Massimo Polidoro
LA SCIENZA DELL’INCREDIBILE
Perché crediamo a ciò che non è vero (e cosa possiamo farci)
ARENA SHAKESPEARE
July 7th
durata
written and performed by Massimo Polidoro
production Elastica
Why do people tend to believe in magic, paranormal phenomena or far-fetched conspiracy theories, whilst at the same time rejecting or denying scientifically proven facts? And is this limited to people with strange ideas, or could it happen to any of us? The fact is that, very often, it is our senses and the way our minds work that lead us to believe the unbelievable. In short, we believe what our eyes see, what our ears hear or what strikes us at first glance: forgetting, in fact, that sooner or later we can all fall into error.
Massimo Polidoro, the most famous investigator of mysteries and debunker of hoaxes in the service of science, guides us through some perceptual paradoxes and cognitive pitfalls, illustrating how our minds can deceive us and lead us to believe in non-existent phenomena or realities. During his talk, which will also feature some surprising ‘experiments’ with the audience, we will become familiar with the tools of scientific inquiry and, by learning to assess the reliability and veracity of unusual facts, we will understand how to think like scientists. But, above all, we will learn to cultivate the only true antidote to prejudice and superstition: an inexhaustible curiosity.
