Scientific Skepticism
Question
Identify ways that you might have allowed yourself to accept beliefs or engage in practices that you might have rejected if you had engaged in scientific skepticism. For example, we continually have to remind some of our friends that a claim made in an e-mail may be a hoax or a rumor. Provide specific details of the experience(s). How might you go about investigating whether the claim is valid?
Please be sure to appropriately cite your readings from this course to support your statements (must include references and in-text citations).


Solution
Scientific
Skepticism
I have allowed myself to accept beliefs or engage in
practices that I might have rejected if I had engaged in scientific skepticism
by continuing to forward chain emails. I know that many of these emails are
hoaxes or rumors, but for some reason, I still feel the need to pass them on to
my friends and family. I think part of the reason I do this is because I want
to believe that the claims in these emails are true. I also think that by
forwarding these emails, I am hoping that someone will finally be able to
debunk them and prove me wrong.
Another way that I have allowed myself to accept
beliefs or engage in practices that I might have rejected if I had engaged in
scientific skepticism is by believing in astrology. I know that there is no
scientific evidence to support the claims made by astrologers, but for some
reason, I still find myself reading my daily horoscope (Mele, 2010). I think
part of the reason I do this is because I want to believe that astrology has
some truth. I also think that believing in astrology, and I hope that it will
help me understand myself and the world around me better.
If I were to engage in scientific skepticism, I would
investigate the claims made in chain emails before forwarding them to my
friends and family. I would also look at the evidence (or lack thereof)
supporting astrology and decide whether or not I believe in it based on that
evidence.
By engaging in scientific skepticism, I would be more
likely to reject beliefs or practices that are not supported by evidence (ZuHone,
2021). This would lead to me being more critical of the information I consume
and the claims I believe. Additionally, engaging in scientific skepticism would
help me better understand myself and the world around me.
References
Mele,
A. (2010). Scientific skepticism about free will. Moral psychology:
Historical and contemporary readings, 295-305.
ZuHone,
J. (2021). Reducing Scientific Skepticism. The Electronic Journal for
Research in Science & Mathematics Education, 25(3), 49-53.



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