!" $%&$'(')*' $+%,$+-.

/+0 12%&3-4&5
!'%67,8
Karl Groucho
Who are you going to believe? Me? Or your own eyes?
attributed to Groucho Marx

938: %+;"7)( &) &3% &<) ',,+,,=+)8 7, &>+)
8%7-?"
Playing with the context/ground biases our perception of
the object/gure.
The same object varies depending on its appearance in
different contexts.
Re-enactment of S. Asch
(1953)experiments
@&)8+68 'A+-8, &3% $+%-+$.&): ')* ';,& &3%
B+4'/7&%
[sub[ecL] nds hlmself
unexpecLedly ln a mlnorlLy of
one, opposed by a unanlmous
and arblLrary ma[orlLy wlLh
respecL Lo a clear and slmple
facL. upon hlm we have
broughL Lo bear Lwo opposed
forces: Lhe evldence of hls
senses and and Lhe unanlmous
oplnlon of Lhe group of hls
peers." S. Asch 1933:3
@&)8+68 'A+-8, &3% $+%-+$.&): ')* ';,& &3%
B+4'/7&%
Wrluen responses of paruclpanLs made lL evldenL LhaL Lhey came Lo doubL Lhelr
own percepLual ablllLy, raLher Lhan doubung Lhe group." MoskowlLz: 2003:31
lmaglne a world ln whlch Lhere ls only a slngle perspecuve on
everyLhlng you experlence: Lhere ls a sole auLhorlLy for
Lhe lnLerpreLauon of all evenLs ln Lhe world LhaL cras
how you should lnLerpreL Lhem. (ropagauon of LoLallsL
worldvlews)
Commerclal adveruslng: Lhe creauon of happlness
machlnes" (See Lhe Curus documenLary CenLury of Lhe
Self)
ollucal rheLorlc: Lhe creauon of masses of advocaLes for
preferred pollcles and bellefs.
C4'8 7, 8%3+ &D $+%-+$.&): 7, 8%3+ &D
-&()7.&)
All percepuon/cognluon ls medlaLed, so whaL crlLerla help
us Lo dlsungulsh beLween reallLy-based and falLh-based
approaches Lo phenomena?
. facLs and emplrlcal observauons always requlre lnLerpreLauon and musL
Lherefore remaln LenLauve and uncerLaln. ln Lhese Lhere ls always Lhe
probablllLy of change over ume and wlLh dlerenL condluons. lor LhaL
reason lL has been sald LhaL Lhe hlsLory of sclence ls Lhe hlsLory of error.
1here are bound Lo be revlslons and quallcauons Lo concluslons LhaL
were lnlually LhoughL [usued. E);" =",.-, ')* *&(='.,8, '%+ '%+ ,3%+
&D 84+7% -&)-;3,7&),F ,-7+).,8, )+/+% '%+: D&% 8+)8'./+)+,, ')*
3)-+%8'7)8" '%+ $'%8 &D 84+ *+G)7.&) &D ,-7+)-+H
8uL because lL ls commonly belleved, erroneously, LhaL sclence ylelds
cerLaln knowledge, many are llkely Lo Lhlnk Lhey can be cerLaln of Lhelr
concluslons and LhaL Lhey are belng sclenuc when Lhey do so.! #$%&'()
*++,-,+.
I'%'B;+ &D I;'8&J, @'/+
We begln Lo see Lhe large and lnvlslble dlsLance
beLween whaL acLually exlsLs ouL Lhere ln Lhe world and
whaL we belleve abouL whaL exlsLs by descendlng lnLo
laLo's cave.
?ou Lake Lhe blue plll, Lhe sLory ends, you wake up ln your bed and belleve
whaLever you wanL Lo belleve. ?ou Lake Lhe red plll, you sLay ln
Wonderland, and l show you how deep Lhe rabblL hole goes." Morpheus Lo
nemo ln Lhe MaLrlx.
!+*7'8+* $+%-+$.&)
WhaL we observe ls noL naLure lLself, buL naLure exposed Lo our meLhod
of quesuonlng." W. Pelsenberg (clLed ln Shermer 1997:46)
K&< *&+, 84+ +6$;&%+% %+$&%8 <4'8 ,L4+ 4',
,++) ')* <4'8 *&+, ,L4+ *& <784 847,
?)&<;+*(+M
Option 1: There is only one
true reality, which unies
everything, and all else is
mere shadow (illusion).
(This reects the
explorers former
unquestioning attitude
toward shadows, simply
replacing shadows for the
real.)
Option 2: There is only
shadow upon shadow,
where each world
contributes to
understanding more, but
none provides a nal,
denitive explanation for
everything. (This entails a
change in attitude by the
explorer, leading him to
question the certainty of
his beliefs.)