Tampitump

I heard it on npr news as I was driving to school that morning. I was surprised by it a little, but it doesn't seem totally out of the question for me. Then again, I'm not expert in literature.

This is one of the only instances in which I will admit that I am a diamond in a vast sea (in a good way). The deterministic universe rolled the dice in my favor and I got very lucky to be exposed to intellectuals who revolutionized my thinking and basically helped rebuild my brain, and I'm universes away from being a perfect thinker. I have very low to virtually zero expectations that this large chunk of the US will ever crawl out of its swamp. You saw here how starting a dialogue wherein truth and representing your opponent accurately is valued is a completely failed exercise. It will fail every single time with these people. If it ain't what mamma or Jesus said, its the Devil.

He no doubt walked away thinking he owned me. I marvel at the masterpieces of ignorance that are born in such staggering amounts in my region of the world. I have little to no confidence it will get better. People not from here just don't fully get it. This man does not represent the fringe of our society here, he represents the norm of my hometown and region. Tradition is the ultimate metric of politics and whether or not something is right or good. If it wasn't somethin' your momma told ya, then its just the devil's work. I now believe iNow on the whole "humans are not much better reasoners than chimps" argument. I never realized how utterly doomed we are until I discovered skepticism and free-thought about five years ago. We will never create a true global society with peaceful relations with the entirety of the human species, and we are doomed to fail at the project of keeping the universe from destroying us. People who don't think we are as far away as I imagine have never been to the bible belt or witnessed pure, concentrated, and willful ignorance and stupidity like I have my entire life. I love my friends and family, but the state of our discourse and thought is irreparable at this point I'm convinced.

If I seem incoherent or stubbornly moronic on this forum, just remember that this man is part and parcel of the norm that I grew up in. I'm still decoding and deprogramming from 20+ years of hidebound, insular, troglodyte thinking.

The following is a facebook dialogue I had earlier today with a typical Southern gentleman from my area of the Bible Belt. I'm posting this to show the people here the scope and scale of the issues we face with critical thinking and reasoned discourse down here in the American South. Whether or not you agree with what I had to say, you'll still see just what I'm referring to about the typical thought process that goes on in the South. In this post I was responding with a comment on this gentleman's status. I know you'll think by reading this that I should have aborted the conversation much earlier, but I often try to hang in there with them and be patient just to see if I can make a difference in how some people think, but it doesn't often work out. Anyway, Here we go: Man's Status: Voted this morning first time in my life Trump and conservative all the way if you go to vote for Hillary go ahead and unfriend me now because she don't care about your toddlers are your guns Me: Good thing you voted, but by telling people with differing opinions to unfriend you, you are being just as bad as the liberals you disagree with who try to censor opposing viewpoints with their cultural-marxist, politically-correct nonsense. How can you learn anything if you shut out opposing viewpoints and live in an echo chamber? As much nonsese as there is on the liberal side, there are still some good points, and much that can be learned, just as there is on the conservative side. Just saying. Him: Well I don't think either one of them is going to be a very good president I just pick the one that I thought would do better I'm not gonna vote for anybody says it is OK to abort a baby three days before it's born or anytime for that matterDonnell Drive we trade with these other countries they get the better end of the deal every time that's why were and dad will get it all these other countries money and I'll vet are homeless Hillary's been about for 30 years and she done shit I think we need to give Donald will try And I meant every word I said so if that offends you you know where that delete button is Me: That's a perfectly legitimate opinion, and by all means, vote for who you believe is best. All I was saying is don't immediately write off people with different opinions and shut them out. If you do, then you're just living in an echo chamber where you only hear reassuring things you already believe and resist trying to learn anything new. We all seem to get conditioned by our upbringings and our cultures to accept certain prescriptive, codified doctrines of beliefs without ever being taught to think critically and independently about real problems. I probably have a vastly different set of views than you, but I think I have a generally good understanding of where you're coming from and could articulate you're views in a way that you would agree with. I'm just looking for others to take this approach as well. Him: Why think it ought to be about morals what's best for the American people not a Hillary Clinton you want to think about making America great again Me: Fine. I'm not even talking about the candidates. I respect your views and opinions. I was just addressing your recommendation that people who disagree with you should unfriend you. It should be the other way around. You should seek to converse with, and understand the views of your opponents and identify the areas of disagreement whilst acknowledging the points of agreement. Shutting out opposing views altogether is a good way of blocking yourself off from never learning anything because you are only letting in the opinions that already fit with what you prefer to believe. That's all I was saying. Him: i'm done with our debate these Croppie are biting them wearing their ass out (Just for clarity here, he was fishing for crappie at the time) Me: I wasn't aware we were debating. Have a nice day. Him: What do you work at Me: I'm a full-time student Him: That's why you don't want Trump for president so you don't have to pay for nothing you don't have to work for nothing everything is given to you because I got to get my ass out of bed every morning go to work pipe for y'all shit this is my damn post I'll have the last fucking word I don't care if we do this for four years Me: I don't recall saying who I supported, and never referred to the candidates at all, so your entire post is erroneous and completely off topic. You've definitely proved one thing to me, and that's that trying to reason with some people is exercise that is often doomed for failure. I never criticized your political stances or your choice of candidate, and I never told you what my political views were or who I was voting for. I simply challenged your suggestion that people with opposing viewpoints should unfriend you. Now I see where you may a bit of a point, because I don't find you very open to conversation or dialogue. Have fun in your echo chamber. Him: People like you are just leeches y'all just suck everything out of the American people Don't nobody OU nothing Me: Can you actually make a coherent argument for your case without denigrating and belittling the person you are talking to? I never once made a personal stab at you. Your original post stated that you wanted people to unfriend you if they disagreed with your political views, and all I did was reply to tell you why I think that is not a good idea. I never attacked you personally, never called you names, and never criticized your political views, though you have given me much more of a reason to dislike you than I have given you to dislike me. You know absolutely nothing about my political views or what I do during a day's time, so how about not calling me a leech? Would it help matters if I told you that I personally don't believe college should be free? Yes, you heard me right. I don't think college should be free. So basically you called me a bunch of names for viewpoints that I don't even hold, and you completely and utterly missed the simple point I was trying to make. Do you understand the first thing about how intelligent discussions work? Wait, don't tell me, I already know the answer to that... no. Him: Well I'm just saying you 2829 years old and you're a full-time student that tells me right there has been a lot of money wasted on you know nobody OU nothing most everybody's got something got out of him work for it I'm done for the sales The hard-working taxpayers shouldn't have to pay for your way and I told you what to do if you didn't like it that's really easy delete Why don't think college I'll be free not on my dime anyway Me: That's fine. That's not even what I was talking about. At this point, I see that reasoned discussion with you is an exercise in futility, so I will go ahead a cop out of this discussion with the remainder of IQ points intact. I'll give you the final word, but before I go, I invite you to go back through this entire post and read every comment that was made. Notice how intelligent, respectful, and on-topic my posts are, and how bombastic, disrespectful, and rude your comments are. Read your comments and you'll get a feel for how NOT to engage in a reasoned conversation. Bye Him: I don't remember asking you for your opinion

Instructor doesn't use 2015. Wants us to keep it in 2012. Too late now anyway.

Can someone please advise me on why I'm seeing these messages? I've got 35 minutes to turn this project in so I need to resolve them.

I'm having trouble with my Visual Studio 2012 compiler. Every time I try to create a new project for this, it gives me this message: System.Collections.Generic.Randomized.StringEqualityComparer is no a GenericTypeDefinition. MakeGenericType may only be called on a type for which Type.IsGenericTypeDefinition is true.

Hey guys, I've attached an image of my current C++ programming assignment to this post. I've written some of the code and I'd like someone to look at it and tell me whether it is okay, and what needs to be done to it to make it match the requirements. Thanks, and here's my code: #include <iostream> #include <math.h> #include <cmath> #include <string> #include <iomanip> using namespace std; int main() { int x; bool finished = false; bool correct_no = false; // bool values aka tru or false to determine data validation cout << "Enter a Value For A\n" << endl; cin >> x; //makes user of the program enter a angle in degrees from -90 to 90 and stores that value in int while (!correct_no) // this is a while statement used to help validate the data { if (x<=0) // ensure the upper bound of the data is correct { correct_no = true; // execute if true } else // else statement to help in data validation { cout << "Try again pick a Value where B>A\n" << endl; cin >> x; //stores input in memory to verify it if not correct re exacutes the statement till the correct informantion is entered in the corrct range } } while (!finished) { if (x<=0)// data has to be in the specified range as set in this line { finished = true;// if true executes this line of code } else//else statement { cout << "Try again pick a Value where B>A\n" << endl; // cout to tell user to try again cin >> x; // else statement to ask the useser again to enter the correct information if what was entered was no in the correct range } } //validates the input to ensure it is between the specicified range cout << endl << "All done! Nice!! Your Data Is Valid\n" << endl; //cout to let user know the correct infomation was entered and the program can now execute the rest of program finished = false; correct_no = false; // bool values aka tru or false to determine data validation cout << "Enter a Value For B\n" << endl; cin >> x; //makes user of the program enter a angle in degrees from -90 to 90 and stores that value in int while (!correct_no) // this is a while statement used to help validate the data { if (x<=0) // ensure the upper bound of the data is correct { correct_no = true; // execute if true } else // else statement to help in data validation { cout << "Try again pick a Value where B>A\n" << endl; cin >> x; //stores input in memory to verify it if not correct re exacutes the statement till the correct informantion is entered in the corrct range } } while (!finished) { if (x<=0)// data has to be in the specified range as set in this line { correct_no = true;// if true executes this line of code } else//else statement { cout << "Try again pick a Value where B>A\n" << endl; // cout to tell user to try again cin >> x; // else statement to ask the useser again to enter the correct information if what was entered was no in the correct range } //validates the input to ensure it is between the specicified range cout << endl << "All done! Nice!! Your Data Is Valid\n" << endl; //cout to let user know the correct infomation was entered and the program can now execute the rest of program { long int constant, power; char var; cout << "Enter a constant of variable to be integrated (if there is no constant enter 1): " << endl; cin >> constant; cout << "Now enter the variable to be integrated: " << endl; cin >> var; cout << "Finally, enter the power which everything is raised to: " << endl; cin >> power; cout << "\nYou have entered: \n" << constant << "*" << var << "^" << power << "\n" << endl; power= power + 1; //cout << endl << endl << constant << endl; constant=power/constant; //cout << endl << endl << constant << endl; cout << "The integral is: " << constant << "" << var << "^" << power << endl << endl; system("pause"); return 0;} } } Sorry, I guess the link didn't attach. Here's the assignment: Develop a program that will approximate the integral f(x) = x^3 evaluated from a to b. Use the "rectangular approximation" for the integral. Use a step size of dx = 0.01. (you do not need to check if the value of b is an even number of steps up from a). Your program should: Request the values of a and b from the user. Use some type of decision structure (if, switch, etc.) to validate that b > a. If b < a, return error message. Use some kind of loop structure (while, for, etc.) to calculate the apporoximation. Separate calculate the exact value of the integral. Calculate the difference between the exact value and the approximated value. The output of the program should consist of: The approximation. The exact value. The difference between the exact value and approximation. The program should point out explicitly if the approximation is less than or equal to the exact value. (this will require the use of a second decision structure). The output should clearly indicate the results. Please help! This is due tonight,

I think Francis Collins is a case of compartmentalization. I don't think this is so with Ben Carson. Carson doesn't hold beliefs in science simultaneously with his religious faith, he flat out rejects most of the sciences that underpin his profession, such as evolution. He pretty anti-science.

Peter Singer has some intersting views on this subject that are worth looking into. I don't really agree with his utilitarian ethics applied to all non-human animals, but his positions on sentience and the difference between human and non-human animals are very provocative and worth looking at.

not anthopomorphizing or ascribing anything to them. I'm simply answering two questions. 1) Am I going to eat meat?, and 2) If so, which choice seems the most ethical route? Insofar as I understand how suffering is experienced, I'll generally go with wild game.

You haven't demonstrated that the former is not free from suffering, or that the latter IS free from it, you've just asserted it. I'm not sure if wild animals live better than all farm animals, but I still believe that harvesting a deer is more ethical than having animals be raised in farms, fed antibiotics and pumped full of hormones, and made nearly sick, hopelessly awaiting slaughter. The deer goes on about its happy little life, and one day, it gets shot through the heart and dies within seconds. Thats more ethical to me.

Not following you.

why do you poke on petty points when I know you know full well what I meant? fair enough. I'm sure its not a cut dry thing. I still tend to think a wild animal has it better than a farm animal, even in free-range farming. Wild ones have their freedom and aren't bred to be slaughtered.

selective hearing. I said "die from me killing it". Read again.

its as free as I can possibly make it. The farm animals are GOING to die no matter what. They will be slaughtered. The deer living in the wild is not necessarily going to die from me killing it. It is not owned, bought, sold, or kept in captivity. It is much freer than the farm animal.

...

Just a cop-out I guess.

I was thinking more about just the meat itself compared to beef, rather than its potential for diseases or parasites. I've never known it to pose any harm of that sort to people where I live, people eat it all the time. I eat it when I have some. When you kill the animal, you field dress it (gut it), and haul it off to a professional processing plant, wherein you'll fill out a form telling them what processing options you desire (i.e. Steaks, ground/burger meat, summer sausage, breakfast sausage, jerky, etc.). I've never heard of anyone having health problems from eating it, but then again I've been known to be unattentive and aloof to many things.

It runs wild and free its entire life, instead of being kept in a factory farming environment. It has a fighting chance for its life, instead of being doomed to be slaughtered in inhumane ways. Even if the shot is not very accurate, and it takes the animal longer to die, I submit that it still experiences less suffering than one in factory farming. If the shot is done right (which is usually is in my experience), the animal never sees it coming, it lived a free, happy life up until that point, and it dies with much less suffering experienced in its life than an animal kept in a stall and treated like an inanimate product.

Figured I'd ask the smart people here this question. I eat meat, but I'm still concerned with the ethical questions of meat eating. I don't see me ever giving up meat, so I'm thinking about trying to go about obtaining meat the most ethical way I can, which would undoubtedly be via hunting. I grew up hunting, and have always been told that venison is much healthier than any beef you'll find. I'm sure this is the case, but is venison a healthy food in general? We can also discuss the ethics of hunting/meat eating if you guys would like to, though this is not the ethics forum.

Hocus Pocus. Beetlejuice is next!

Thanks. I knew it wasn't perfect, but at least it was pretty good.

I never really hear neuroscience and psychology mentioned in the same sentence or discussion which has always puzzled me since I thought the two addressed different areas of he same questions. Perhaps I'm not paying attention to the right sources. I'm more interested in neuroscience than I am studying behavior. I suppose the underpinning question and motivation of neuroscience is to find out how wetware, electrochemical signals, and neurons become thoughts, consciousness, and personalities. I really want to learn as much as I can. My psychology course has all of its reading/study material online and there are four modules. They really did a great job with the literature as it explains everything so well and is very fun and fascinating to read. I'm going to print it all off so I can have it to read later on. Here are the questions recently asked in one of our assignments in my psychology course, and my answers to them. Tell me what y'all think of my answers. Are they okay? Or do they suck?: Module Two: Foundations for Biological Functioning 1. Name the major neurotransmitters, identify what they do, and understand why they are important. Answer: Neurotransmitters are chemicals released by the terminal buttons which carry signals between neurons by a chemical process in the nervous system. Since many neurotransmitters have been identified to harbor particular behavioral, cognitive, and emotional underpinnings, understanding the various neurotransmitters is important to understanding human behavior and experience, as well as understanding the effects of agonist or antagonist drugs on the brain. Acetylcholine is used in both the spinal cord and motor neurons which deal with muscle contraction regulation, and is also a key neurotransmitter in memory and sleep. Shortage of Acetylcholine has been associated with Alzheimer’s disease due to its effects on memory. For this reason, it is important to understand how the nervous system uses and produces this neurotransmitter. Dopamine is an important neurotransmitter which is associated with motivation and the emotional aspects related to it, as well as with learning. Many common disorders of the nervous system such as Parkinson’s disease and schizophrenia are attributed to excesses or shortages in dopamine, therefore dopamine plays a very important role in the health of the nervous system. Endorphins are neurotransmitters which are released after physical exertion and similar behaviors and activities. They are important because they naturally relieve pain and stress after vigorous activities. GABA neurotransmitters inhibit involuntary motor activity such as seizures, and are associated with relieving anxiety. Agonists of GABA are used to do just that, and understanding the function of these neurotransmitters is key to alleviating common issues related to the health of the nervous system. Glutamate is the nervous system’s most common neurotransmitter, and excesses of this neurotransmitter can lead to issues such as migraines and seizures. Serotonin is another very common neurotransmitter involved in daily human behavior such as appetite, sleep, and mood. Depression can be a result of low levels of serotonin, which makes serotonin levels in the nervous system a matter of great importance to overall health. 2. Identify and describe the structures and functions of the cerebral cortex, including the four lobes and two hemispheres. Answer: The Cerebral Cortex is the part of an animal’s nervous system that determines the extent of the animal’s capacity for language, intelligence, and skills. The human cerebral cortex is a wrinkled structure containing tens of billions of nerve cells, hundreds of trillions of synaptic connections, and glial cells such as the myelin sheath which link to neurons like glue and provide them with nutrients. The Cerebral Cortex is composed of a left and right hemisphere, the former of which is responsible for controlling the right part of the body, and the latter of which is responsible for controlling the left part of the body. The Cerebral Cortex also contains four distinct lobes which are responsible for different sensory functions. The Frontal Lobe, responsible for thought, memory, and judgement, is located directly behind the forehead. Behind the Frontal Lobe is the Parietal Lobe, which is responsible for processing sensory information related to feeling and touch. The Occipital Lobe is located at the very back, and is responsible for processing visual sensory information. In front of the Occipital Lobe is the Temporal Lobe which processes audio and language information. 3. Identify the basic structures of a neuron, the function of each structure, and how messages travel through the neuron. Answer: A neuron is comprised of a few basic structures which are responsible for different functions in the transmission of information. The Soma is the cell body containing the nucleus which protects the cell of the neuron. The Dendrite is a branching structure which is responsible for receiving information from other cells and transmitting the information to the Soma. The Axon performs a similar, yet slightly different, function than the Dendrite as it transmits the information away from the Soma to other cells, muscles, or glands. Dendrites are plentiful in neurons, and can branch quite extensively to receive information from other cells in the nervous system. An electrical charge initiates the transmission of information inside a neuron via an electrochemical process. The Dendrites collect the electrical signal and send it to the Soma—or cell body—in the same electrical signaling process. If the signal is sufficiently strong, it can then be transmitted to the Axon and eventually the Terminal Buttons, at which stage the Terminal Buttons will emit the signal via chemicals known as neurotransmitters, of which there are many different identified chemicals responsible for different functions. The Neurotransmitters then carry information across synapses to other neurons in the nervous system. 4. Describe the major parts of the nervous system and their functions. Answer: The Nervous System is composed of several major parts. The Central Nervous System comprises the brain and the spinal cord, and is where the nervous system processes and interprets all sensory information, and is responsible for the person’s responses to this information. Alongside the CNS is the Peripheral Nervous System, which branches into the Automatic and Somatic Nervous Systems. The ANS is responsible for controlling internal bodily functions such as the organs and glands of the body, while the SNS is responsible for the external parts of the body such as skin and related parts. Two divisions of systems known as Sympathetic and Parasympathetic underpin the ANS. The two systems stand in contrast to one another as the Sympathetic system is responsible for preparing one to react to a threat or danger which can result in rapid heartbeat and expanded lungs, whereas the Parasympathetic system promotes calming from the effects of the Sympathetic. 5. Explain and define the concepts brain neuroplasticity, neurogenesis, and brain lateralization. Answer: Neuroplasticity can be defined as the brain’s ability to change, create, or rewire neural connections to compensate for damages to the brain or new challenges and experiences. The idea of the brain being “plastic”, means that it can change its structure to adapt to changes in the brain or changes in what the brain experiences, like a brain tumor or taking on a new learning challenge. Neurogenesis is the brain’s process of creating new neurons, as opposed to regenerating or repairing existing ones. This process in the brain can promote the rebuilding of the overall brain, and understanding how this process works can aid researchers in formulating methods of promoting the formation of these new neurons via neurogenesis. Brain Lateralization can be defined as the understanding that the two hemispheres of the brain are especially predisposed to control different functions in the brain. The two hemispheres are connected by the Corpus Callosum, and each have distinct functions attributed to them. Split-brain patients—patients who have had their Corpus Callosum severed—provide conclusive evidence of Brain-Lateralization, as the disconnection between the hemispheres does not allow for the transfer of information between the two. 6. Describe the major classes of psychoactive drugs, and identify what classes individual drugs belong in. Answer: There are four major classes of psychoactive drugs. Stimulants are those which cause an increase in energy and alertness, and have a history of being heavily prescribed to patients with complications ranging from asthma to obesity, with their frequency of prescription decreasing considerably in more recent years. Depressants are psychoactive drugs that lower the activity of the brain, and are often used as tranquilizers or to relieve anxiety and treat sleep disorders. Opioids are pain-relieving drugs. Morphine and Oxycodone are commonly prescribed pain-relievers, and belong to the Opioid class of drugs. Hallucinogens are a form of psychoactive drug that cause a vastly altered state of perception and hallucinations. LSD and DMT fit under the umbrella of Hallucinogens. 7. Identify the structures of the eye and describe the function of each. Determine those structures of the eye that cause nearsightedness and farsightedness. Answer: There are several structures in the eye which serve distinct functions. The light being received by the eye enters first through the Cornea, a thin, transparent layer which covers the eye, protecting it and focusing in on the light being received. The Pupil is the small hole or opening in the middle of the eye, which is the next part to receive the incoming light. The Iris envelopes the Pupil and is responsible for expanding or contracting based on the intensity of the incoming light. The Lens is the structure that turns the focus of the light onto the Retina after the light has been received by the Pupil. The Retina contains photoreceptor cells. As mentioned earlier, the Lens is responsible focusing the incoming light onto the retina, and if the Lens performs this function properly, it will result in normal vision. When a person is Nearsighted, distant objects that are viewed will focus at too far a distance in front of the Retina, resulting in Nearsightedness. Conversely, when distant objects are focused at too far a distance behind the Retina it will result in what is known as Farsightedness. Both conditions are the result of a relationship between the Retina and the Lens, and are correctable. 8. Describe the gate-control theory of pain. Explain why the theory of pain is complicated. Answer: The Gate-Control theory posits that two types of nerve fibers in the spinal cord underpin and determine the pain we experience. One of these types of nerve fibers are smaller and are responsible for transmitting pain that is experienced from the body to the brain. The other is a larger type of nerve fibers, and can start or end pain when activated. The experience of pain is complicated because pain can have differing effects based on the perception of the person experiencing the pain in the particular moment or situation. For instance, people involved in vigorous athletic activity may not feel pain until they have discontinued the activity because of the various experiences taking place at the time, their perception, and the endorphins they are releasing. There are many other situations in which pain may be felt more or less extensively, such as pain experienced during laughter or when focus is turned to something else, perhaps more important overall. Pain can be worsened if the person’s mood or state of mind is one of depression or frustration. The experience of pain is made complicated by the many factors that determine the level of pain one may experience in various situations. 9. Describe the different levels of sleep that occur during a normal night, and know the characteristics of each phase. In addition, discuss the Disorders of Sleep. Answer: In the time between being awake and the relaxed period just before sleep begins, the brain goes from a state of beta waves to a state of slower alpha waves. As the person approaches the N1 stage of sleep, their brain activity continues to slow down, eventually becoming theta waves, and their awareness of their environment, as well as their muscle activity begins to wane and diminish. Shortly after the N1 stage, the stage which comprises the majority of the time spent asleep in humans—the N2 stage—begins. This stage is a more robust version of N1, wherein the majority of muscle activity, as well as all of the person’s awareness of their environment is lost. The N3 stage is the deepest of all of the sleep stages. In this stage, the person can experience sleep abnormalities such as sleepwalking. Also worth noting is that awareness of the outside world never fully diminishes, even in the N3 stage, and the ability to process sensory information such as sounds, smells, or touch is not lost. The Rapid Eye Movement (REM) stage of sleep is usually achieved after about 90 minutes in the N3 stage, wherein the individual experiences increased heart rate and rapid movement of eyes which underpins the name. Dreams in REM sleep are usually more pronounced, and dreams are much more frequently reported in people awakened from REM sleep than other stages. Before waking up, several REM stages occur, and the brain’s waves continue to increase to the point of alpha waves just before waking up reinvigorated from a long sleep. 10. Explain the study of pheromones in your online text and the provided video. Do you believe in the influence of pheromones Why? or why not.? Answer: Pheromones are a known phenomenon in nature which are used by a myriad of species as a means of interaction with other species members. Insects use pheromones for communication extensively, and mammals also use pheromones for a variety of purposes. There is some evidence that human females also excrete pheromones which have been tied to eliciting synchronous menstrual processes in women living together. It has also been speculated that pheromones in humans are also used in mating. The video in the study material which followed the experimentation of two youngish to middle-aged women attempting to attract male mates via a pheromone product provided some discourse on the matter. Using scientific skepticism, and acknowledging my own ignorance to the body of knowledge that has been obtained from studying human pheromones, I remain dubious of the conclusion that the use of these pheromones is successful in attracting mates. The caveat I must insert is that my position is not the negative assertion that the pheromones are not used in humans as a form of sexual attraction. Rather, I am simply adhering to the default position of being unconvinced of the positive assertion that the pheromones do have a bearing on human sexual attraction. The evidence on offer from the video appears anecdotal, and does appear to possess the characteristics of a legitimate, peer-reviewed, scientific study. Also, the literature on pheromones which is contained in the study material does not appear to address the link between human sexual attraction and pheromones.