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Hannah Asselin ~ 100777702

Maya South ~ 100871348

Karleen Ann Campbell ~100853942

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Definition: The red flag, all natural, is when an item such as health supplements or skin care claims to be all natural but it doesn’t mean that it is safe to use as many natural things can be dangerous.

Connection: Slim Tea is an example of a red flag, as it is a health supplement that self proclaims to be all natural even though in reality has many unnatural ingredients that are unsafe and can have dangerous effects on its users. Lack of practice of critical thinking would contribute to the reason why people would believe and give into the quick fixes.  This is because there are no reputable sources backing up what is implied and feeds the culture of fad diets and quick fixes.  If people were able to apply skepticism when they come across something it can lead to easily debunking what is being said.  However, because we are in a society where if there is an easy way and a hard way, people are always going to choose the easy way.

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Definition: The red flag, confirmation bias, is when people tend to recall events that relate to their beliefs while ignoring or forgetting those that don't.

Connection: Fox News, a leading American news cast is known for predominantly recalling events that relate to their beliefs while ignoring or forgetting those that don’t. Long time lead analyst Tucker Carlson was especially known to display confirmation biases in his reporting.  Fox News contributes as a barrier to critical thinking for their journalists and viewers.  This is because they display biased, right-sided (conservative) group-think as they only use the part of the story that furthers their message. If using Fox News or Tucker Carlson as a source, in the critical thinking process where you evaluate source, you will identify that while they are a globally recognized media outlet, they often produce information geared to the far right, conservative party.

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Definition: The red flag, ideological support, is when causes that use the public such as marches or campaigns to put forward a belief that is fueled more by ideology than science.

Connection: The Flat Earth Society is an excellent example of the red flag, ideological support, as they frequently hold campaigns putting forward a belief that is fueled more by ideology than science. The members of Flat Earth Society act as a barrier to critical thinking as they represent a distorted view of the truth. The group displays this barrier at their conferences where they meet, discuss their beliefs and refute evidence on the basis of their distorted view of reality.  The whole group is based on the idea of skepticism, and the idea that many of the world's top scientists are putting lies into our minds for their own benefit. The group clearly skipped the critical thinking process step of evaluating evidence as they clearly dismiss credible, extensive, and unbiased research conducted by reputable sources.

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Definition: The red flag, proof by verbosity, is when the use of an overload of information to produce the appearance of credibility, and extensive, thorough research.

Connection: American lawyer and author Ben Shapiro, uses the red flag of proof by verbosity as he has the tendency to overload information to produce the appearance of credibility, and extensive, thorough research.  This red flag is used to distract the individual and lose confidence in their point. His points often do not demonstrate validity due to not having an actual reputable source to support their evidence, and instead using many weaker points to overload. If they were to slow down and analyze what they were saying it would be clear in the evaluate evidence step that the information does not hold merit, directly bring into question the reliability of the source.

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Definition: Agenticity is a reason for belief where in people see and examine invisible things and allocate reason and meaning to them.

Connection: Human beings lean toward believing what we see.  For centuries, mysterious Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) have surfaced on earth.  Some people believe the UAP phenomena is a result of alien life. This phenomenon has been studied for centuries; and, most recently it is the topic of a 33 page report released by NASA.  NASA has appointed a panel and Director to aid in the research into UAP.  Scientists maintain that no conclusive evidence exists to confirm UAP originate from extra terrestrial beings.  They remain skeptical but have an open mind and are setting aside any confirmation bias.  They are analyzing and observing input from citizens also, although anecdotal, who submit data through a phone App.  NASA is investing its resources, giving their technological expertise and satellites to further research any correlation between UAP and alien life.  Dan Evans from NASA states “One of the main goals of what we’re trying to do here today is to move conjecture and conspiracy towards science and sanity.”

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A team of independent scientists convened by NASA has released a 33-page report outlining how the agency can aid in research into Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP)-known more commonly as UFOs. Following the report's publication, NASA appointed Mark McInerney as its first director of UAP research.

"This is the first time that NASA has taken concrete action to seriously look into UAP," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said during a news conference about the report, per CNN 's Jackie Wattles. "We start this without any preconceived notions but understanding that we're in a world of discovery."

The report recommends that NASA use its resources, technological expertise, partnerships and Earth-observing satellites to help create a dataset to understand future UAP. It also suggests using crowdsourcing techniques, such as smartphone apps, to allow citizen scientists to submit observations.

Most reports of UAP have mundane explanations-they turn out to be objects such as weather balloons, drones or planes. But in a handful of cases, the origins of the phenomena remain unclear, prompting conjectures of aliens. As of now, however, scientists have found "no conclusive evidence" suggesting UAP have extraterrestrial origins, per the report. Still, alien technology cannot be completely ruled out-though it should only be used as the "hypothesis of last resort-the answer we turn to only after ruling out all other possibilities," the report states.

Yet, even if UAP aren't alien-related, they may represent some new scientific phenomena, and more research into these mysterious objects could be valuable.

"One of the main goals of what we're trying to do here today is to move conjecture and conspiracy towards science and sanity," Dan Evans, NASA's assistant deputy associate administrator for research, said at the conference, per the New York Times' Kenneth Chang. "And you do that with data."

More data could also reduce the stigma around reporting UAP, David Spergel, an astrophysicist who is president of the Simons Foundation and served as the chair of the UAP panel, said at the conference. Several members of the UAP panel received threats because of their work, and the agency withheld the new UAP research director's name for several hours after announcing his appointment due to fears of harassment.

"Stigma has limited reporting by pilots, both civilian and military," Spergel said, per the Times.

UAP and extraterrestrials have captured public attention recently. Earlier this week, a self-proclaimed ufologist presented two alleged "alien" specimens to the Mexican Congress. Photos of the bodies quickly went viral online, though scientists doubt their authenticity, calling the display shameful and not backed by evidence. (Spergel addressed these claims while releasing NASA's report, saying, "If you have something strange, make samples available to the world scientific community, and we'll see what's there.")

Last year, the U.S. Congress held its first UFO hearing in five decades, and in July, a former U.S. military official testified at another hearing that the government is in possession of non-human "biologics" from UAP crash sites.

While NASA has not previously been directly involved in investigating UAP, one of its goals is to look for evidence of life in space. In 2020, the NASA rover Perseverance launched with the aim of finding microbial signs of past life on Mars. The agency's Kepler Space Telescope has been looking for Earth-like exoplanets for years, and the James Webb Space Telescope has spotted several worlds with components necessary for life.

Many researchers agree that it's possible-maybe even probable-that life exists on distant planets, but NASA Administrator Nelson says the probability that extraterrestrials have reached Earth is low, per Reuters ' Joey Roulette.

"If you ask me, do I believe there's life in a universe that's so vast that it's hard for me to comprehend how big it is, my personal answer is, 'yes,'" he said at the news conference, per Reuters.

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NASA Report Finds No Evidence of Extraterrestrial Origin for UFO Sightings

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However, no explanation can be ruled out, per the agency, which also appointed its first director of research into the subject

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Reason For Belief: Perception and Observation 

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Reason For Belief: Perception and Observation 

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Definition: Observation being the monitoring and watching of something or someone, usually to gather information or data. Perception is how one assesses and analyzes one’s beliefs after interpreting and processing information.  It is a sensory experience of the world around us.  Perception is how you see things or how you see the issue and facts are separate from one’s belief.

Connection: Anorexia nervosa is where an individual refuses to maintain a minimally normal body weight, is intensely afraid of gaining weight, and exhibits a significant disturbance in the perception of the shape or size of her or his body. Individuals observe the appearance of others in advertising and social media. Their perception of themselves is being fat, which is a distorted view of the truth. The individual misperceives their body as being fatter than it is. As a result of their observations and perception, they diet excessively to lose weight. The individual has a problematic belief about perceived body size and the value of thinness. These irrational beliefs and misperception of body size are not based on scientific evidence but rather from one’s senses.  It is human nature to want to belong to a group and one receives validation as a result of a positive self image. There are various factors that can lower a person’s self-esteem and perceived self-worth. Peer pressure, observation of pop culture, thin body images in media, perfectionism, impulsive behaviour and difficult relationships, can make one vulnerable. This can contribute to an eating disorder and lead to anorexia nervosa.  One of the criteria for diagnosis, among others, is one who is unable to realistically assess their body weight and shape, believes their appearance has a strong influence on their self-worth, and denies the medical seriousness of their current low body weight and/or food restriction.

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Pseudoscience Watchlist: Results Cannot be Verified or Reproduced

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Pseudoscience Watchlist: Results Cannot be Verified or Reproduced

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URL: https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2023/06/10/las-vegas-alien-ufo-backyard-report-police-orig.cnn

Definition:

The fallacy that connects best with this article is results cannot be verified or reproduced. This means that the evidence provided in the article does not provide enough context and information to verify the claim and it cannot be reproduced for one reason or another.

Connection:

This article claims that in Vegas, Nevada there was a report of a 10 foot creature in the yard after a mysterious green flash in the sky. This article provides video ‘proof’ using the police's body camera footage to show the encounter that night of the claim but the video fails to show the creature.As for the green flash in the sky, it was a small green ball in the video that was unidentifiable and could be mistaken for anything else. This article is a great example of the fallacy that results cannot be verified or reproduced because the claim of the article is not something that was verified through the video. It also cannot be reproduced as it is unsure of what the light and the alleged 10 foot figure is and what the actual cause of the green light was. This ‘proof’ is not something that can be replicated as this was a unique event with no understanding of its cause.

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Pseudoscience Watchlist: Does Not Progress

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Pseudoscience Watchlist: Does Not Progress

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URL: https://mythology.net/mythical-creatures/loch-ness-monster/

Definition:

The fallacy that best connects with this article is does not progress. Does not progress means that the claim of the article and the evidence provided does not progress.

Connection:

This article discusses the myth of the Loch Ness monster and provides an account of the significant sightings in the 1900s. This information does not assist with the progress of proving the myth as it is limited. The most common photo used of the Loch Ness monster is the same photo taken in 1933 as it is the only photo of the animal that was obtained. The article also outlines the past hunters that have attempted to catch the Loch Ness monster or at least provide proof of the existence. This myth does not progress as there was no continuous proof that was obtained after the original photo was taken in 1933. There were only reported accounts of sightings but are unable to be verified as it is hearsay. Overall, this article does not provide any progressing proof of the existence of the Loch Ness monster but this myth is still told and is a popular attraction in Scotland. Due to the attraction in Scotland, I believe this myth is also used as money is involved with the attraction even though the story and proof of the Loch Ness monster does not progress.

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Pseudoscience Watchlist: Convinces by Faith or Belief 

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Pseudoscience Watchlist: Convinces by Faith or Belief 

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URL: https://faithinthedivine.com/surrendering-your-finances-to-god/

Definition:

The fallacy that connects best with this article is convinced by faith or belief. This is when a faith or specific belief is used to convince the reader to believe the article's point of view solely because of the shared faith or belief. This is often done in today's society through political views as the politician(s) often use faith and specific beliefs to appeal to a larger audience. This does not always mean the claim is correct or accurate as this is used to persuade the reader/viewer.

Connection:

This article claims that if you surrender your finances to God using the 10 outlined steps, it will help to improve your financial status. The 10 steps include seeking financial wisdom through prayer, trust in divine timing, embrace detachment from your finances, practice gratefulness and contentment, seek divine guidance in financial decision, share our financial burdens with god, commit to generous giving, surrender the illusion of control over your finances, practise faithful tithing, and seek spiritual accountability. This article does not outline any specific religion but appeals to those who believe in God to provide a wider range of viewers to appeal to. This article directly uses the belief in God to persuade the reader that may be experiencing financial difficulties into controlling their finances with the assistance of God and this will help the reader increase their financial stability.  Those who often blindly apply things like this to their lives just because of their faith are showcasing group-think, which is a barrier to critical thinking, because it is easier to follow those who hold the same beliefs than stepping back, applying the critical thinking process and being a bit skeptical.

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Red Flag: Confusion of Correlation by Causation

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Red Flag: Confusion of Correlation by Causation

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URL: https://www.verywellhealth.com/who-is-andrew-wakefield-260623

Definition:

The fallacy that best connects with this article is confusion of correlation by causation. This means that the claim of the article does not relate to the evidence provided as they do not correlate. Typically this is done in politics to divert the viewers from the original topic.

Connection:

This article claims that autism in children  is caused by the mumps-measles-rubella vaccine.  This article outlines Andrew Wakefield’s theories regarding how the vaccine causes autism in children. One of his theories is that the vaccine causes inflammation in the intestines causing the child to develop leaky gut syndrome that makes it hard to digest proteins that go to the brain. This article is a great example of confusion of correlation by causation because as the vaccine may cause inflammation, it is not a guaranteed side effect. Also, the inflammation does not have any correlation with ‘leaky gut syndrome’ as it is a theory and is not a diagnosis recognized by medical professionals. Andrew Wakefield also does not outline the specific proteins that are lacking in the brain, caused by the vaccine that causes autism. This is a prime example of this fallacy as he uses false correlations as this is not a scientifically based claim related to the mumps-measles-rubella vaccine. Andrew Wakefield uses scientific sounding language to strengthen the fallacy of confusion of correlation by causation to convince the reader of his claim.

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Definition:  The Unexplained reason for belief means there is no basis or justification to believe what we see.  It is unexplainable, and there is no logic, reason nor rationality to believe what we see, but we do. Houdini’s principle states that just because something is unexplained does not mean that what you see is paranormal, supernatural, extraterrestrial or conspiratorial.

Connection: This photo is of Harry Houdini, an escapologist, born March 24, 1874, in Budapest, Hungary.  Escape artists were popular in the 20th Century vaudeville era. Houdini was known internationally for extricating himself from handcuffs, ropes, shackles, prison cells and straitjackets.  Thousands of people would watch his sensational demonstrations showing his unexplained escape ability.  He had a great deal of agility and was skilful at manipulating locks. His acts were in defiance of the law of gravity. Optical illusions and mechanical principles were utilized, known as conjuring.  Houdini wrote an article on conjuring for Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.  Skeptics would say that Houdini’s feats were based on mind reading, mediums and other supernatural powers. In his conjuring article, he debunked the then-fashionable spiritualists. Houdini went on to explain that science is grounded in naturalism, not supernaturalism, paranormalism or any other unnecessarily complicated explanations. Magic was a universal form of art and popular entertainment in the early 1900’s. Houdini appeared in many motion pictures from 1916-1923.  Escapology acts have entertained and survived for hundreds of years, despite secrets being revealed, and will continue as a form of entertainment, even though unexplained.

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Definition: Simplicity is the bare minimum of reality.  It is the minimal condition of being without complexities.

Connection: This website refers to an anecdote written by a medical student.  Simplicity is used in as a scientific method to train med students. A common phrase derived from Thomas Woodward’s dictum “When you hear hoofbeats, think of horses not zebras” is used in teachings. Skeptics may debunk this phrase; however, it is an old adage that gets good results. It suggests physicians should reject an exotic medical diagnosis when a more commonplace explanation is more likely. Often simpler diagnosis is best based on the Rule of Simplicity, a technical approach to Occam’s razor.  In philosophy, Occam’s razor is a problem-solving principle that suggests searching for explanations constructed with the smallest possible set of elements.  When both theories about a prediction have equal explanatory power, you should prefer the one with the fewest assumptions.  William Ockham was a 14th century English philosopher and theologian.  He did not invent this principle but effectively and frequently used the principle. This phrase “Occam’s razor” only appeared centuries after his death in 1347.  The most popular version of the principle was “entities are not to be multiplied without necessity”.  Moreover, Aristotle wrote “We consider it a good principle to explain the phenomena by the simplest hypothesis possible.”

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As a medical student, I have big shoes to fill. I feel that void in my foot-space at all times. These shoes are expensive, and they are monstrously huge. We're talking circus-clown, Shaquille O'Neal, Andre the Giant shoes. I feel awkward in these size 24s. I'm stumbling and scuffing them, but I'm not even close to calling it quits. These shoes are staying on. I am trying as hard as I can to grow my feet with sheer concentration and willpower, millimeter by millimeter. This process takes years, and probably decades. But one day I'm going to fill these scuffed-up shoes with my big-ass feet. And they're going to look good on me.

The standing advice is "fake-it-til-you-make-it." I've readily adopted this tactic. I aggressively apply my limited medical knowledge to every scenario I encounter. I'm trying to view the world as a physician. I boil everything down to some physiological process or another. I assume everything has an explanation, even if I'm not sure what it is. It's hard to be an authority in an esoteric field like medicine with only a single semester under your belt. Oh, but do I try.

Doctors love to tell the same medical adages over and over. One of them is this: "When you hear hoofbeats, think of horses not zebras." The common diagnosis is more likely than the exotic diagnosis. It's probably a common rash and not necrotizing fasciitis. The newbie's plight is that every diagnosis is exotic when you are a novice. We learn the spectacular hand-in-hand with the mundane. Everything is a zebra.

If my pregnant wife remarks on how her belly is bigger than she expected: "maybe it's polyhydramnios." When my dad tells me about his heartburn: "maybe you have a hiatal hernia." I'll order a Chipotle burrito from a young woman with a slightly yellow tint in her skin and think "Type II Crigler-Najjar Syndrome."

These are heavy terms to throw around. When I loudly, arrogantly, assert a half-baked theory to friends and family on a medical topic I know I'm not pulling from a wealth of knowledge. Generally speaking, so do they. But these are the tools I have. I need to start using them. I need to get my gears turning. One day my toolbox will contain everything I need to make a confident diagnosis. Right now it has tinker toys, a handful of mismatched screws, and a long-forgotten, rotten banana.

"As wide as the ocean, as deep as a puddle." That's how I would describe my understanding of medicine. I know a little bit about everything, but I don't know everything about anything. I stamp the end of every medical opinion by saying "... but I'm just a student. I'm not a real doctor yet." That little footnote brings me great comfort. It lets people know to not take me too seriously. But I want them to take me seriously. I hope I rely on that disclaimer less and less over time, so that by the time I lose the ability to use it, I'll have no need for it anymore. That day I will feel like Neil Armstrong stepping onto the moon.

I hope my feet have grown by then.
Jake Eggett is a medical student and can be reached on Twitter @jakeeggett. Image credit: Shutterstock.com

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In medical school, everything is a zebra

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Doctors love to tell the same medical adages over and over.