Posted: September 13th, 2017
Family and consumer science
Believing Pseudoscience
There is a chill in the air as you awaken early in the morning on your
visit to the Scottish Highlands. You put on a warm jacket and begin
your trek by the lake. It is eerily silent as you peer over the water
through the ghostly mist. What was that? You stop with a jerk. You
just saw something moving in the water! It seemed to disappear
quickly, diving beneath the surface. Could it be? Did you just catch a
glimpse of the elusive monster of Loch Ness?
You may have heard stories of the Loch Ness monster, a large,
dinosaur-like creature that people claim to have sighted swimming in a
large lake in northern Scotland. Is there scientific evidence to
support the monster’s existence? If not, why do people continue to
visit Loch Ness hoping to see it?
The Loch Ness monster is one of many ideas that can be referred to as
pseudoscience. Others are UFOs, paranormal phenomena, the Bermuda
Triangle, Bigfoot, and magnet therapy. For this Discussion, you select
a pseudoscientific topic and hypothesize reasons people believe it.
To prepare for this Discussion:
Read the resources listed below and focus on the areas described:
Consider the differences between science and pseudoscience as you
review the articles “How Can We Tell Science From Non-Science?” and
“Distinguishing Science From Pseudoscience.”
Consider reasons people believe pseudoscientific ideas as you review
the articles “Atoms vs. a Three-Legged Woman?” and “I Want to
Believe.”
Select a pseudoscientific topic prevalent in your region or culture to
focus on for this Discussion.
Critically analyze the topic based on what you have learned about
detecting science in the resources for Weeks 1–3 of this course. What
makes this topic attractive to people? Why would people continue to
believe something that has very little or no scientific evidence to
support it?
With these thoughts in mind:
Post by Day 3 a 2- to 3-paragraph analysis of your chosen topic in which you:
Describe the pseudoscientific topic.
Explain why this topic is an example of pseudoscience.
Tell why you think people continue to believe in the topic.
Important Note: Title your initial post with the region or culture to
which your topic belongs. Be sure to read the Respond instructions
carefully.
Include at least three references to this week’s resources that
support your analysis.
Cite all references in APA format.
Be sure to support your ideas by connecting them to the week’s
Learning Resources, or something you have read, heard, seen, or
experienced.
Read a selection of your colleagues’ postings.
Respond by Day 5 to at least two of your colleagues’ postings from a
different region or culture than yours. Choose one of the following
ways to respond:
Discuss similarities or differences between your colleagues’
pseudoscience topics and yours.
Argue the opposing view by taking the position of someone who believes
the pseudoscience topic. Use what you have learned about errors in
thinking that lead to accepting pseudoscience to form your arguments.
Have fun with it!
Required Resources
Note: To access this week’s required library resources, please click
on the link to the Course Readings List, found in the Course Materials
section of your Syllabus.
Readings
Klose, R. (2009). Atoms vs. a three-legged woman? Phi Delta Kappan,
90(10), 767–769.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
The author of this article, an associate professor of biological
sciences, explains why he thinks many university students quickly
reject scientific information while embracing paranormal and
pseudoscientific ideas.
Shermer, M. (2009). I want to believe. Scientific American, 301(1), 33–35.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
Michael Shermer explains how the scientific method is used to support
or refute science-related claims. Shermer distinguishes between the
positive evidence of science and the negative evidence presented by
many who uphold pseudoscientific beliefs.
Rutherford, F. J., & Ahlgren, A. (1990). Chapter 1: The nature of
science. In Science for all Americans. American Association for the
Advancement of Science.
Retrieved from http://www.project2061.org/
This chapter provides a basic description of scientific inquiry and
identifies influences on this process, such as societal values and
public opinion. The author emphasizes that science is a systematic
process for gaining knowledge about patterns in all of nature, but
that it is not used to gain knowledge in all areas, such as philosophy
or the supernatural.
Coker, R. (n.d.). Distinguishing science from pseudoscience.
Retrieved from https://webspace.utexas.edu/
The author explains how to differentiate between science and
pseudoscience, focusing on distinguishing characteristics of
pseudoscientific claims.
Indiana University Evolution and the Nature of Sciences Institute.
(n.d.). How can we tell science from non-science?
Retrieved from http://www.indiana.edu/~
This article defines six criteria to use to distinguish science from
non-science: consistency, observability, natural, predictability,
testability, and tentativeness. The article challenges readers to
distinguish between scientific and non-scientific statements.
Document: Week 3 Annotated Bibliography: Stem Cell Research OR Human
Cloning (Word document)
Download this document and use it to complete this week’s assignment.
You will complete the assignment directly in the document and submit
it in the Assignment section.
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