MYTHS AND SUPERSTITIONS IN 21ST CENTURY !
From prehistoric times, humans have evolved as pattern seeking and storytelling species. While the
capacity to find patterns and infer meanings had obvious advantages for survival, the brain is not always
successful in distinguishing meaningful and meaningless patterns. In fact, "pattern finding" and "order
seeking" mechanisms form the basis for nearly all existing myths, superstitions, cultural taboos and ritual
practices all over the world. The same mechanism also makes us extremely vulnerable to all kinds of
deceptions and manipulative techniques that impair our critical faculties. We may imagine things that
don’t exist, make false judgments, accept uncritical claims, misinterpret facts and arrive at conclusions
that are completely at odds with reality. The scientific age is riddled with intriguing contradictions and
man-made follies. The technology-driven consumer culture and entertainment industry has fueled the
growth of primitive superstitions, myths and new age beliefs. The need to promote a rational discussion
on science, technology and equitable social development has never been so pressing. The first thing to
guard against such trends is to be aware of the subtle persuasive techniques, marketing strategies and
advertisement gimmicks that make us increasingly helpless consumers in the scientific age. Conveying
the excitement of science and scientific discovery is no doubt an essential part of science education and
public outreach activities. But equally important is to learn to draw the distinction between
unsubstantiated claims and factual findings based on sound reasoning and evidence. Discerning magical
thinking and vague ideas from the realm of possibilities that lie within limits of physical laws is therefore
important to inculcate scientific temper.