The book, Think: Why You Should Question Everything, written by Guy P. Harrison, discusses the importance of becoming a skeptic. Harrison defines skepticism as, “Science in action…the scientific process modified and personalized for everyone to use in everyday life.” (p. 26) He urges his readers that it is of great importance and in their best interest for people to think critically. Think educates individuals on how to navigate through the standard deceptive processes of the brain, which tend to interfere with how individuals perceive (see, hear, think, remember, and believe) their world around them. Questioning everything will help to promote a smarter and safer world. He views skepticism as a lifestyle that is, “Positive, constructive, and optimistic”, and is available to anyone to practice. Harrison advises that the scientific method is the only antidote to nonsense and misunderstanding, which helps repel bad ideas, and promote reality.
Guy P. Harrison summarizes that skepticism is, “the invaluable defensive weapon that you want and need every day of your life.”(Pg. 52) When individuals investigate theories fully by: questioning, doing some research, gathering evidence, and requesting their source’s credentials, they are less likely to fall into the hole of false ideas. Those who choose otherwise by not using the scientific method and tend believe everything they hear, are often prone to being taken advantage of. There are a lot of dishonest people in the world, who are willing to deceive others and take their money. Also, these types of people are likely to waste their time and money, and potentially risk their lives. Thanks to science, we now know that our brain can easily fool us and misunderstand the truth, in many diff...
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...rmal sleep schedule, and staying mentally active throughout life are all ways to keep the brain functioning well and healthy. (p. 183)
Lastly, the book discusses that many people feel that holding a belief or a certain set of beliefs is necessary to finding the meaning of life and or the key to having excitement and joy. However, universally skeptics prove that this belief is false by carrying out full and rewarding lives. Harrison describes science by saying, “ It is a never-ending process of exploration, discovery, and imagination. New information and ideas are always coming, new questions are always generated.” (p. 207) It is our job to prepare our brains to welcome the new information. Also, it is our duty to accept all parts of the human story, the good and the bad. We should see these experiences for the opportunities to grow in knowledge and wisdom.
The article, “Motivated Rejection of Science” stood out to me because the vast amount of scientific research to back up findings and the vast majority of the population that rejects it. Lewandowsky and Oberauer discuss the prevalence of false beliefs in the general population. They bring up the popular conspiracy theories that have either false or no scientific research, plaguing the minds of many. When the majority of the general population believe in a certain theory – like the vaccines that are ‘linked’ to measles, Autism, mumps, and rubella – the effects can be detrimental. The vaccine craze was felt worldwide and is the best example of misinformation.
Sleep deprivation is a commonplace occurrence in modern culture. Every day there seems to be twice as much work and half as much time to complete it in. This results in either extended periods of wakefulness or a decrease in sleep over an extended period of time. While some people may like to believe that they can train their bodies to not require as much sleep as they once did this belief is false (1). Sleep is needed to regenerate certain parts of the body, especially the brain, so that it may continue to function optimally. After periods of extended wakefulness or reduced sleep neurons may begin to malfunction, visibly effecting a person's behavior. Some organs, such as muscles, are able to regenerate even when a person is not sleeping so long as they are resting. This could involve lying awake but relaxed within a quite environment. Even though cognitive functions might not seem necessary in this scenario the brain, especially the cerebral cortex, is not able to rest but rather remains semi-alert in a state of "quiet readiness" (2). Certain stages of sleep are needed for the regeneration of neurons within the cerebral cortex while other stages of sleep seem to be used for forming new memories and generating new synaptic connections. The effects of sleep deprivation on behavior have been tested with relation to the presence of activity in different sections of the cerebral cortex.
Paul Kurtz, died in October 2012, was a philosopher and one of the founders of the modern skeptical movement, who embodied the principle of skepticism as thoughtful inquiry. The term “skepticism” simply means “thoughtful”, which is far from modern misconceptions of the words, connotation as meaning “cynical” and “nihilism”. From the title, could I gather that Kurtz was trying to demonstrate skeptics to be mere critical thinkers who are determined to learn the truth? Does it depend on adequate evidence to form a consistent logical explanation before acquiring such knowledge? Contemporary scenarios are extracted from several well-known Psychology and Chemistry experiments and personally engaged experiments in the two subject within the IB curriculum; this will be linked with Reason and Perception within the Ways of Knowing, and Natural Sciences and Human Sciences within the Areas of Knowledge. Since both sciences and their experiments have extreme ethical concerns, validity and reliability; it has led philosophers and scientists to be skeptical of the knowledge acquired in these areas. By being skeptical, is it necessary to have consistency in logic or could there be a designated time and place for it?
Clifford’s arguments for this conclusion is that if we are gullible enough to believe something without evidence then we are not only harming our individual credibility and intellect but also polluting the rest of society...
Critical thinking skills in daily life can be the difference between a good decision and a bad decision. Skeptical thinking, likewise, is an important tool that many people use in order to discern between these decisions, and to make educated choices about their lives and the things that they choose to believe. As a consumer of science, I believe that it is important for people to have a repertoire of skeptical thinking skills, or tools, in order to make decisions deriving from the barrage of information (both false and true) that we absorb on a daily basis. I’ve chosen six skepticism tools from Carl Sagan’s article, The Fine Art of Baloney Detection, that I think are the most important for scientific purposes and for everyday life. These skills include discussing the matter at hand, ignoring position of power, personal detachment from the subject, a sound argument, an understanding of Occam’s Razor, and the ability to test the subject for falsities.
...demonstrates that my experience did not benefit me from knowledge because I felt upset that if I have not known science, I would not doubt and my trust in God would not be at stake.
René Descartes was a skeptic, and thus he believed that in order for something to be considered a true piece of knowledge, that “knowledge must have a certain stability,” (Cottingham 21). In his work, Meditations on First Philosophy, Descartes concludes that in order to achieve this stability, he must start at the foundations for all of his opinions and find the basis of doubt in each of them. David Hume, however, holds a different position on skepticism in his work An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding, for he criticizes Descartes’ claim because “‘it is impossible,’” (qtd. in Cottingham 35). Both philosophers show distinct reasoning in what skepticism is and how it is useful in finding stability.
One of the most visible critics of science today, and the progenitor of the anti-science sentiment is the religious community, specifically the conservative Christians. One can hardly read the newspaper without reading of one religious figurehead or another preaching on the "fallacy of science," pushing their own brand of "truth" on whoever would hear them. As Bishop writes "It is discouraging to think than more than a century after the publication of Charles Darwin's Origin of the Species (1859), and seventy years after the Scopes trial dramatized the issue, the same battles must still be fought."(256) And the loudest rallying cries to these battles can be heard issuing from the throats of the ranks of zealots and their hordes of followers.
Author stated the right point that students who will know how to properly use skepticism in life will help them to question the boundaries of their beliefs and if they are negatively affecting their health conditions. With skepticism students will understand that if their beliefs, for example, are not allowing them to get blood transfusions which will basically save their life, then they should think twice about these serious aspects of their beliefs. In the article it says “Think the right way”. It minimizes gullibility and shame in succumbing to quackery and the laws of society” (Hess).
Many studies of the role of sleep are partial or total sleep deprivation studies which support Oswold’s restoration theory. One of these supporting studies was Dement’s. He deprived participants of REM sleep and consequently found that they increased their number of attempted REM stages from 12 to 26 over 4-7 nights. During their first uninterrupted night, participants increased their REM sleep by 10% which is known as REM rebound. This suggests the importance of REM and the possibility that the purpose of sleep is to get into REM sleep. The participants reported anxiety, irritability and difficulty concentrating which shows that REM sleep is needed to avoid these affects and enable brain recovery which corresponds with Oswold’s theory. Even so, Dement’s study has low ecological validity, it has low population validity because there were only 8 participants and they were a self-selected sample. Participants would probably have shown demand characteristics because the experiment took place in a lab. It also has low mundane realism because people would not usually sleep in a lab and be interrupted repeatedly.
This paper will dispute that scientific beliefs are not the right way to accept a belief and it will question if we should let one accept their rights to their own beliefs. In Williams James article Will to Believe, we accept his perspective on how we set and fix our beliefs. This paper will first outline his overview on the argument that someone does not choose their belief but rather one just has them. Following, it will outline my perspective on how we set our beliefs and agreement with purse. Then it will explain how other methodologies such as science cannot conclude to one’s true beliefs. Science has been seen as a way to perceive life and taken to consideration as the truth. This paper should conclude that humans define ourselves by
Sleeping is something that is an essential part of human nature and is a must in order for one to be a functional human being. Sleep is an idea that is accompanied by many wives’ tales, including the ideas that one needs seven to eight hours of sleep each night and alcohol helps one fall asleep and sleep more soundly. One myth about sleep is that during sleeping, one is in a state of nothingness. In truth, however, it has been discovered that during sleep the brain is active, variations in heartbeat and breathing occur, and the eyes and ears are active throughout the time of sleep. These activities during a person’s sleep are important because they help that person be more aware, awake, and alert during consciousness. If all of these important activities occur during sleep, why is it that people are so willing to short themselves of this vital activity? Although much about sleep still remains a mystery, research and experiments continue to show how important sleep is to each and every person. Throughout this paper, I will discuss sleep and the effects that it has on performance and health, especially in college students. A college student’s sleeping pattern is a reliable indicator to their level of performance in the classroom and other school-affiliated activities, as a lack of sleep leads to decreased performance. Sleep is directly related the level of performance and health in an individual; the more rested a person is, the better that person will perform and feel (Dryer, 2006).
Central idea : Sleep is vital to our health and well-being throughout our life, therefore, in order to protect our mental and physical health, quality of life, and safety, we must get an enough quality sleep at the right times.
Sleep is very important to our body for relaxation, preparing ourselves for the next day. Unfortunately, poor sleeping quality is prevalent in modern cities such as Hong Kong. An increasing number of university students have stated sleep problems. (Suen, Hon & Tam, 2008). Meerlo, Mistlberger, Jacobs, Heller & McGinty (2009) have reported that prolonged sleep loss may affect the rate of neurogenesis...
Sleep plays a vital role in a person’s mental well-being. Sleeping affects how well people think, react, work, learn, and get along with others. While a person is sleeping, his brain is preparing to help him learn and remember information. A good night’s sleep enhances learning and problem solving skills. It is very important for the students to have sound sleep as it can improve their concentration, memory and creativity. Furthermore, having enough sleep increases the ability to m...