# Can you outsmart the fallacy that started a witch hunt?

- Institution: TED
- Department: TED-Ed
- Speaker: Elizabeth Cox
- Year: 2020
- Level: For everyone
- Language: English
- Subjects: Psychology and the brain, Society and politics, History, Teaching and learning
- Source: [TED](https://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_cox_can_you_outsmart_the_fallacy_that_started_a_witch_hunt)
- Licence: [CC BY-NC-ND 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) (Non-commercial use only, and no changed versions.)
- Who can watch: Teens profiles and older (sources give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the source's own words)

It's 1950. Anti-communist sentiment in the United States is at an all-time high. Senator Joseph McCarthy claims he has a list of communists who are influencing government policy. He makes his first accusation without providing any legitimate evidence, yet the senate committee still schedules a hearing. Can you spot the problem with this hearing? Elizabeth Cox explores the burden of proof fallacy. \[Directed by Pazit Cahlon and Hector Herrera, narrated by Jack Cutmore-Scott, music by Massassauga\].

## Lectures

1. [Can you outsmart the fallacy that started a witch hunt?](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/learn/ted/elizabeth_cox_can_you_outsmart_the_fallacy_that_started_a_witch_hunt/b79f907c92b6), 5 min (TED's player)