phi210 week 6 discussion and response

Week 6 Discussion Attachment

“Identifying Truth or Fiction”

The video clip, “The Baloney Detection Kit,” this week discusses the ways an effective critical thinker assesses claims made by others.

  • Examine some key reasons why people might seem attracted to pseudoscience-type claims.
  • Describe at least two (2) such claims that you have heard people make and analyze the main reasons why such claims do or do not meet rigorous scientific methodology standards.
  • Determine at least two (2) ways in which the material discussed this week has changed your own thinking.

NOTE: All students are required to post a minimum of two (2) posts per online discussion thread. Students must have one (1) original post and a minimum of one (1) other post per discussion thread.


AND RESPOND TO THE POST:

Velten

RE: Week 6 Discussion

COLLAPSE

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Good morning class and DR. Wess,

Pseudoscience seems to be in a lot of places like shampoo bottles to ads that pop up on your social media feeds (1). Scientific jargon that tries to say it is supported by hard facts and scientific research (1).

There are many reasons why people are drawn to pseudoscience type claims, but the obvious ones to me usually have to do with money or health. Whenever money is involved, science is ignored (1). As for health, when one is suffering or a certain health condition worsens, and the treatment options become obsolete, the need to try anything increases (1). We hope this will work or we believe this will work and then creeps in pseudoscience (1).

The biggest claim that I continue to hear people make is that the earth is flat. They think that just because the earth looks and feels flat, it must be flat. Another would be one that is still being used today even though there is no scientific proof that this really works, the polygraph or, as we know it, lie detector test.

I thought this weeks lessons were very interesting and I sometimes am guilty of pseudoscience. I am not one who believes the earth is flat, but I do believe in some of the things that are considered pseudoscience. Body language and feng shui are things that I sometimes think help me in reading a room or having a positive energy in a room. As far as how this will help me in critical thinking, I think this will be useful in trying to think more intellectually and at least us research and facts to prove my point of views.

Sources

  1. Sian Townson. 2016. Why people fall for pseudoscience (and how academics can fight back). Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-netwo…
 
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