1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910465970103321

Autore

Lack Caleb W. <1978->

Titolo

Critical thinking, science, and pseudoscience : why we can't trust our brains / / Caleb W. Lack, Jacques Rousseau ; acquisitions editor Nancy Hale

Pubbl/distr/stampa

New York, New York : , : Springer Publishing Company, , 2016

©2016

ISBN

0-8261-9426-5

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (304 p.)

Disciplina

153.4/2

Soggetti

Critical thinking

Pseudoscience

Electronic books.

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references at the end of each chapters and index.

Nota di contenuto

Cover; Title; Copyright; Contents; Foreword: Brains, Hearts, Guts, and Genitals; Preface; Reference; Acknowledgments; Share Critical Thinking, Science, and Pseudoscience: Why We Can't Trust Our Brains; Chapter 1: Why Do We Need Critical Thinking?; Knowledge and Empowerment; Justification; Relativism; If Actions Matter, Beliefs Do Too; Opinions, Beliefs, and Knowledge; Opinions and Beliefs; Knowledge; Justification of Beliefs; What's the Point of Critical Thinking?; The High-Ground Answer; The Middle-Ground Answer; The Low-Ground Answer; Conclusions; Questions for Reflection; References

Chapter 2: What Is Science?Hype Versus Hypotheses; Science: Not Always "Common Sense"; What Is Science?; Building Blocks of the Scientific Method; Scientific Reasoning; An Example; Induction and Deduction; Verification and Falsification; Conclusions; Questions for Reflection; References; Chapter 3: What Is Pseudoscience?; Why Is this a Problem?; The Demarcation Problem; Tips for Identifying Pseudoscience; Sensationalism and Oversimplification; Press Releases, Jargon, and "Churnalism"; Conflicts of Interest; Anecdotal Evidence; Small and/or Unrepresentative Sample Sizes; Cherry-Picking

No Control Group, No Blind Testing; The Limits of Science; Conclusions;



Questions for Reflection; References; Chapter 4: What Is Critical Thinking?; What Is a Skeptic?; Optimal, Not Perfect, Decisions; The Space of Reasons; Argument and Argumentation; Arguments and Nonarguments; A Global Debate; Critical Thinking-A Skeptic's Guide; Extraordinary Claims; Falsifiability; Occam's Razor and Ruling Out Rival Hypotheses; Fallacies; Engaging With Fallacies; Induction Versus Deduction; Logic and Truth Preservation; Conclusions; Questions for Reflection; References

Chapter 5: Why Can't We Trust Our Brains?The Logically Illogical Brain; Confirmation Bias; Belief Perseverance; Hindsight Bias; Representative Heuristic; Availability Heuristic; Anchoring and Adjustment Heuristics; Getting Something from Nothing; Backmasking; The Face of a Martian; Religious Imagery in Unusual Places; Sports Curses and Jinxes; Seeing Because of Believing; Backmasking Unmasked; Jesus, Martian, and Joseph!; Statistical Unjinxing; Conclusions; Questions for Reflection; References; Chapter 6: Why Can't We Trust Our World?; Confirmation Bias and Motivated Reasoning

The Backfire Effect; Filter Bubbles and Echo Chambers; Moral Panics and Dietary Hyperbole; Is Sugar Addictive?; Pressure to Publish Scientific Research and Press Releases; Conclusions; Questions for Reflection; References; Chapter 7: Aliens, Abductions, and UFOs; Life Outside of Earth; Aliens Throughout History; Betty and Barney Hill's Abduction; Critical Thinking About Abduction Claims; Ancient Aliens and Modern Crashes; Conclusions; Questions for Reflection; References; Chapter 8: Psychic Powers and Talking to the Dead; Types of Psychic Powers; PSI Research and the Rise of Parapsychology

Critically Examining PSI Positive Research