Lecture 2. Pseudoscience and Critical Thinking About Scientific Issues

“We’ve arranged a global civilization in which most critical elements profoundly depend on science and technology. We have also arranged things so that almost no one understands science and technology. This is a prescription for disaster.”

Carl Sagan, 1996

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reading: Chapter 2, handouts on the Weeklies page

Scientific Literacy

According to the National Science Board:only 2% of Americans understand how scientific theories are developed and testedwhile 23% could minimally explain the nature of scientific study

Scientific Literacy, cont.

National Science Board recommended putting an absolute priority ontraining and educating all members of society in math, science and engineering.

The Problem With Scientific Literacy

Scientific Literacy leads to an antiscience mentality.

Luckily, the more education a person has, the better that personunderstands science.

The Problem: this is diluted or erased by the mass media, whichhas a ubiquitous presence in our society.

Society depends upon science and technology.

Problems our society faces:

population growth

environmentaldeterioration

biodiversitydecline

greenhouse effects

healthproblems

naturalhazards But science must

face a delicatebalance withbusiness andeconomics.

Why We Need Science

- To solve society’s problems- To make wise decisions that affect our lives- To elect leaders who understand scientific issues so they

will make wise decisions for us.

What is the difference between science, pseudoscience,and antiscience?

Pseudoscience and Antiscience Are All Around Us

Movies NewspapersBooks PulpitsTV School BoardsRadio MeetingsPoliticians The Web!!!

Real science is obscure, although there are some exceptions:

Mars Pathfinder landed in 1997550 million web hits in the first few weeks

Spirit Rover landed 2004 (1st)Had more google searches than the words“sex” (4th) and “Brittney Spears” (2nd)Spirit images (3rd).

What is Antiscience?

A claim that ignores scientific reasoning.

What is Pseudoscience?

A claim that claims to be and sounds scientific,but is based on selected or inadequate evidence,false authority, unsupported beliefs, and does notallow for proper testing of its claims.

superstition, substitutingfiction with fact

magnetic bracelets…

What is Science?

Science uses:- logic- critical thinking- appropriate evidence (ALL the evidence)- subjects all authority to scrutiny- allows for the testing of its claims

The UFO Phenomenon

Many scientists readily accept a high probability of life somewhere in the universe.

Few accept UFOs.Why?

- photographs are not enough to support the extraordinaryclaim that aliens have visited the Earth

- unsupported personal accounts- “evidence” more logically explained by known earthly

phenomena- no one has provided unequivocal evidence- explanations used to account for insufficient evidence

the government is hiding the bodiesscientists/government engaging in a conspiracy/cover-upscientists are biased/can’t be trustedETs have modified people’s mindswitnesses abducted and no longer exist.

Is it pseudoscience?

…..nevertheless….

Why is Pseudoscience So Gripping?

Perhaps because science is seen as dull, incomprehensible.Scientists are weird, eccentric, nerds.Science is highly specialized.

Scientists can actually be “punished” by their peers for trying to make science understandable to the public.

Yet, according the National Science Board:40% of Americans have a high interest in scientific discoveries70% in medical discoveries

How is Science Done?

Science is a difficult word to define.Latin scientia, meaning knowledge.Science is also a process of gaining new knowledge.

The process of science can work in different ways.Discovery-driven science

Going out, looking at nature. Make observations untilyou find something new. Then try to interpret and explainthe observations. New questions may be revealed, driving new rounds of observations.

Hypothesis-driven science.Propose an idea, perform experiments to test that idea.A hypothesis is a tentative explanation/educated guess.

Most science is a combination.We use science in our everyday lives to solve problems.

The Ancient Roots of Science

Deep into the origins of the human species:keeping track of the moon in notched bone

beginning 35,000 years ago. earliest stone lamps 15,000 BCEearliest pottery 8000 BCEcopper, bronze, iron smelting

clay tokens in Iran to keep track of goods produced & exchanged 8500 BCEgradually evolved into Cuneiform writing - symbols of tokens 3200 BCE

Chinese kept detailed records of astronomical observations 3000 BCEBabylonians predicted an eclipse 500 BCEMayans developed similar abilities.

Hallmarks of Modern Science

1. Driven by observations and a belief that the world is inherentlyunderstandable.

2. Progresses through creation and testing of models designedfrom observations. Models should be as simple as possibleand be consistent with a rational understanding of otherscientific concepts.

Occam’s razor, medieval scholar William of Occam 1285-1349.

Models should not have to assume any special or uniquecircumstances, like divine intervention.

Models should be independent of our preconceived notions.

3. Models should be testable. Model that best fits the observationsis preferred.

Theories in Science

Science is not just accumulating facts (observations).Greatest advances are in uncovering underlying principles

that tie together observations previously thought to beunrelated.

Great advances are also technological. New methods that allownew observations to be made.

Theories are different from hypotheses.Theory is supported by extensive evidence.Has been repeatedly tested and consistent with observations.Theories broader in scope than hypotheses.

Kepler’s theory that planets revolve in ellipsesDarwin’s theory of evolution

Is There Absolute Truth In Science?

There must be an absolute truth as to how the universe works.

Theories, however, can not be proven right.Biological observations and data show again and again that

the theory of evolution is a strong theory.Over time, good theories approach absolute truth.But it only takes one observation to prove a theory wrong.

Models of the Universe

Thales:624-546 BCEGreek philosopher, seen as the founder of Greek science. what is the universe made of without resorting to mysticism.thought universe made of water and Earth flat, infinite ocean.

Anaximander:student of Thalesmodel showed the heavens formed a sphere around the Earth.Earth was not flat because the sky does not change as you travel east/west.thought it was a cylinder.

Pythagorus (or his followers):~500 BCEteaching the Earth was a sphere.

Aristotle:noted Earth’s curved shadow on the Moonalso supported the Earth was a sphere.

Greeks thought the Earthwas the center of the universe

Ptolemy100-170 ADobserved that the planets exhibited apparent retrograde motion.planets moved in circles around their orbits in epicycles(circles being perfect)model pretty good at making predictions.model used for 1500 years.

Copernicus:Polish philosopher in Greek tradition.Ptolemaic model/theory did not fully explain planetary motion.1543 Concerning the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres.Earth revolves around the Sun in circular orbits.

Models of the Universe, cont.

Models of the Universe, cont.Kepler:1610 first law: planetary orbits are ellipses with the Sun at

one of the foci of the ellipse1618 second law: planet moves faster when closer to the Sunand slower when away.

Galileo:1564-1642built early telescope, made improvements to itsaw craters and mountains on the Moon (Moon was not “perfect”)Venus goes through phases like the Moon (could only be explained

if it was revolving around the Sun)Discovered Moons around Jupiter - mini solar system (not

everything revolves around the Earth)Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems on Catholic

Church’s list of banned books until 1824.

Lecture 3. What is Life? The Hallmarks of (Earth) Life.

reading: Chapter 3