Here Be Dragons (2008)

Here Be Dragons is a free 40 minute video introduction to critical thinking. It is suitable for general audiences and is licensed for free distribution and public display. Most people fully... See full summary »

Director:

Brian Dunning

Writer:

Brian Dunning

Star:

Brian Dunning

Cast

Credited cast:
Brian Dunning	...	Self

Storyline

Here Be Dragons is a free 40 minute video introduction to critical thinking. It is suitable for general audiences and is licensed for free distribution and public display. Most people fully accept paranormal and pseudoscientific claims without critique as they are promoted by the mass media. Here Be Dragons offers a toolbox for recognizing and understanding the dangers of pseudoscience, and appreciation for the reality-based benefits offered by real science. Here Be Dragons is written and presented by Brian Dunning, host and producer of the Skeptoid podcast, author of Skeptoid: Critical Analysis of Pop Phenomena, and Executive Producer of The Skeptologists.

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Plot Keywords:

critical thinking | 

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Taglines:

An Introduction to Critical Thinking

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Genres:

Short

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Certificate:

Not Rated

User Reviews

Weak & Pedantic

Dunning takes the most obvious weaknesses of mostly blatant pseudo BS & charlatanism to make a much larger point to denounce,most importantly, very contentious yet not so easily dismissed ideas, fields & disciplines. His bit on 911 alone is worth watching this movie to see just how people like Dunning are themselves the greatest perpetrators of uncritical thinking for their simplistic-at-best familiarity with the material he criticizes, which speaks far more to his ignorance & bad research than his dropping of red herrings & red flags do for basic approach to careful examination of any idea presented in the world, new or old. Real research demands more than relying on the rejection of young fields; Dunning, by dismissing such things as meditation and, say, Chinese meridian medicine, hangs himself with particular embarrassment given the large body evidence regarding both the fact of Meridians running through the body and the effective nature of Meridian medical traditions, of which there are many.

To lump together quick diet pills with Chiropractic therapy or yoga (both widely accepted because they are proved effective; look it up!) is so sloppy that I feel sorry for how big & scary his own personal Dragons are out there in the world that he has to beat them back with such blind, and uncritical, swords of fool's reason.

Watch for a laugh but beware this red herring for biased scientific materialism of the worst kind! A few points for his likability and good production qualities.

3 of 10 K.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 June 2008 (USA)

Box Office

Budget:

$7,500 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Skeptoid Media

Technical Specs

Runtime:

41 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1