Module 1-4 Learning Outcomes Flashcards
(16 cards)
Research and Media
-Quality of research of research depends on..
-Interpretation of Results
Who: Subjects and comparison groups
What: Variables being controlled and measured
Where: Settings (natural vs structured)
How: Methodology (how the test is conducted)
-Critical to understand the significance and limitations. Things like number/variety of tests.
What they are/aren’t showing for polictal/marketing reasoning. People not reading whole original article
Research and Media - Philosophies and Ideas
- Technology and Idea transfer
+ what histroical records
+ what kind of approach does indigenous philosophies require
+ besides writing what other ways was language spread
- Chinese, Indian and greek
- Formal writing emerged and spread globally
- ethnophilosophical approach
- Oral traditions: Stories, cultural practices, rituals
- importance of non western philosophies
Research and Media - Scientific Method origins
Attributed to Aristotle
Rationalism
-Formal process of testing ideas
– Parallel ideas in Chinese, Arabic, and African writings
-Investigation into ontology and epistemology
– Cartesian Skepticism: Questioning the nature of knowledge and reality
Research and Media - Decartes Philosophical inquiry
Key questions:
Apple barrel Metaphor:
Ontological Question:
Cogito Ergo Sum:
-How do I know what I believe is true?
– Can senses be trusted?
– Examine each idea critically
– Nature of reality if senses can be deceived
-“I think, therefore I am
Research and Media -
Empiricism (John Locke):
Immaterialism (George Berkley):
Post Modernism (Michel Foucault):
- Knowledge through physical experience
– Primary Qualities: Weight, mass, density (objectively real)
– Secondary Qualities: Colour, taste, texture, smell (subjectively real)
-Primary and secondary qualities are not exclusive and in fact inseparable.
– Perception as the key to existence
– “Esse Est Percepi” – To be is to be perceived
-Societal accepted truths are shaped by power dynamics
* this alters knowledge creation, sharing, and enforcement
* Belief in subjective relativism as apposed to objective reality for truth
Research and Media - Knowledge defined
- Justified, True, Belief
– Justification: Evidence or support
– Truth: Objectively or perceptually correct
– Belief: Considered true but needing justification
Research and Media - Questions to consider
-What are some potential limitations when comparing research from different cultural or historical contexts?
- How do oral traditions contribute to philosophical inquiry compared to written traditions?
- What are some of the philosophical roots that underpin our thoughts about science?
Appeal to Authority and self correcting nature of science and research - Appeal to Authority
Definition:
Key points:
- Belief in something based on the authority of the person without
adequate supporting facts
-Relies on fame, power, or status outside their domain of competence.
– Logically fallacious
Appeal to Authority and self correcting nature of science and research - Heuristics
Definition:
Key points:
- Mental shortcuts or problem-solving strategies that simplify complex
decisions using approximate “rule of thumb” methods.
– Enable quick decision-making with limited information
– Can lead to errors or biases, including susceptibility to the appeal to
authority fallacy
Appeal to Authority and self correcting nature of science and research - Historical examples of Appeal to authority
Thalidomide Scandal:
- Geocentric Model:
-Authorities assured the safety of thalidomide, leading to severe birth defects.
-Acceptance of Earth-centered universe based on ancient scholars like Ptolemy, until evidence supported the heliocentric model.
Appeal to Authority and self correcting nature of science and research - Axioms vs Assumptions
Axioms:
Assumptions:
-Universally accepted truths, foundational in logical systems.
– Not subject to debate (e.g., “I think therefore I am”)
-Accepted as true without concrete evidence, often for argument’s sake. (e.g., “All trees have leaves”)
– Subject to questioning and revision based on new evidence.
Appeal to Authority and self correcting nature of science and research - Science as a process
Nature:
Divisions:
Research:
-A process to determine reality through experimentation, observation, and
logic.
-Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, Formal Sciences.
– An adventure into the unknown.
– Involves asking falsifiable questions.
– Emphasizes proving oneself wrong to promote objectivity.
Appeal to Authority and self correcting nature of science and research - self correcting nature of science
Key components:
Outcome:
-Hypothesis testing and refinement.
– Replication and verification.
– Peer review and publication.
– Feedback, criticism, and paradigm shifts.
– Technological advancements.
-Continuous improvement and refinement of knowledge
Appeal to Authority and self correcting nature of science and research - fallacious arguments related to appeal to authority
- Ad Hominem:
- Straw Man:
- Slippery Slope:
- False Dichotomy:
- Bandwagon Fallacy:
-Attacking the person instead of the argument
-Misrepresenting an argument to make it easier to attack.
-Arguing a specific action will lead to an undesirable outcome.
-Presenting only two options when more exist.
-Believing something is true because many others do
Appeal to Authority and self correcting nature of science and research - information evaluation
Guiding principles:
Modern challenges:
-Healthy skepticism.
– Consider context.
– Look for supporting work and consensus
-Managing information overload with critical thinking and
reliable sources
Appeal to Authority and self correcting nature of science and research - Questions to consider
- How does the appeal to authority impact decision-making?
- What are heuristics and how do they influence judgments?
- How are axioms and assumptions used differently in logical reasoning?
- What mechanisms ensure the self-correcting nature of science?
- How can fallacious arguments be identified and avoided in scientific discussions?
