Some racists still reject the plain testimony written in the DNA that all the races are not only human but nearly indistinguishable. . . .

Otherwise we don't run the government the government runs us

I would be very ashamed of my civilization if we did not try to find out if there is life in outer space.

The fact that some geniuses were laughed at does not imply that all who are laughed at are geniuses.

I don't want to believe. I want to know.

Too much openness and you accept every notion, idea, and hypothesis-which is tantamount to knowing nothing. Too much skepticism-especially rejection of new ideas before they are adequately tested-and you're not only unpleasantly grumpy, but also closed to the advance of science. A judicious mix is what we need.

These are all cases of proved or presumptive baloney. A deception arises, sometimes innocently but collaboratively, sometimes with cynical premeditation. Usually the victim is caught up in a powerful emotion -- wonder, fear, greed, grief. Credulous acceptance of baloney can cost you money; that's what P. T. Barnum meant when he said, 'There's a sucker born every minute.' But it can be much more dangerous than that, and when governments and societies lose the capacity for critical thinking, the results can be catastrophic -- however sympathetic we may be to those who have bought the baloney.