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Made by Matthew Lekatis, working individually

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Post #3 Red Flag: Confirmation Bias (image)

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Post #3 Red Flag: Confirmation Bias (image)

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Definition
The red flag Confirmation Bias is the idea that a person would go out of their way to find confirming evidence to their ideals and beliefs, and ignoring the evidence that would invalidate their ideals and beliefs.

Connection
A great example of confirmation bias comes froms many news outlets on television and on the web. On the off chance this outlet is an unbiased one (which rarely is the case) you will come to notice these outlets spreading information on what they want to show in current events rather than all information on current events. Typically these outlets will not only show but explain what is in favour of their beliefs and will give the rest of the information in the fine print. Fox news has been come to be known as the republican news outlet and they tend to show democratic favoured sorces in a negative light. This goes both ways, and knowing this, one can only watch whichever news channels favours them hence why you can associate the red flag confirmation bias with news outlets

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Post #4 Red Flag: Ancient Wisdom (article)

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Post #4 Red Flag: Ancient Wisdom (article)

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Definition
The red flag Ancient Wisdom refers to ancient knowledge and practices and how they are still being used and praised currently. One might believe that ancient beings had more knowledge when it came to medicinal remedies or science.

Connection
This article goes into detail on the ancient technique of leeching and how it was a common practice long ago. It was thought that this practice would help with skin diseases, and infections when in reality they do not. The act of leeching has made a reappearance recently and is used by psuedoscience fanatics hence why leeching is a good demonstration of the red flag ancient wisdom.

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leeching, the application of a living leech to the skin in order to initiate blood flow or deplete blood from a localized area of the body. Through the 19th century leeching was frequently practiced in Europe, Asia, and America to deplete the body of quantities of blood, in a manner similar to bloodletting. Today, however, leeching is resorted to only on occasion to restore blood flow to areas of damaged veins after an appendage has been reattached or a tissue grafted. The species of leech most commonly used for this purpose is the European medicinal leech, Hirudo medicinalis, an aquatic segmented worm whose bloodsucking capabilities once made it a valuable commercial item.

The medicinal leech has proved useful in medicine because of its peculiar mouthparts and the pharmacologically active substances present in its saliva. Hirudo medicinalis has three jaws with approximately 100 sharp teeth on each outer rim. The leech feeds by first attaching its sucker onto the skin. The mouth, located in the middle of the sucker, opens to expose the teeth, which cut into the patient's skin. The saliva of the leech contains substances that anesthetize the wound area (rendering the bite virtually painless) and dilate blood vessels to increase blood flow to the site of the bite. Leech saliva also contains an enzyme that promotes a quick dissipation of substances in the leech saliva away from the bite site. One of these substances is hirudin, a naturally occurring polypeptide that inhibits the actions of thrombin, one of the enzymes that facilitates blood clotting. This powerful anticoagulant, first identified in 1884 but not isolated in purified form until the 1950s, is primarily responsible for the extensive bleeding that results from a leech bite, though other factors are also involved. Hirudin has been produced in commercial quantities through genetic engineering techniques.

The first documented evidence of the use of leeches in medicine is found in the Sanskrit writings of the ancient Indian physicians Caraka and Suśruta, dating from the beginning of the Common Era. The Greco-Roman physician Galen (ad 129-c. 216) advocated the bleeding of patients with leeches, a practice that persisted in various parts of the world for many centuries. Throughout most of Western history, leeching-or leechcraft-became such a common practice that a physician was commonly referred to as a "leech." Toward the beginning of the 19th century, a "leech mania" swept through Europe and America, as leeching became incorporated into the practice of bloodletting. Enormous quantities of leeches were used for bleeding-as many as 5 to 6 million being used annually to draw more than 300,000 litres of blood in Parisian hospitals alone. In some cases patients lost as much as 80 percent of their blood in a single leeching. Bloodletting procedures, including leeching, became the most common medical procedure throughout the early modern period. By the early 19th century, many patients regularly submitted to various bloodletting practices as a means of preventing or treating infection and disease.

Present-day surgeons occasionally use leeches after reattaching severed body parts, such as fingers, or after tissue graft procedures. In these operations, severed arteries (which bring oxygenated blood from the heart) are routinely reconnected by suturing. However, veins (which return oxygen-depleted blood to the heart) are thin-walled and difficult to suture, particularly if the surrounding tissue is damaged. If blood flow is restored through the arteries but not the veins, blood to the attached body part may become congested and stagnant. The reattached part will eventually turn blue and become lifeless and at serious risk of being lost. In such cases one or two leeches can be applied to the area. A single leech feeds for approximately 30 minutes, during which time it ingests about 15 grams (0.5 ounce) of blood. After becoming fully engorged, the leech detaches naturally, and the appendage continues to bleed for an average of 10 hours, resulting in a blood loss of about 120 grams. When bleeding has almost ceased, another leech is applied to the appendage, and the process continues until the body has had time to reestablish its own working circulation network-usually within three to five days. On rare occasions a patient may develop an infection from microorganisms that live in the leech gut. This appears to happen only when circulation through the arteries is insufficient.

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Leeching | Medical Procedure & Benefits of Bloodletting

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Leeching, the application of a living leech to the skin in order to initiate blood flow or deplete blood from a localized area of the body.

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Post #5 Red Flag: Mystical Energy (article)

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Post #5 Red Flag: Mystical Energy (article)

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Definition
The red flag Mystical Energy is used to describe pseudoscience practices or ideals that coincide with "energy".

Connection
The idea of mystic healing is that after sessions you are getting closer to your path towards enlightenment. Described in the article, mystical healing will elevate and purify your conscious. This connects to the pseudoscience watchlist as mystic healing has money involved. One must pay to be able to be healed by a mystic therapy therapist or else this type of healing will not benefit us. Emotion also is connected to mystic healing as it advertises to those who are unhappy or are in a weak mindset.

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Mystic Healing is the channelling and transmission of the Spiritual Light. It is a practice where Pure Love manifests and flows, providing great nourishment at all levels of being. With it, an adequate space opens up where recipients can access higher levels of consciousness and experience profound states of contemplation, deep peace, happiness and inner silence.

Mystic Healing is a powerful aid that is suitable to everyone regardless of their level of experience in meditation or spiritual knowledge. It facilitates the enjoyment of the greatest gift in life: the experience of closeness with the Self and an understanding of the enormous potentials and resources that lie within us. We are often plagued by a variety of small and big sufferings, but with the guidance of Mystic Healing we may slowly but surely find the way back home to the Self, and with it free ourselves from dissatisfaction, pain and anguish, and begin to enter more fully into states of satisfaction, happiness, self-control and fulfilment.

Receivers may frequently acquire, each time they attend a Mystic Healing session, empowering and gratifying inspirations that motivate them to continue on the Inner Growth path which leads towards Enlightenment. The one who seeks will find, the one who knocks on the door will discover that the door opens in front of him.

Mystic Healing is a practice where one may realize and begin to understand how the door magically and effortlessly opens when one knocks. To experience receiving unconditional Love by doing very little, or without doing anything at all; it's a Divine gift.

Undertaking Mystic Healing equals to carrying out a fruitful spiritual practice.

We need to distinguish between fruitful spiritual practices and ones which don't yield any fruit. A fruitful spiritual practice is one where inner changes may be obtained over time when practiced correctly, regularly and with discipline. A non-fruitful practice is one where no significant inner changes may be obtained regardless of our efforts.

What makes a spiritual practice fruitful? The presence of a Spiritual Power -or Grace- which has decided to act upon the consciousness of the person who is carrying out the practices. Elevating, purifying and transforming their consciousness and taking it to higher vibrational levels. Only when this Power acts upon the person's consciousness are we able to move successfully along the inner path. This leads towards greater freedom, and gradually to the highest level of consciousness: the Self.

Whoever experiences a fruitful spiritual practice finds him/herself happy and optimistic, since each day the perceptions and limits of their consciousness are enlarged and this translates into greater self-control, less suffering and a higher quality of life. A fruitful practice constantly reduces the heavy load of negative emotions and allows the beautiful flowers of good qualities to flourish. It provides a constant increase of calmness and inner freedom. It is a powerful means providing a firm and safe path towards the fullness of the Self.

You may experience fruitful spiritual practices and Mystic Healing under the guidance of Javier de Salas, facilitator of Mystic Healing workshops held at Embody (please sign up for our newsletter for details of any future events).

Javier has directed hundreds of retreats and workshops on inner growth, Mystic Healing and meditation, both in Spain as well as in other European countries, Israel, Indonesia, Japan and the United States. He is one of two principles who instruct Mystic Therapy Therapist Training Courses worldwide.

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Mystic Healing - What is it and how does it benefit us? | Embody Wellness

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Mystic Healing is the channelling and transmission of the Spiritual Light. It is a practice where Pure Love manifests and flows, providing great nourishment at all levels of being. With it, an adequate space opens up where recipients can access higher levels of consciousness and experience profound states of contemplation, deep peace, happiness and inner silence.

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Post #6 Red Flag: Ideological Support (Image)

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Post #6 Red Flag: Ideological Support (Image)

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Definition
The red flag Ideological Support is typically associated with religous beliefs. One might have to accept a claim soley based on what a person thinks in their mind is the correct answer.

Connection
The image above is a visualized image of what heaven and hell might be, and in many instances one could tell you where you will end up based on your beliefs or what you have done. There are many different versions of the bible and each one has a different instance of saying if you will go to heaven or hell. For example, the christian bible states that accepting Jesus Christ as your lord and saviour will grant you access to heaven. On the other hand, the hebrew bible states that it is determined on an individual basis and based on your own actions and not beliefs. But which one is true? People on either end of the spectrum would say that their bible is the correct one and is morally correct to accept this and therefore is associated with the red flag ideological support.

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Post #7 Reason for Belief: Patternicity (image)

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Post #7 Reason for Belief: Patternicity (image)

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Definition
The reason for belief Patternicity is defined as a person finding a pattern in something that was never meant to have a pattern or a non existent one.

Connection
Patternicity is shown in this image because one might associate this image with something scary or ominous. Someone could be walking through this forest and hear the trees move or the grass shake, typically this person would think that there is someone or something around them but in reality, it was just the wind blowing. If the critical thinking process was applied in this situation, the solution would be shown and the pattern would be void.

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Post #8 Reason for Belief: Agenticity (video)

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Post #8 Reason for Belief: Agenticity (video)

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Definition
The reason for belief Agenticity is defined as a person associating an intentional cause to a pattern. For example: aliens, ghosts.

Connection
This video follows Paul Katz as he demonstrates an app that is able to reach the dead. It is shown that there are various instances where the app has feedback from some factor. According to the host, this feedback is a ghost trying to communicate. Based off the psuedoscience watchlist, the results cannot be reproduced or verified. If someone were to also use the app at the same place and the same time, would they get the same answer? Does the coding of the app indicate what needs to be said in certain instances?

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Spirit Story Box: The app that claims to reach the dead

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Post #2 Red Flag: Appeal to Authority (video)

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Post #2 Red Flag: Appeal to Authority (video)

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Definition:
The red flag Appeal to Authority is the act of using authoritive credibility or resources to influence beliefs or advertise products. This includes celebrity endorsements and infomercials hosted by a person wearing a lab coat.

Connection
This video shows the appeal to authority red flag because Michael Ho, is using his status as a doctor to advertise his products and claims they relieve back pain instantly. In the video, Ho explains that you should not take pain relief drugs and instead buy his product by demonstrating on an actor. Although Michael Ho is not a medical doctor, he is a doctor of chiropractic and acupuncture which allows him to use the title "Doctor" which portrays himself to his audience as someone who knows what they are talking about. Dr Ho is using his title and outfit in the video to influence the general public that he should be trusted and therefore is an example of the red flag appeal to authority.

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Post #9 Reason for Belief: Unexplained (article)

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Post #9 Reason for Belief: Unexplained (article)

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Definition
The reason for belief Unexplained is the unknown. One might be able to give an explanation for the unexplained but it is still not understood.

Connection
This article associates with the unexplained because it goes into detail about an elusive and undiscovered creature that is still being hunted to this day. Many of the bigfoot sighting still have not been explained which in part is due to the lack of evidence supporting it. If we were to apply the critical thinking process to the bigfoot sightings, we would typically find other reasoning for the phenomenons such as, someone in a bigfoot suit, dna of an already existing animal, or no scientific evidence. A flaw within many of the sightings is that all the pictures of a found bigfoot is either blurry, or you can barely see what is there which overall limits the likeliness that it is true.

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Bigfoot, or Sasquatch, is a large ape-like creature some people believe inhabits North America but there's no hard evidence it actually exists.

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Post #10 Critical Thinking Process Responses

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Post #10 Critical Thinking Process Responses

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I chose to evaluate the video "Spirit Story Box: The app that claims to reach the dead"

Define Problem
Does the app reach the dead and can we communicate with them?

Gather Information
This video is made by CNET. The video follows Paul Katz as he shows off an app that can communicate with the dead. Katz claims there are spirits littered in the area. Takes a picture of a light and explains there is a face there.

Evaluate Evidence
Paul Katz has no scientific background or any validation stating he can communicate and determine paranormal activity. Many studies have shown that spirit boxes rely on pseudoscience and the issues with human perception.

Recognize Assumptions, Emotions, Biases:
Katz is making an assumption that the are they are in has many spirits. Also is making an assumption that there is a face in the picture he took. There is also a strong emotional link to his belief because whenever a word would appear on the app, he would explain that there is an association to them meaning that he wants to believe what minimal evidence he is seeing.

Synthesize Evidence, Identify Alternatives
Alternative Solution 1: Spirit boxes are real, you can communicate with the dead based off of Paul Katz's findings and the app.

Alternative Solution 2: Spirit boxes are not real, you can not communicate with the dead based off of many studies proving these devices rely on pseudoscience.

Select Best Alternative
I conclude that spirit boxes are not real.