Resources for recognizing magic tricks, mind tricks, and dirty tricks (Ch. 20)

  • More Illusions

    Some convincing illusions made the rounds as memes. Remember these?

    What word do you hear?

    https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/05/16/upshot/audio-clip-yanny-laurel-debate.html

    What color is the dress?

    https://www.wired.com/2015/02/science-one-agrees-color-dress/

  • An Honest Liar movie

    James Randi is gone, but not forgotten. Watch this documentary for “the incredible true story of the renowned magician turned skeptic and exposer of frauds and hoaxes, James ‘The Amazing’ Randi.”

    YouTube link

  • Captain Disillusion debunking videos

    Picking up the baton from James Randi, Captain Disillusion focus on debunking hoax videos, and subtly includes important lessons about critical thinking.

    YouTube link

  • Read more about it! for Parent-ucators

    These books will build your own awareness of how humans are vulnerable to trickery and mistakes, because shortcuts are built into our own brains. Skepticism and science can provide part of the antidote.

    Phantoms in the Brain: Probing the Mysteries of the Human Mind by V. S. Ramachandran , Sandra Blakeslee , et al.

    Amazon link

    Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

    Amazon link

    The Skeptics Guide

    The Skeptics Guide to the Universe by Steven Novella is a comprehensive guide to rational thinking.

    https://www.theskepticsguide.org/

    The Demon-haunted World: Science As a Candle in the Dark by Carl Sagan 

    Amazon link