On October 2, Moscow will host the Scientific and Educational Forum "Scientists Against Myths", during which ten experts will speak out to expose deep-rooted prejudices and misconceptions. In addition, the organizers of the forum will present an award for contributions to pseudoscience called "Honorary Academician of VRAL". On the eve of the event, the RT correspondent spoke with one of the members of the award organizing committee, video blogger, fighter against pseudoscience Mikhail Lidin. He told what myths Russians most often believe and why people who call themselves psychics are so popular in the country.
The forum will discuss numerous misconceptions - from the field of medicine, history, biology. Tell me, in what area do you think the most myths live?
- I really am a member of the team preparing the anti-award for achievements in the field of pseudoscience (we will solemnly present it at the forum). In my opinion, today most of all false knowledge is present in history, psychology and, perhaps, medicine. It is these sciences that deal with the most acute existential issues, and for many people these issues fall into the sphere of emotions. People are often not interested in the theory on which knowledge itself is built. They are much more interested in finding facts confirming their guesses, a priori beliefs.
What example of delusion can you give from the field of history?
- In our country the myth prevails, according to which our ancestors were great and invincible. And this reaches the point of absurdity, fantasy and even falsification of the past. For example, there is a misconception that the Russians introduced writing 7 thousand years ago. People do not fully realize the perniciousness of such ideas about the past. As a result, it turns out that this nonsense has many followers - to be convinced of this, it is enough to look at the circulation of pseudoscientific books or the popularity of individual representatives of pseudoscience.
There are also many delusions in psychology. These misconceptions affect the realm of the personal, and people think that psychology is a simple and understandable science that offers simple solutions. Unfortunately, they are being fooled by a lot that the charlatans in the field say. A whole layer of pseudoscientific exists in the views of ordinary people about medicine.
Separately, I would like to mention the area associated with paranormal abilities. This is what I have been doing the most lately. The popularity of various programs about psychics in Russia is an unprecedented case. The programs have been broadcast for many years, and this suggests that in Russia there is a very widespread belief about the existence of people with paranormal abilities.
Can you tell a few funny stories about your interaction with people who call themselves magicians or psychics?
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- I often interact with them. They always call themselves differently: magicians, psychics, healers, dowsers. I met a person who said that he can magnetize a piece of paper so that it starts to stick, for example, to a wall. But after a long correspondence, we proved to him that he was mistaken - it was just a banal static electricity.
Recently, there was another case where a person claimed to be able to find water using the so-called bent dowsing frames. With varying success, we from time to time tried to explain to him that this is not a paranormal ability, since he knows in advance where the hose with the flowing water is. And in a certain place, his frames begin to converge. This is a common ideomotor effect that is unconscious - and people think that this is something otherworldly.
My personal experience of communicating with psychics greatly affected my attitude towards them. Previously, I treated them with hostility, as deceivers, but now it is clear to me that not all of them are inveterate crooks. There are people who are sincerely mistaken. Of course, they most likely do not have psychic abilities, but they just believe that they have them.
How can you deal with this kind of psychic delusions?
- It is very difficult to fight them. People who begin to lead the reception as sorcerers, healers, can be so carried away by this that it is almost impossible to convince them. This activity becomes a part of their life, a source of income that cannot be denied. For example, when a person removes damage, then for him the main confirmation that he is benefiting is satisfied customers.
These people tend to have strong cognitive biases that prevent them from being convinced of what they are doing. I had successful persuasion experiments, but it took a lot of time, effort and patience to prove to a person through specific experiments and experiments that he was wrong. In general, on my channel I release educational videos, and often people write to me who have lost faith in the paranormal or other pseudoscientific delusion. I struggle with these very delusions like this.
Could you tell us more about contactless combat, to which you have dedicated several of your materials? Please explain what it is and why it can be called pseudoscientific
- The notions of contactless combat among those who believe in it are based on pseudoscientific ideas. There is a statement that there is an energy impact that is transmitted through a certain information field. This is typical pseudoscientific chatter. Those people who are students of the masters of contactless combat, as a rule, ignore the alternative and most likely explanation for what is happening during the demonstration. Participants are either in collusion with the master, or succumb to the influence, instilling the authority of the master.
How it happens: a person comes who is naive about the fact that before him is some kind of guru, a master who has comprehended the secrets of battle for a long time. And this is how one of the factors influences his behavior: it is enough for the master to wave his hand, as his student begins to fall. Given the environment in which this happens, people gradually begin to feel what is happening due to the fact that everyone around also succumbs. Some "non-contact" disguise their explanation with a certain scientific theory, and for many people this has an almost hypnotic effect. People really do not understand the difference between science and pseudoscience, and imagined impact can easily be mistaken for real.
You have been working on a documentary all summer. Please tell us a little more about it
- I planned to expose in this film the misconceptions regarding history, archeology, but now it is more of a popular science project that will tell about what archeology is an interesting science. In particular, I studied the ancient Russian settlement of Gnezdovo, where the largest Viking Age burial ground in Europe is located. But the main goal of the project is to popularize archeology.
You are a member of the organizing council of the Harry Houdini Prize. Please tell our readers about it
- The award is intended to draw public attention to an uncritical attitude towards the phenomena of paranormal abilities. To do this, we, the organizers of the award, ourselves conduct experiments with people who claim that they have these abilities. With the support of scientists and illusionists, we conduct a controlled experiment, trying to ensure the purity of the experiment and its correctness. Thus, we show what the evidence of the existence of paranormal abilities could look like in the conditions of a correctly designed experiment.
Moreover, we offer a million rubles if someone can convincingly show extraordinary abilities. We do not take money from any of the participants and we try to provide suitable conditions for them.
Edward Epstein
