Omega Owners Forum

Chat Area => General Discussion Area => Topic started by: Nickbat on 06 July 2012, 23:28:17

Title: Hoax, lies and videotape
Post by: Nickbat on 06 July 2012, 23:28:17

I found this fascinating. How are we guided by our preconceptions?

A group at Imperial College were shown a videotape of a completely false claim of a "snake oil" photovoltaic device, the production of which had been allegedly stymied by a Chinese conglomerate.

All of the undergraduates bought into it.

Only goes to show that we should all be somewhat cynical (like me  ;) ) and demand real evidence.

http://refractiveindex.wordpress.com/2012/07/06/hoax-lies-and-videotape/ (http://refractiveindex.wordpress.com/2012/07/06/hoax-lies-and-videotape/)

   

Title: Re: Hoax, lies and videotape
Post by: Debs. on 07 July 2012, 07:45:33

I recall reading an article by a life-long confidence trickster, and he said that people 'wanted to be conned'.......greed, self-interest and naive-optimism combined to make people actively participate in schemes, which (to we cynics realists; Nick) would obviously be snake-oil selling. ;)