BEHV 3200 1st EditionExam # 2 Study GuideLecture 1 (23 September)What do we value in science? What are our misgivings?Realism and Diversity-- Realism does not “squash” diversity- Adopting a realist position does not mean losing respect for different opinions- There are many ways to know the world- Realism is open to new ideas, but also to tossing out bad onesRealism and Personal Belief- Relativism provides an out from being wrong- Criticism hurts, so our cultural response has been to build a mechanism that protects us from criticism, but at what cost?- “If someone has better knowledge than you, would you want them to tell you? Even if it hurts?”ScienceWhat is it?“A way of acquiring knowledge via experimentation”Knowledge vs Belief- “Belief” sums up one's tendencies, habits, and ways of acting in the world- If a person doesn't act in accordance with their desired beliefs, we say they “don't believe”- Belief is not sufficient for knowledge; just because you believe something doesn't make it true- So what makes it knowledge?l congruence with realisml evidenceKnowledgePeople say they “know” something, as in they sense it when something is off or wrong. Is this actual knowledge? No. But do people still believe it? Yes.- Belief founded in good reason- A belief is necessary for knowledge, because we must act, but a belief is not sufficient for knowledge because it also needs good reasons for knowledge- How do we get good reasons? Through science. Lecture 2 (25 September) Reasons: Where do they come from?- Authority- Personal experiences- Personal feelings- and- Logical deductionsScience is a way of gathering good reasons.- Eliminates bias- Authority doesn't matter, the data is the final arbiter- Peer reviewed- Criticism is at its heartAntiscience is a halting of the exchange of ideas.Why do we distrust science?- Science is hard to understandl increased specialized language makes it more difficult for lay people to understandl pseudoscience explanations come to us in familiar language that can be easily graspedl Should we reject science, because it's not easy?- Science seems wishy washyl Scientists always preface statements ( i.e. Evidence points to..., suggests...., in all likelihood...)l- So called experts rarely agreel Such a statement misunderstands the nature of scientific disagreement (and of theories)l Science may disagree but progress is made overall- Scientists have been wrong; they have made mistakes; evil has been producedl Tuskegee Syphilis Studyl 1932-1972, followed natural course of syphilisl 1945, penicillin known to be effective, study continued anywayl Are these criticisms only applicable to scientists?Lecture 3 (30 September)Baloney Detectionhttp://herebedragonsmovie.com/Lecture 4 (7 October)Informal FallaciesPeople are prone to making several kinds of fallacies (mistakes) in their thinking.Most Common Fallacies- Begging the question: an argument that assumes its conclusionl Ex: The Creator must exist because everything comes from somewhere.l Ex: There are no water shortages; there is just as much water on the planet now as there always has been. l While the statements may be factual, they don't serve as valid evidence for the argument.- False Dilemma (Dichotomy): proposes only two propositions, wrongly implying that they are exhaustive, when other propositions are possiblel Ex: We have to repeal the health care bill or lose this country!l Situations are not always either/or.- Appeal to Authority: supporting or refuting a claim based on pseudo experts or popular figuresl Ex: I'm not a doctor, but I play one on tv...- Appeal to the person: supporting or refuting a claim based on the presenter of the claiml Ex: You can't seriously believe his stance, because he's an atheist.- Appeal to Ignorance: using opponents inability to disprove your position as evidence for itl Ex: No one has ever disproved the evidence of [God, aliens, etc.]l Not being able to disprove something doesn't as proof for it- Straw Man: attacking an opponents views by constructing a related weaker view and attacking itl Ex: Senator X wants more government oversight and regulation, but putting th government in charge is socialism.- Hasty Generalization: concluding certain things about a class based on only a few observationsl Ex: I've known some of these people, you can't any of them. - Faulty Analogy: Drawing weak resemblances to support a conclusionl Ex: In the end, there will be war and famine. There is currently war and famine, therefore,this is the end. - False Cause: concluding certain events are causally connected because they occur togetherl Ex: I used conventional medicine for years and it didn't work, then I started homeopathic treatments and felt betterl This doesn't mean homeopathic medicines helped more; there are numerous causes thatcould be attributed- Slippery