Penn State President Graham Spanier is responsible for 96,000 students, 24 campuses, 1700 buildings and an annual budget of $4.3 billion. I asked him to our class because he is a magician. 

Magic says so much about the need for science. From my notes, the Spanier pearls:

• Magic demonstrates that it is easy to believe what isn’t true.

• The scientific method is really important: a lot of people are wrong, and a lot of people let their politics color their beliefs.

• As College graduates, you should be persuaded by facts.  If beliefs get mixed in, that’s ok, but you should see if you can reconcile your beliefs and the facts.

• Always be a little skeptical of what people are telling you, especially if they have an agenda.

• Magicians exploit the tendency of humans to see patterns where none exist.

• Magicians exploit our assumptions about cause and effect.

To which I would just add the one rule of science which magicians really, really demonstrate:  Don’t assume something weird, surprising or counter intuitive has a supernatural cause just because YOU can’t explain it.  

                                                                                                                     Photo credits: Tara Carson