# Post facts that opened your eye. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 11, 2008, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-facts-that-opened-your-eye/472262 "2008-11-11T23:20:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 14
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-facts-that-opened-your-eye/472262/261 "2008-11-19T21:57:01Z")
> [@ITR\_champion](#): > > Here’s a fact about the Spanish Inquisition that’s actually true, for a change. > > The Spanish Inquisition existed for four hundred years and killed about 1,000-2,000 people during all that time. More people in Spain were trampeled to death by livestock than killed by the Spanish Inquisition during the time of its existence. Or for another comparison, Chairman Mao may have killed more people in an average daylight hour during the Great Leap Forward than the Spanish Inquisition ever killed. The numbers aren’t really the issue. As **WF Tomba** says the Spanish inquisition is more notorious for the methods it employed. Add to that the fact that it was carried out to persecute witches (i.e. women, most of whom had done absolutely nothing) and the massively detrimental effect it had on the intellectual progress of Spain. Whilst I’ve never seen this theorised by a historian I wouldn’t be surprised if the inquisition contributed either directly or indirectly to the eventual collapse of the Spanish empire - as everyone else was racing ahead, Spain was trying to stay in the past. Also the Spanish inquisition was only the one we hear the most about, there were inquisitions in every Catholic country (and I’m willing to be that figure you quoted didn’t include all the people killed by the church in that period alone for heresy, other crimes against the church or in the auto de fes). ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-facts-that-opened-your-eye/472262/262 "2008-11-19T22:11:48Z")
> [@featherlou](#): > > My take on the average IQ thing is simply to realize that half the population is below average intelligence, and average ain’t so great. Same thing for driving skills - half the population of drivers have below average skills. I think I’m going to go get a bus pass. Why is Average not so great? Because purely bell-shaped-curve speaking, it’s the most _common_ level of skill, and not a measure of actual ability. It’s not saying they only follow half the rules, or do everything half-assed. In fact it’s saying they are part of the majority group and follow the rules at the same level most other people do. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-facts-that-opened-your-eye/472262/263 "2008-11-19T22:35:23Z")
> [@Illuminatiprimus](#): > > The numbers aren’t really the issue. As **WF Tomba** says the Spanish inquisition is more notorious for the methods it employed. Add to that the fact that it was carried out to persecute witches (i.e. women, most of whom had done absolutely nothing) Well, except for those witches and heretics (the latter was more important to the Inquisition AIUI, and presumably _had_ done something) who were male, of course… ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-facts-that-opened-your-eye/472262/264 "2008-11-19T22:45:26Z")
> [@Illuminatiprimus](#): > > Also the Spanish inquisition was only the one we hear the most about, there were inquisitions in every Catholic country (and I’m willing to be that figure you quoted didn’t include all the people killed by the church in that period alone for heresy, other crimes against the church or in the auto de fes). Yea, I am always amused when people refer to the Spanish Inquisition as if it had been limited to just that area. ---
**Author:** ![TheVioletCreep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eb8c5e/32.png) [@TheVioletCreep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheVioletCreep)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-facts-that-opened-your-eye/472262/265 "2008-11-20T01:19:48Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > The cake is a lie. Yes, yes it is. Learned that the hard way. An eye opener for me is that we can not even begin to explain sleep or consciousness with any definite certainty or even an inkling as to what either might be. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-facts-that-opened-your-eye/472262/266 "2008-11-20T02:28:52Z")
> [@TheVioletCreep](#): > > Yes, yes it is. Learned that the hard way. No it isn’t! Not if you stay past the credits, anyway… This was a triumph… I’m making a note here HUGE SUCCESS It’s hard to overstate my satisfaction… Aperture science… we do what we must because we can… (anyway this cake is great it’s so delicious and moist…) ---
**Author:** ![emmaliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emmaliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmaliminal)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-facts-that-opened-your-eye/472262/267 "2008-11-20T02:52:07Z")
Going back to read all six pages, but right now: That many Jordanians have as much of a beef with the Palestinians as with the Israelis – they believe/understand that both groups (generally speaking) have tried to grab power and/or land in Jordan in the last 50 years. For this and other reasons, Jordanian Jordanians sometimes (or often, depending on who you ask) discriminate against Palestinian Jordanians. That many kids in many places grow up just fine without diapers. That in Vietnam, my dad didn’t fly a helicopter just to take bigwigs from here to there as I somehow remember him telling me when I was younger. He flew combat missions. People shot at my daddy. I’m lucky to have him. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-facts-that-opened-your-eye/472262/268 "2008-11-20T04:40:02Z")
> [@Illuminatiprimus](#): > > The numbers aren’t really the issue. As **WF Tomba** says the Spanish inquisition is more notorious for the methods it employed. Add to that the fact that it was carried out to persecute witches (i.e. women, most of whom had done absolutely nothing) and the massively detrimental effect it had on the intellectual progress of Spain. Whilst I’ve never seen this theorised by a historian I wouldn’t be surprised if the inquisition contributed either directly or indirectly to the eventual collapse of the Spanish empire - as everyone else was racing ahead, Spain was trying to stay in the past. > > Also the Spanish inquisition was only the one we hear the most about, there were inquisitions in every Catholic country (and I’m willing to be that figure you quoted didn’t include all the people killed by the church in that period alone for heresy, other crimes against the church or in the auto de fes). The Spanish Inquisition had a great deal more to do with “blood purity” in Spain than it did with killing innocent women. The real “problem” they were trying to “solve” was the sheer number of Jews and Muslims in the country. The Inquisition either killed them, converted them, or drove them underground. While I’m sure people took advantage of the turbulent times to turn some woman over to the Inquisitors, I hardly think that “the fact it was carried out to persecute witches” is really a _fact_ at all. ---
**Author:** ![Euryphaessa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Euryphaessa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euryphaessa)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-facts-that-opened-your-eye/472262/269 "2008-11-20T04:50:44Z")
Nobody is thinking about you. They’re thinking about themselves, just like you. That’s from a book by the woman who wrote Bridget Jones’ Diary, and I find it immensely comforting in social situations. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-facts-that-opened-your-eye/472262/270 "2008-11-20T05:01:51Z")
The president elect is only a decade older than I am. Sigh. ---
**Author:** ![bit24sh0cker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5ac83/32.png) [@bit24sh0cker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bit24sh0cker)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-facts-that-opened-your-eye/472262/271 "2008-11-20T05:13:10Z")
> [@Hrududu](#): > > I’ll never forget the day that I as a small child realised that everybody else had thoughts in their heads. I don’t know if I thought they were robots or what before. But the realisation that everyone else had their own worlds going on inside their heads just like me blew my tiny mind. It truly is mind-blowing when you see people everywhere to know that each and every single person has an entire world living in their heads. Woah!! ---
**Author:** ![ianzin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ed655f/32.png) [@ianzin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ianzin)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-facts-that-opened-your-eye/472262/272 "2008-11-20T14:56:14Z")
> [@Randy\_Seltzer](#): > > I fear you might be missing the point… Your point is well made, and well taken. ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-facts-that-opened-your-eye/472262/273 "2008-11-20T16:41:51Z")
> [@bit24sh0cker](#): > > It truly is mind-blowing when you see people everywhere to know that each and every single person has an entire world living in their heads. Woah!! I think that too - I’ll be walking around in a crowded area looking at the people and being a bit in my own world and suddenly think “everyone is someone”. Each person has their own life, history, thoughts, dreams, beliefs… it’s like there are 6 billion worlds on this planet. ---
**Author:** ![wunderkammer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ed8c4c/32.png) [@wunderkammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wunderkammer)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-facts-that-opened-your-eye/472262/274 "2008-11-20T16:49:26Z")
I remember thinking about the nervous system and how incredibly _fast_ it was. I mean, you have little membrane-bound vesicles drifting over to the cell membrane, fusing, and blobbing out neurotransmitters into a synapse, which then drift over and bind to receptors, causing them to open up and let in ions until the voltage changes a certain amount, triggering _another_ set of ion channels , et cetera et cetera, and it all happens _thousands of times per second._ Amazingly fast. Then I realized that we were all sensing and thinking ata speed limited by all of these molecules drifting around and bumping into each other, so of course it seemed fast. :smack: It definitely gave me some sense of scale. ---
**Author:** ![jali](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecae2f/32.png) [@jali](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jali)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-facts-that-opened-your-eye/472262/275 "2008-11-20T18:13:33Z")
I can’t remember how old I was, but the day I realized that _everyone_ always thinks _they’re_ right amazed me. ---
**Author:** ![Palo\_Verde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Palo\_Verde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palo_Verde)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-facts-that-opened-your-eye/472262/276 "2008-11-20T18:51:19Z")
I always thought this saying was so dumb, “No matter where you go, there you are.” But it’s true! I always pictured visiting foreign places as exciting and almost magical. Like my whole self would be different if I were in Paris or Moscow or Cairo. But then you are in Paris or Moscow or Cairo and you have to go to the bathroom and you little toe hurts from where you stubbed it and you aren’t sure where to go go to buy a strap to replace the one that broke on your backpack. You’re in Paris or Moscow or Cairo and you still are just you, dealing with everyday problems and feelings. ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-facts-that-opened-your-eye/472262/277 "2008-11-20T20:26:25Z")
> [@jali](#): > > I can’t remember how old I was, but the day I realized that _everyone_ always thinks _they’re_ right amazed me. I’m not sure that’s true - I hold plenty of opinions that I’m not convinced are right per se just the one that I hold. I have lots of conversations where I’m open to persuasion or being convinced of an alternative way of thinking if the reasoning/evidence is good enough. But yes, some people go through life convinced that everything they think (no matter how ridiculous or lacking in any grounding in logic) is right. ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-facts-that-opened-your-eye/472262/278 "2008-11-20T20:48:10Z")
> [@Illuminatiprimus](#): > > The numbers aren’t really the issue. As **WF Tomba** says the Spanish inquisition is more notorious for the methods it employed. Add to that the fact that it was carried out to persecute witches (i.e. women, most of whom had done absolutely nothing) and the massively detrimental effect it had on the intellectual progress of Spain. Whilst I’ve never seen this theorised by a historian I wouldn’t be surprised if the inquisition contributed either directly or indirectly to the eventual collapse of the Spanish empire - as everyone else was racing ahead, Spain was trying to stay in the past. > > Also the Spanish inquisition was only the one we hear the most about, there were inquisitions in every Catholic country (and I’m willing to be that figure you quoted didn’t include all the people killed by the church in that period alone for heresy, other crimes against the church or in the auto de fes). > [@pepperlandgirl](#): > > The Spanish Inquisition had a great deal more to do with “blood purity” in Spain than it did with killing innocent women. The real “problem” they were trying to “solve” was the sheer number of Jews and Muslims in the country. The Inquisition either killed them, converted them, or drove them underground. While I’m sure people took advantage of the turbulent times to turn some woman over to the Inquisitors, I hardly think that “the fact it was carried out to persecute witches” is really a fact at all. It looks like some more eye-opening facts are in order. It is true that the idea of the Inquisition set up to deal with women is a myth. The idea of the Inquisition set up to deal with Jews and Muslims is also a myth. The facts are: 1. The Spanish Inquisition was set up protect persons accused of heresy from unwarranted and cruel punishment. Back in the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church had difficulty enforcing its rule in remote regions. Many local rulers ran their own courts and basically made up their own rules. One goal of the inquisition was to ensure uniformity of process. 2. There was no particular focus on witchcraft or on women, nor on Jews. Most people tried by first Inquisition were Cathars. The Spanish Inquisition tried members from a variety of sects and cults dubbed heretics for a variety of reasons. Later it also tried a substantial number of Protestants. As a matter of fact, the Spanish Inquisition worked to prevent the spread of hysteria about witchcraft. 3. People were not tortured as a means of forcing confessions. In fact, the Spanish Inquisition was widley praised in its time for its fairness. There are records of people who went out of their way to be tried by the Spanish Inquisition, rather than by secular authorities. 4. Execution was rare. Torture was rare. Burning at the stake did not happen. Most forms of torture supposedly performed by the inquisition were fictional. 5. The common view of the Spanish Inquisition was a myth created by Protestants for purposes of anti-Catholic propaganda. (And hence atheists who repeat those myths are actually parroting Protestant fables. Oh, the irony!) Professional historians have known the truth for many generations, but popular culture tends to lag behind. See the links below for cites. [http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/madden200406181026.asp](http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/madden200406181026.asp) [http://www.catholicleague.org/research/inquisition.html](http://www.catholicleague.org/research/inquisition.html) (Also, I’d be interested in seeing a cite for the claims that “there were inquisitions in every Catholic country”. When exactly was the Irish Inquisition active? How about the Finnish inquisition?) ---
**Author:** ![sherrylynn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3be4f8/32.png) [@sherrylynn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sherrylynn)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-facts-that-opened-your-eye/472262/279 "2008-11-20T21:37:52Z")
> [@cmosdes](#): > > I don’t mean to pick on this, but why do people always assume that half of \ is less than the average? > > If Bill Gates and 9 other shmos like me sit down for dinner together, 9 of us will be well below the average income. Not 5. I believe the word should not be average, which can easily be skewed by one value being much higher/lower than the others. It should be median - meaning that half of a group are higher and half are lower. ---
**Author:** ![gurujulp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ba9def/32.png) [@gurujulp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gurujulp)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-facts-that-opened-your-eye/472262/280 "2008-11-20T21:50:27Z")
> [@PopeJewish](#): > > —snip > My eye-opening fact would have to be that every neutron comes from an imploded star, so in essence (literally) we’re all just star dust I want the cite to this (or the thread link!) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-facts-that-opened-your-eye/472262.md?page=13) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-facts-that-opened-your-eye/472262.md?page=15)