By applying the scientific method to the question of the existence of gods, it is quite clear that it is very unlikely that gods exist - but to force this conclusion onto entire cultural groups seems a recipe for violence (such a thing has occurred within the past few centuries countless times to indigenous peoples the world over via colonisation). So what creates the illusion ofchange? Excellent presentation of how to cut through the crap science and faulty reasoning we are surrounded by every day. Sloppy thinker? It's probably best you don't try it. These ideas, which are commonly called shower thoughts, allow us to look at things from a different perspective. Suppose for example that Fred claims Alice visited him last night, sat on his sofa and drank a cup of tea. Millions of pieces of bread are toasted each morning. When we first see her, she is already plotting Duncan's murder, and she is stronger, more ruthless, and more ambitious than her husband. But, of course, just because a belief involves something weird doesnt mean its not true. This binder-ready, loose-leaf version includes free shipping.Complete system requirements to use Connect can be found here: http://www.mheducation.com/highered/platforms/connect/training-support-students.html. I flagged this book to read after seeing it mentioned in an article about critical thinking some time ago. William Salomone. is a philosopher and author. Scientific knowledge certainly helps us make the best decisions when it comes to, for example, health (sound scientific knowledge helps us understand that, e.g., vaccines are safe) but doesnt necessarily help us solve questions of, for example, poverty, or how to create a society where members of different cultural groups can live peacefully among one another. The authors defend the scientific method as the only way to determine what is true, and thus be in the best possible position to make good decisions - but it doesnt always follow that knowing what is scientifically true will lead to knowledge of how to construct a fair and equitable society. The authors focus on types of logical arguments and proofs, making How to Think about Weird Things a versatile supplement for logic, critical thinking . Add to cart. The authors focus on types of logical arguments and proofs, making How to Think about Weird Things a versatile supplement for logic, critical thinking, philosophy of science, or any other science appreciation courses. Paperback, 9780767409773, 0767409779 Often, when were presented with strong evidence that our belief is false, we can easily change our mind. Please try again. It has been used in all of the courses mentioned above as well as introductory biology, introductory physics, and introductory chemistry courses. The Atlantic article The Cognitive Biases Tricking Your Brain (2018) by Ben Yagoda provides a great introduction to thinking that can lead us astray, including confirmation bias. Choose this option if your instructor will require Connect to be used in the course. I was quite disconcerted by one of the imagined scenarios given as a revision tool which said something to the effect of, if you encountered a village of people who believed in some god, how would you go about convincing them that this god is not real? http://www.ted.com Why do people see the Virgin Mary on cheese sandwiches or hear demonic lyrics in "Stairway to Heaven"? Babies weight around 8 pounds when they're born, and around 20 pounds a year later. Clearly this therapy has some benefits! But the truth is that such accumulated anecdotes are usually largely worthless as evidence. Take homeopathy, for example. The Digital and eTextbook ISBNs for How to Think About Weird Things: Critical Thinking for a New Age are 9781260687095, 1260687090 and the print ISBNs are 9781259922558, 1259922553. However, its proponents are adept at explaining away that evidence. Sigh, I think theres a new level of nerdiness there. She seems fully aware of this and knows that she will have to push Macbeth into committing murder. A long list of anecdotes about patients whose condition improved after a faith healing session can seem impressive. How to Think About Weird Things Critical Thinking for a New Age by Theodore Schick, Lewis Vaughn, and Theodore, Jr. Schick. If you still need more books as references, going to search the title and theme in this site is available. . Show me Im mistaken in believing that the Matterhorn is near Chamonix, and Ill just drop that belief. As an aside to this central point about logical possibility and physical impossibility, Schick and Vaughn also discuss technological possibility:a thing may betechnologically possible, but may never become actual. Perhaps the most obvious strategy we can employ when a belief in which we have invested a great deal is threatened is to start explaining away the evidence. Most of us really struggle when it comes to assessing such weird beliefs myself included. Lets begin with an illustration of the kind of case that can so spectacularly divide opinion. He has always left himself free to doubt his gods; but (unlike the agnostic of to-day) free also to believe in them. 100% Success rate. Dave believes dogs are spies from the planet Venus that dogs are Venusian imposters on Earth sending secret reports back to Venus in preparation for their imminent invasion of our planet. Some very interesting case studies to go along with your critical thinking education here. UFO abductions, television psychics, paranormal phenomena, skeptics and believers alike, find themselves debating truths and lies in the strange web of pseudoscience and the occult. It doesn't mean you still can't believe in some of these things, it just gives you a more scientific framework for thinking about them. Welcome to the course home page for PHIL 201, How To Think About Weird Things! Belief in precognition, for example, if it isaccountedfor within a block universeparadigm, may logically compel you to reject the idea of human freedom: You are free to do something only if you can refrain from doing it. Any theory, no matter how absurd, can, with sufficient ingenuity be made to fit the evidence: even Daves theory that dogs are Venusian spies. Your weirdness is a differentiator. It was the book required for my critical thinking course. absolutely a relic of the 90s, published right before post-modernity entered the mass public consciousness, before western civilization entered what we now call the digital age. They too saw the UFO. Its just recognising that, though we might not be able to explain the reports, theyre likely to crop up occasionally anyway, whether or not alien visitors, ghosts or fairies actually exist. Terms of Use But when it comes to pinning down precisely why such beliefs are or arent reasonable, even the most intelligent and well educated of us can quickly find ourselves out of our depth. Fantastic book! Psychic reading and astrology are huge businesses with turnovers of billions of dollars per year. I really enjoyed the chapter on medical miracle cures. Great read. Still, Chesterton would seem to have support from important philosophers like Isaiah Berlin and Richard Rorty, who long suggested that we should use different language tools for different problems, and that not everything in life holds together in a neat way. Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video! You're physically unable to swallow and breathe at the same time. Of course, its not always unreasonable to explain away evidence. And who wouldn't want to be able to give an informed answer when asked why exactly UFO reports are unworthy of credence? However, those who hold weird beliefs often muddle consistency and confirmation. Coherence is something that Schick and Vaughn, later in their book (in chapter 4), insist is a crucial elementto any reasonable persons claim to knowledge (75): Ordinarily, if a proposition fails to cohere with the rest of our beliefs, we are not justified in believing it. 2. Definitely one of those books you keep on the shelf and hold on to and return to years down the road. Ham believes that, by explaining away the evidence against young-Earth creationism in this way, he can show that his theory fits and so is scientifically confirmed by that evidence: According to Ham, young-Earth creationists and evolutionists do the same thing: they look for ways to make the evidence fit the theory to which they have already committed themselves: But, of course, scientists havent just found ways of showing how the theory of evolution can be made consistent with the evidence. Even couples on the brink of separation can find a way forward. The book Critical Thinking (2017) by Tom Chatfield offers a toolkit for what he calls being reasonable in an unreasonable world. Whats most likely to be true: that there really was something extraordinary hanging over the power plant, or that the various eyewitnesses had somehow been deceived? The class itself completely changed how I think about all things in life (in fact was the most life changing moment I think in my life so far) and I'm sure this was also due to this book in some ways. This is a really fun read, and will make you think twice about all the strange stories you may hear. Great stuff. Heres an example. Well worth a subscription. Privacy Statement, Stuvia is not sponsored or endorsed by any college or university, Comme convenu! They believe in the literal truth of the Biblical account of creation: that the entire Universe is under 10,000 years old, with all species being created as described in the Book of Genesis. It is exactly this balance of apparent contradictions that hasbeen the wholebuoyancy of the healthy man. Publisher. We've been thinking from the moment we're born, but are we thinking in the most efficient way? Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations. The police officer Ross Denson drove over to investigate and saw what he described as something half the size of the Moon hanging over the plant. Because, while atavistic limbs arent probable given the truth of that theory, theyre still far more probable than they would be if whales and dolphins werent the descendants of such limbed creatures. The emphasis is neither on debunking nor on advocating specific . It concentrates on weird things, as the title indicates. Science is a method of discerning the truth, not a particular body of truths. This concise and engaging text teaches the basic principles of good reasoning through an examination of widely held beliefs about the paranormal, the supernatural, and the mysterious. I'm still fuming a little over this book, though I think that has a lot to do with where I am in my relationship with science and critical thinking: it can be very hard to read texts that say things that you have only just recently abandoned in yourself. Psyche is published by registered charity Aeon Media Group Ltd in association with Aeon America, a 501(c)(3) charity. Another reason could be because you are a silent type. Maybe the way we talk about one thing is not the way we should talk about another. Total Price: $23.99. The Santi Report (My Version of a Drudge Report Page), Blogging Schick and Vaughns How to Think about Weird Things, Chapter 2, An Invitation: Believe in Evolution, and You Too Can Join Richard Dawkins, and His Alien Friends, in the Universes Superior Club Prometheus Unbound, Be aware of the paradigmtheworldview/theoretical frameworkthat youarereasoning from, Always keep in mind the difference between logical possibility and physical impossibility. Assessing how to think about weird things summary weird beliefs myself included give an informed answer when asked why exactly UFO reports unworthy! A long list of anecdotes about patients whose condition improved after a faith healing session can seem impressive truth. 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