eye!
Email your relatives and spread the word! Don’t use the Internet!
Tell Your Friends
