By Shantelle Williams-Valadié, BOLD ERG Chair and Associate Director, University Partnerships, Coursera In the 1968 Olympics, medalists Tommie Smith and John Carlos punched defiant fists into the summer air, decrying oppression of Black communities in the country whose colors they wore on their tracksuits. The act seized the world of sports and was widely condemned […]
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Tag: beliefs
What is the Milky Way?
When someone says “Milky Way,” do you think of the starry pathway across our sky, or of the great pinwheel-shaped galaxy in space? Both are correct! Source: https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/what-is-the-milky-way-galaxy…
Happy birthday to Galileo, born February 15
One of our greatest astronomers, Galileo Galilei, was born February 15, 1564. His discoveries with the improved telescopes he made changed the way we view the universe – and got him in trouble with the church. Source: https://earthsky.org/human-world/galileos-birthday-feb-15-1564…
‘Recovering’ QAnon Members Seek Help from Therapists, Subreddits, and On Telegram
“More than at any point since the QAnon conspiracy began, there is a tremendous opportunity to pull disaffected followers out of the conspiracy,” writes FiveThirtyEight. And while it’s just one of three possible scenarios, online posts suggest at least some members are abandoning the group, “but they will need support to really sever their connection.” ABC News reports that some QAnon…
Does being around plants truly improve your happiness and well-being?
As a botanist, one of my closest-held beliefs is that plants improve the quality of my life, says James Wong. But does science back me up? Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24833130-700-does-being-around-plants-truly-improve-your-happiness-and-well-being/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Is belief in God a delusion?
As the pandemic raged in April, churchgoers in Ohio defied warnings not to congregate. But what do psychologists have to say about strong beliefs in a god? Source: https://www.livescience.com/is-belief-in-god-a-delusion.html
Cult Expert Predicts QAnon Adherents Will ‘Get Angry and Exit’
“From my time studying cults and helping followers escape them, I can reassure you that QAnon will disintegrate in the United States over time if effective measures are taken if and when Trump is defeated,” writes prominent mental health counselor Steven Haasan: When cult adherents get confused, then ashamed, then realize they’ve been scammed, they get angry and exit. While some…
Patreon Is Banning QAnon, Joining Facebook, YouTube and Others
Patreon is the latest tech company to take action on the QAnon conspiracy theory, announcing in a blog post Thursday morning that creators promoting the movement would be banned from the platform. Business Insider reports: Patreon, a membership platform that lets fans support creators and celebrities financially through subscriptions, previously hosted 14 QAnon influencers on the platform, according to a recent…
What if a Medical Treatment Could Change Your Political Or Religious Beliefs?
A research fellow at the University of Oxford’s Wellcome Centre for Ethics and Humanities writes in Scientific American: How would you feel about a new therapy for your chronic pain, which — although far more effective than any available alternative — might also change your religious beliefs? Or a treatment for lymphoma that brings one in three patients into remission, but…
Unconscious learning underlies belief in God, study suggests
Individuals who can unconsciously predict complex patterns, an ability called implicit pattern learning, are likely to hold stronger beliefs that there is a god who creates patterns of events in the universe, according to neuroscientists. Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/09/200909085942.htm