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#1 We are often willing to form extraordinary beliefs on the basis of very flimsy evidence. For example, I had seen a ghost when I woke up to get a drink of water. However, an explanation that is more prosaic than ghostly exists. We can experience hypnopompic hallucinations, which occur as we're coming out of sleep.

#2 We often believe things because we want to believe them, not because of the evidence. We can also believe things that are not true. For example, many people believe that silicon breast implants cause major disease, but research indicates that they're not true.

#3 We make many good decisions every day, but we also make many mistakes. Our beliefs and decisions can affect not only our personal lives, but also societal decisions that have an impact on us all.

#4 A skeptic is a person who wants to see and evaluate the evidence before believing something. The more important or extraordinary the belief, the more compelling the evidence should be before we believe it.