Why We Believe In Science Chris Mooney Analysis

Joel Achenbach, the author of the article, “Why Do Reasonable People Doubt Science?” starts of by saying that in today's era the people often disagree with scientific reasoning. The world we live in today is so full of problems it's hard to tell what is real anymore. The decision is left to the individual to decide what to believe is true or false, and then how there going to put their beliefs into action. Achenbach later explains in his article that the scientific method pushes back all the opinions and unfolds the real truth.

To support the theory of continental drift is through topography, surveying the floors of oceans, charts of rock magnetism, and statistics on rock ages (Trefil & Hazen, 2010). At one time scientist believed that the deep ocean floors were flat; accumulating the sediment that progressively wore away from the prehistoric landmasses (Trefil & Hazen, 2010). However, they discovered steep-walled valleys and elevated highlands. This was evidences that just as the continents are transformed and are active, so to is the seafloor (Trefil & Hazen, 2010). The Mid- Atlantic Ridge, positioned in the central part of the Atlantic Ocean, is recorded to be the longest mountain range on this planet. Volcanoes, lava flow, and earthquakes are a source of

-The Environmental Working Group runs this website which consists on board members and many others conducting the experiments. The credentials of the organization running the site make the information presented reliable. This is because most or all of the board members are experts and also the information is very reliable with several different resources the back the evidence found.

In this section, the “illusion of cause” is shown. The controversy over vaccines is brought up in this case. Some believe, like Jenny McCarthy, that vaccines cause autism in some cases. McCarthy believes that the reason her son is autistic is because of a vaccine. Ever since, Jenny has been actively speaking out against vaccines. In this situation, the chances of her being correct are very slim. This tragic event caused her to think that vaccines cause autism, and made her blind to all of the benefits. Although this is not true, people began to believe Jenny’s stance and support her. This single personal event affected the opinions of more people than scientific studies that proved the other

In today’s society, we believe that everything is up for debate, and that every topic can be opinionated. We like to have the power to make our own choices regardless of facts, just because we feel the pressure of being told what to do. We are lazy to learn the truth, but yet we are ready to choose sides and strongly argue about it. We see it every day on the news, in politics, sports, social media, online forums, school, etc. In his article, “Not Up for Debate: The Science Behind Vaccination”, published in September of 2015, Professor Aaron E. Carroll argues that the issue with vaccinations is more than just choosing to do it or not. Carroll jumps right into his discussion of the “Not up for debate” regarding people’s claims tying vaccines to autism, the choice not to, and officials backing them up. He explains how this argument stems from incorrect information, inadequate studies and research, and poor education about the facts and data about the vaccines, which leads to the stubborn belief that vaccinations should be banned.

When I was five, I tried to expose the fraud of Santa Claus to my kindergarten class. The teacher asked us to say what we had asked him for for Christmas and I responded by saying, “Nothing! He’s not real!” When my peers questioned me on how I knew this, I informed them it was simply not possible for a single man to fly around the world in one night. I had looked into it, I knew how many hours were in a night, and there was simply no way. Despite my in depth research, my classmates dismissed my conclusion, attributing the impossible feat to “magic”. They were mad I had tried to lie to them and I was mad I was surrounded by narrow minded, santa-loving idiots. Luckily, we were able to move past the disagreement and were all best friends again by lunch. The underlying problem, however, my classmates inability to accept the evidence, has not gone away. In his paper “Lisa and American Anti-Intellectualism”, psychology professor Dr. Aeon J. Skoble explains, the United States has always had a love-hate relationship with intellectuals. While professors and scientists garner a certain level of respect in this country, there is also a significant amount of contempt held for those who reside in the “ivory tower of academia”, presumably away from the practicalities of real life. This shows a disturbing trend of anti-intellectualism, or the opposition to intellectual pursuits and works providing progressive and rational thought. The rise of anti-intellectualism in the United

John Ioannidis, an epidemiologist at Stanford University, argues that everyone likes to prove themselves correct instead of being wrong. Scientists feel the same way, this is why a lot of scientists cite initial positive results even if they realize the results were disproven (463-464). Jonah also likes proving his arguments, but the problem with this author is the fact that he might not be correct. Jonah could be excluding the citations from his article because the real information from the sources could lead to a negative impact to Jonah’s

Regularly I see that when I talk to people they have a set view on what is true and what is false. When explaining new concepts, ideas, or beliefs that do not necessarily fit the popular view, people often disregard it with a closed mind. From a young age people are taught what to say and do until it becomes meaningless and cliche. When something no longer fits this normality people do not know how to react thus reverting back to

However, getting vaccinated for childhood diseases such as measles, diphtheria, and whooping cough is important. Those vaccinations helped eliminate deadly diseases during childhood in the Western Hemisphere, but now some parents are refusing to vaccinate their children. In the article, “Beliefs about Childhood Vaccination in the United States: Political Ideology, False Consensus, and the Illusion of Uniqueness,” researchers present the notion that political ideology may influence a parent’s beliefs about vaccinations and whether a parent will vaccinate a child. Studies show that in the United States about 15% of children are under vaccinated because of their parent’s beliefs on vaccination. Additionally, 29% - 33% of parents believe that “having multiple vaccines at a young age can weaken a child’s immune system” (Rabinowitz et al., 2016, 2). These parents also hold the belief that a child’s immune system is able to protect itself from the virus and the side effects of the vaccine are far more detrimental to the child’s health. The research conducted revealed that parents with a liberal political ideology were more likely to believe pro-vaccination statements as fact, while conservatives and moderates consider statements as beliefs. Additionally, conservatives and moderates are less likely to than liberals to vaccinate their children before age two (Rabinowitz et al., 2016,

The Scientific Method is the standardized procedure that scientists are supposed to follow when conducting experiments, in order to try to construct a reliable, consistent, and non-arbitrary representation of our surroundings. To follow the Scientific Method is to stick very tightly to a order of experimentation. First, the scientist must observe the phenomenon of interest. Next, the scientist must propose a hypothesis, or idea in which the experiments will be based around. Then, through repeated experimentation, the hypothesis can either be proven false or become a theory. If the hypothesis is proven to be false, the scientist must reformulate his or her ideas and come up with another hypothesis, and the experimentation begins again. This

I believe that George Sand’s quote is trying to persuade the reader to accept the truth to persuade the reader to accept the truth, even if it goes against what they previously believed. There are many people who are stuck in their ways and refuse to alter their views, even when confronted with cold hard facts. This way of thinking is extremely counterproductive and only halts one’s personal growth. It is beneficial to us, as a society, to be able to

It is agreeable to many psychologists and many others that we cannot change a person’s mind. It is not thoroughly possible, even

The article on the subject of potential communicable disease coercion to Europe was written by scientists who carried out research to identify these diseases and come up with measure to mitigate the catastrophe in future. The scientist hypothesis states that current trends of Europeans from three perspectives that are social and demographic change, globalization and environmental change and health system capacity are driving factors for identified plausible infectious diseases to be more problematic than they currently are.

Since the dawn of mankind religion has been one of the most significant elements of a society’s social and cultural beliefs and actions. However, this trend has declined due to the general increase in knowledge regarding our the natural sciences. Where we had previously attributed something that we didn’t understand to the working of a higher power, is now replaced by a simple explanation offered by natural sciences. While advocates of Religion may question Natural Sciences by stating that they are based on assumptions, it is important to note the Natural Sciences are based on theories and principles which can be proven using mathematical equations and formulas. Faith however contrasts from the easily visible feasibility of data

Before Einstein, Scientists believed that light waves travelled through a medium called ether. Einstein proved that ether was irrelevant and that light doesn’t travel through a medium. Einstein proved this by figuring out that the speed of light was constant, and in order for ether to be the medium light waves travel through, the speed of light would change depending on the observer. This discovery was one piece of the Specific Theory of Relativity.