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10 Misconceptions Debunked!

2012-02-07 · John · watch on YouTube · History & curiosities · curiosity idea

Inspired by CGP Grey, John debunks ten popular misconceptions, from 72 virgins in the Quran and .999 repeating to Einstein, Al Gore, the five senses and Washington's dentures, and teases Hank's 'no edge' obsession.

What is said

00:00:00 — Inspired by CGP Grey's video debunking ten misconceptions, John debunks more

  • ★★ John says CGP Grey, one of his favorite YouTubers, recently debunked ten popular misconceptions, which inspired him to debunk more. — 00:00:00

00:00:09 — 1: the Quran does not promise martyrs 72 virgins; a poorly sourced hadith, possibly 'white grapes'

  • ★★ John says the Quran does not say all martyrs get 72 virgins in heaven; the tradition comes from a hadith, a saying attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, which is very poorly sourced. — 00:00:11
  • ★ John adds that some people argue the word 'virgins' is mistranslated and actually means something like 'white grapes'. — 00:00:29

00:00:36 — 2: .999 repeating equals 1

  • ★★ John says .999 repeating is not less than one but equal to it, since .333 repeating is one-third and three thirds make one. — 00:00:36

00:00:49 — 3: ostriches put their heads in sand to dig nests; 4: sharks do get cancer

  • ★★ John says ostriches don't bury their heads in sand to hide from predators; they put them there to dig nests because they have no hands. — 00:00:49
  • ★★ John says the idea that sharks don't get cancer, so eating shark prevents it, is wrong: sharks do get cancer, though how often is unknown because everyone keeps killing them. — 00:00:59

00:01:09 — 5: there is no edge to the universe, and Hank's annoying 'Dude, no edge!' on the last week of tour

  • ★★ John says that in the last week of the tour Hank became obsessed with the universe having no edge, kept saying 'Dude, no edge!' and accused John of not being fascinated enough. (playful) — 00:01:14 · Tour de Nerdfighting > «Dude, no edge!»
  • ★★ John grants that apparently the universe has no edge, says he still doesn't understand how, and is sure Hank will explain it to him. (hedged) — 00:01:37

00:01:43 — 6: Einstein didn't fail math; 7: Al Gore didn't claim to invent the internet

  • ★★ John says Einstein did not fail mathematics but was very good at it, quoting him that he had mastered differential calculus before age fifteen. — 00:01:43
  • ★★ John says Al Gore never claimed to have invented the internet; he claimed to have taken the initiative in creating it, an exaggeration but not the one he is accused of. — 00:01:55 > «taken the initiative in creating the internet»

00:02:07 — 8: late in your seventeenth year you are sixteen

  • ★★ John says late in the winter of your seventeenth year you are sixteen, not seventeen, since in your first year you are still zero. — 00:02:07

00:02:21 — 9: humans have more than five senses (Aristotle is almost always wrong; thermoception, equilibrioception, 'inception')

  • ★★ John says humans have far more than the five senses Aristotle identified, including thermoception, a sense of body and limb position, and equilibrioception (balance). — 00:02:21
  • ★ John offers a rule of thumb: Aristotle, though very famous, is almost always wrong. (playful) — 00:02:24

00:02:51 — 10: George Washington's dentures were not wooden

  • ★★ John says George Washington's dentures were not wooden but more disturbing: gold, lead, hippopotamus, ivory, dead people's teeth and donkey teeth. — 00:02:51

00:03:03 — Links to CGP Grey's video and Michael Aranda's 'no edge' video; plug for Crash Course with a preview

  • ★ John links CGP Grey's original video and Michael Aranda's video of Hank saying 'no edge' over and over. — 00:03:03 · Michael Aranda
  • ★★ John plugs the brothers' new show Crash Course, which teaches 'stuff', and plays a preview. — 00:03:08 · Crash Course
  • ★★ In the Crash Course preview John says the real test measures whether you are an informed, engaged, productive citizen of the world; it lasts your whole life and everything is on it. — 00:03:11 · Crash Course

Humor (significant)

  • John explains that the 72-virgins hadith is really poorly sourced. — 00:00:21 > «It's like "I heard from a guy, who talked to a guy, and his cousin was all like»
  • John describes Hank, obsessed with the universe having no edge, turning to him while eating a sandwich. — 00:01:33 > «Hey, John. There is no edge.»
  • Having said Aristotle identified the five senses, John gives a rule of thumb. — 00:02:28 > «Aristotle, while he is very famous and everything, is almost always wrong.»
  • After real senses like thermoception and equilibrioception, John adds one more sense. — 00:02:44 > «You can also sense the need to go deeper, which is called inception.»

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