Shall We Laugh?

Remember the laughing game? Played in a group, the first person says, Ha, second says Ha-ha, third says, Ha-ha-ha and so forth until so many ha-ha-hahas in a row become, well, silly and laughter ensues.

I've just read (sometimes skimmed) to the end of the September, 2011 Scientific American, a Special Issue devoted largely to cities. Near the end:

"People customarily believe they have control of their thinking and thus their behavior-- a belief that is proven fantasy, causing untold damage in the lives of all members of the human race," blares the headline on page 93. Oh, yes, clearly marked ADVERTISEMENT. Nevertheless.

Even alone, I raised my eyebrows a bit, for I am firmly among those who do believe we have some control of our behavior. Not perfect, and surely not always reasoned or reasonable. Yet I regularly observe, and therefore believe, that we seem to exercise some choice and control over our own behavior. So the headline got my attention.

The opening, supporting paragraphs mention that gravity, not people, causes things to fall when they are let go at inopportune times. The writing goes on for a bit about the laws of physics.

In the second column of text come this amazing statement: "People's irrational, dishonest thoughts and behavior, however, can never be concealed from nature's self-enforcing law of absolute right." (Print differences already included in the article.)

Next paragraph: "Ordinarily people regard a white lie as harmless and permissible. Not so! People's thoughts that are not rational and honest cause wrong results." (This time I added the print differences.)

Not rational. Wait. In our human being-ness, how do we filter out all emotional (not rational) responses? And how on earth can we always distinguish, even in ourselves, what is honest? An honest mistake? Is that automatically a lie? Baahhh!

But again, wait. Page 93 faces page 92.

This advertisement with its astonishing claims on page 93 faces page 92, on which is the Skeptic column by Michael Shemer. The title of the essay: "What is Pseudoscience?"

Ha. Ha-ha. Ha-ha-ha....

I thought I'd write about cities, since that's what I've been mostly reading about. But. Ha-ha-ha...