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I’d rather write than talk. Nobody interrupts! Posting monthly or less now--see below. |
My original purpose for this blog, which I started in August of 2019, was to see if I could maintain consistency, to discover what I want to write about, and to find my writing voice. In January, I started a "niche-less" blog at Wordpress.com where I've published weekly. -- Kit’s Kontemplations  . -- I'm preparing to start a Catholic blog on Wordpress.com where I'll post weekly, and another site to put the rest of my writing. I also want to spend more time reading other blogs and offering thoughtful comments, both here on WDC and elsewhere. At most, I will publish once a month at no set time in this blog starting in September of 2020. Thank you to those who have read and rated any posts on this blog. I really appreciate it. I did NOT want to write “about” me on this blog. I wanted to share my interests, discoveries and maybe a few useful insights. If anything I've written helps even one person, whether or not they respond to the post, then this blog has been successful. |
| My first encounter with the idea of pseudoscience came from watching the Crash Course in Philosophy. In Episode 8, he explains how Karl Popper compares Freud’s and Einstein’s methods. Freud was able to fit any datapoint into his theory, using past data to predict the present. By contrast, Einstien predicted a future event, a solar eclipse based on his theory of relativity. If the eclipse didn’t fit specific criteria, his theory would have been disproven. In ancient Greece, to look at the world from a scientific eye excluded any pre-conceived ideas. You made theories based on what you observed. A very basic definition I found of pseudoscience is: “a claim, belief or practice which is presented as scientific but lacks the valid scientific methodology or supporting evidence.” This is a start but what are some of its characteristics and in which topics or fields of study am I most likely to encounter it? Here are a few characteristics of pseudoscience:  It starts with a conclusion then finds data to fit that conclusion instead of being led to the conclusion by observation of the evidence or data. It is hostile to criticism instead of embracing it as part of the accepted scientific process. It uses vague jargon instead of precise terminology with clear definitions. It uses flawed instead of rigorous methodology and statistical analyses. It uses logical fallacies and invalid logic instead of following the logical practices in the scientific method.Brian Dunning has distilled a series of lists to provide a 15-point checklist to help us tell science from pseudoscience. Check the link to How to Spot Pseudoscience in the sources below. In a true science, the following statement can be easily made: “If x happens, it would show demonstrably that theory y is not true.” We can then design an experiment, a physical one or sometimes a simple thought experiment, to figure out if x actually does happen. It’s the opposite of looking for verification; you must try to show the theory is incorrect, and if you fail to do so, thereby strengthen it. Pseudoscience cannot and do not do this–they are not strong enough to hold up. —Farnam Street blog Certain fields are much more likely than others to promote views based on pseudoscience. For example, you won’t find it in pharmacology but it’s much more prevalent in crime forensics and popular psychology, among other professions. Proclamations based on pseudoscience are appealing for these reasons: They promise solutions to problems and relief from suffering. They include “success” stories and anecdotal “evidence”. They are easier to understand than findings published in scientific publications. It is so easy to be deceived by pseudoscientific claims when we know so little about science. A suffering obese person who knows next to nothing about chemistry and biology is completely unequipped to think critically about the many diets that promise quick results. How does one choose a diet that will work or even be safe to follow? In the field of nutrition, ideas are proclaimed as gospel truth only to change a few years later. Have you heard of pseudoscience before reading this post? If so, what has been your experience with it? Have you or has someone you know been taken in by it? What do you think the average person can do to counteract its effect on the people in our circle of influence? Sources and recommended articles: Crash Course in Philosophy Episode 8: Karl Popper: Science and Pseudoscience —https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-X8Xfl0JdTQ How to Spot Pseudoscience: A 15-point checklist by Brian Dunning —https://skeptoid.com/episodes/4037 What Puts The ‘Pseudo’ In Pseudoscience? —https://www.forbes.com/sites/paulmsutter/2019/10/20/what-puts-the-pseudo-in-pseu... Karl Popper on The Line Between Science and Pseudoscience —https://fs.blog/2016/01/karl-popper-on-science-pseudoscience/ Countering the False Promise of Pseudoscience in Schools —https://leader.pubs.asha.org/doi/10.1044/leader.SCM.24072019.36 Pseudoscience in the Witness Box: The FBI faked an entire field of forensic science. —https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2015/04/fbis-flawed-forensics-expert-testimo... How to Spot Pseudoneuroscience and Biobunk —https://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/how-to-spot-pseudoneuroscience-and... Can We Trust Crime Forensics? —https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-we-trust-crime-forensics/ |
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Yes, I know some people do that but I'm a creative writer not a journalist. Poetry sells ... but it's a money-maker for only a few. I write A LOT. Almost 180 pieces since Spring equinox. My goal is 300-400 per year. One year I went over 1,000. I need to do more editing, polishing, sharing, submitting. Writer's block? Who has time for that? I don't.