OpenTheo

False Pattern Recognition, Conspiracy Theories, and the Need for Well-Calibrated Perception

Alastair Roberts

False Pattern Recognition, Conspiracy Theories, and the Need for Well-Calibrated Perception

March 2, 2019
Alastair Roberts
Alastair Roberts

Today I discuss the dangers of poorly calibrated pattern recognition in biblical study.

Within this video, I mention 'The Pyramid and the Garden' by Scott Alexander: https://slatestarcodex.com/2016/11/05/the-pyramid-and-the-garden/. I also mention Gordon Wenham's treatment of the Flood Narrative: https://www.godawa.com/chronicles_of_the_nephilim/Articles_By_Others/Wenham-Coherence_Flood_Narrative.pdf.

My blog for my podcasts and videos is found here: https://adversariapodcast.com/.

If you have any questions, you can leave them on my Curious Cat account: https://curiouscat.me/zugzwanged.

If you have enjoyed these talks, please tell your friends and consider supporting me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/zugzwanged. You can also support me using my PayPal account: https://bit.ly/2RLaUcB.

The audio of all of my videos is available on my Soundcloud account: https://soundcloud.com/alastairadversaria. You can also listen to the audio of these episodes on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/alastairs-adversaria/id1416351035?mt=2.

Share

FacebookTwitterRedditCopy Link

Transcript

More on OpenTheo

Is There Something I Can Do to Develop Love for Christ if I Am Emotionally Detached?
Is There Something I Can Do to Develop Love for Christ if I Am Emotionally Detached?
#STRask
March 14, 2024
Questions about whether there is something a person can do to develop love for Christ if they are emotionally detached and whether one should stay in
How Should I Respond to Someone Who Is Word-Faith and Believes in a Second Baptism of the Holy Spirit?
How Should I Respond to Someone Who Is Word-Faith and Believes in a Second Baptism of the Holy Spirit?
#STRask
April 25, 2024
Questions about how to respond to someone who is Word-Faith and believes in a second baptism of the Holy Spirit and what the Bible is saying about how
Has Apologetics Had a Positive Effect on Our Culture?
Has Apologetics Had a Positive Effect on Our Culture?
#STRask
April 4, 2024
Questions about whether apologetics has had a positive effect on people and our culture, whether the longtime privatization of our Christian faith has
What Advice Would You Give for Debating an Atheist?
What Advice Would You Give for Debating an Atheist?
#STRask
February 22, 2024
Question about advice for debating an atheist. * If I were to debate an atheist one day, what advice would you give?
Theologian Krista Bontrager on Diversity
Theologian Krista Bontrager on Diversity
Knight & Rose Show
April 20, 2024
Wintery Knight and Desert Rose interview Krista Bontrager about diversity, equity and inclusion. What is diversity? Are there any benefits to diversit
Exploring the Church Fathers
Exploring the Church Fathers
For The King
February 18, 2024
The church father's are DEFINITELY worth reading! We have to be a people rooted in history. We already stand on the shoulders of giants, we might as w
Why Do Atheists Get Angry When I Bring up Belief in God?
Why Do Atheists Get Angry When I Bring up Belief in God?
#STRask
March 11, 2024
Questions about why atheists get angry when someone brings up belief in God, how to reconcile God’s sovereignty and Satan being the prince of the worl
Conspiracy Theory and Autodidact Brain (with Susannah Roberts and Derek Rishmawy)
Conspiracy Theory and Autodidact Brain (with Susannah Roberts and Derek Rishmawy)
Alastair Roberts
April 20, 2024
The journalist and writer Naomi Wolf recently posted on Twitter about her reading of a New Testament interlinear: https://twitter.com/naomirwolf/statu
How Will Jesus Sit at the Right Hand of God if He Is God?
How Will Jesus Sit at the Right Hand of God if He Is God?
#STRask
April 29, 2024
Questions about what the Bible means when it says Jesus will sit at the right hand of God if Jesus is God and why the writers of the Synoptic Gospels
#213 Which Bible Translation is the best one? (Replay)
#213 Which Bible Translation is the best one? (Replay)
Ask NT Wright Anything
April 4, 2024
Listeners ask questions on which Bible translations we should deem as the best ones and which ones we should use on a daily basis. What makes a good t
What Constitutes a Marriage?
What Constitutes a Marriage?
#STRask
March 21, 2024
Questions about what constitutes a marriage, at what point God considers a committed relationship to be a marriage, whether the freedom to pursue marr
Boldly Defending Truth in the Face of Compromise
Boldly Defending Truth in the Face of Compromise
Knight & Rose Show
March 9, 2024
Wintery Knight and Desert Rose discuss the task of defending the Bible's moral teachings in a culture that rejects moral knowledge. We discuss what th
#209 Israel and the Second Coming (Replay)
#209 Israel and the Second Coming (Replay)
Ask NT Wright Anything
March 7, 2024
How should Christians think about the place of Israel today? Do the Jewish people still have a distinct role in God’s purposes? The Bible says Jesus w
#214 Is the Old Testament history or metaphor? (Replay)
#214 Is the Old Testament history or metaphor? (Replay)
Ask NT Wright Anything
April 11, 2024
Tom answers listener questions about the Old Testament. Can the truly trust the Old Testament? When was it all written? Is the Old Testament more spir
#211 Singleness, dating and being unequally yoked. Should christians date non-christians? What's the point of it all? Puzzled and pastoral questions this week with Tom
#211 Singleness, dating and being unequally yoked. Should christians date non-christians? What's the point of it all? Puzzled and pastoral questions this week with Tom
Ask NT Wright Anything
March 21, 2024
Help! I am a new christian and I'm worried I'm unequally yoked in my relationship? What is the biblical view of singleness? Should Christians date non