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By: Matthew Hughes and Hayden Ellis

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Definition:
Irrelevant information that distracts without addressing the main facts of a claim or conversation.

Connection:
During a speech, former U.S president Obama stated: "They have decided to run out the clock until there's a government shutdown the possibility of default" This sentence is a red herring and here is why. Historically, the U.S has never defaulted on a loan. Nor have they come close too. Usually, government shutdowns are caused by a conflict between the White House and Congress. and they use the debt ceiling as leverage to push agendas within Congress. That being said, The U.S wouldn't default on debt, this was said to divert attention from discussing the debt ceilings which is I controversial topic.

Citations:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/transcript-president-obamas-oct-8-news-conference-on-the-shutdown-and-debt-limit/2013/10/08/866088c0-3038-11e3-8906-3daa2bcde110_story.html

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Post #2 Red Flag - Suppression By Authorities

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Post #2 Red Flag - Suppression By Authorities

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Definition:
To keep information from public knowledge, to restrict information using power granted by authority such as an elected position of power.

Connection:
Free energy suppression is a conspiracy in which a pollution free, no-cost energy sources are being suppressed by government, corporations, or advocacy groups. The "suppression" is claimed to have occurred since the mid-19th century and its aim is to protect the business models of "Big Oil". The scientific community has controlled and suppressed research into alternative energy sources though peer review and academic pressure.

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Definition:

Proof by Verbosity can be defined as a style of argument in which the user intentionally uses wording that is complex in order to confuse the other person. The wording used is often repeated and jumbled in order to make an incoherent argument that is difficult to understand and dispute

Connection:

The term "Proof by Verbosity" was created by a man named Mark Kan after witnessing how a man named William Feller give lectures. When Feller would get questioned about his teaching and making mistakes he would become mad and often use obscure reasoning in order to confuse the questioner. If that failed, Feller would then kick out whoever was raising the question. This is also known as proof by intimidation. In the picture above you can see Mark Kac who was a mathematician and is the man who created the term proof by verbosity.

Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proof_by_intimidation

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Definiton:

The term all natural is psychology can be defined as a red flag that describes the thought process that just because something is all natural means that it is good for you. This is not the case and people should always do their research before using all natural products since they can still be dangerous.

Connection:

Cyanide is an all natural substance that comes from things like almonds and the pits of apples and peaches. Cyanide is also one of the most deadly poisons known to mankind. It is known that as little as 3 mg/L can be fatal to a human. Since cyanide is all natural someone who believes in the all natural red flag would be unaware that cyanide is one of the most deadly substances on the planet. This is why people must do their research before using certain products as you cannot take the claim all natural to mean that it is healthy.

Source:
https://emergency.cdc.gov/agent/cyanide/basics/facts.asp

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Post #5 Red Flag - Confusion of Correlation with Causation 

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Post #5 Red Flag - Confusion of Correlation with Causation 

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Definition:

The confusion of correlation and causation can be defined as the fallacy of humans observing patterns between two unrelated events and then making a false inference based on the pattern that they saw. This is why it is important to do your research and understand when events are related and when they are not related.

Connection:

One example of correlation being confused with causation is the number of pirates correlating with the average global temperature. Over the past 100 years the number of pirates has decreased and the global average temperature has increased. Does this mean that if the world were to gain more pirates the average temperature would decrease and it would help save our issues with global warming? Obviously not. Even though the two statistics correlate it does not mean it warrants causation. This is why it is important to study data and not jump to conclusions when evaluating and comparing new information.

Source:
https://www.spaghettimonster.org/about/open-letter/

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Definition:

Patternicity can be defined as the ability humans have to identify faces and look for patterns in situations even when there might not be a face to be found.

Connection:
Patternicity is also known as pareidolia and is a critical survival instinct used by our ansestors. It was essential for early humans to be able to spot faces of other humans and predators at night in order to ensure safety. Without this ability there is a greater chance of being snuck up on at night. It just so happens that we do not use this ability for its intended use anymore and instead use it for activities such as cloud watching.

Source: https://newsroom.unsw.edu.au/news/science-tech/why-brain-programmed-see-faces-everyday-objects

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Definition:

Agenticity can be defined as the believe that there is a higher power that is pulling all the strings of the world and can convince the globe of anything. They believe these agents have an absurd amount of power and can make anything that they want come to fruition
Connection:

One of the more well known examples of agenticity is the conspiracy theory that the moon landing was faked. People who believe in this conspiracy claim that the reason as to why the United States faked the moon landing was to win the space race against Russia. They claim the reason they wanted to go to such lengths to beat Russia is because the year was 1969 which was during the Cold War. This is agenticity since the people who believe in this think that there is a higher power that is controlling the publics opinion and is able to convince the entire world that they landed on the moon.

Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_landing_conspiracy_theories

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Definition:
An Ideology is a collection of ideas that are studied and learned by people in order to form a collection of beliefs and are used to make decisions. Ideologies are most commonly found in religion.

Connection:
The Branch Davidians made headlines on February 28, 1993. When the ATF & FBI sieged it's headquarters near Waco, Texas. There leader David Koresh Twisted the word of the Seventh-day Adventist in have signs of "End-times" stating that everyone outside was crazy and could use "violence" in defending against unholy attackers. Mr. Koresh's interpretation of the bible was largely in part with the text Revelation 5, Which talks about end time and the destruction of the world. He used this teaching to have control over his congregation which lead to child abuse allegations/ charges.

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Define Problem:

Today we will be applying the critical thinking process to the all natural red flag. The main problem surrounding the all natural red flag is the misnomer that just because something is all natural means that it is healthy. In our example for the all natural red flag we debunked this red flag using a real life example that is irrefutable.

Gather Information:

The source we used to enhance our opinion surrounding this red flag is from the CDC. In the article that is provided by the CDC is describes the effects of cyanide and where it comes from. Cyanide is a deadly poison that can be found in extremely small doses in almonds and the pits of apples.  This means that cyanide is an all natural substance. Cyanide is all natural and one of the deadliest poisons known to humans. This is why it is important to understand that just because a product claims that it is all natural does not mean that it is more healthy for you.

Evaluate Evidence:

The CDC is definitely a credible source and is a respected organization around the globe. The CDC has some of the most up to date information surrounding disease control and prevention. The CDC also has some of the most intelligent experts in the field that work for them and fact check information and conduct research everyday. The CDC uses the scientific method when evaluating claims to ensure its accuracy. All in all, we know that the CDC is a reliable source that fact checks its information and is respected worldwide.

Recognize Assumptions, Emotions and Biases:

If we are being completely honest we do not believe that there are any biases or conflicting emotions that are swaying opinions in this article. The CDC is a reputable source that has multiple people fact check to stop this. Not to mention that it is an article on cyanide which is not a controversial topic and there is no reason for the CDC to fabricate evidence.

Synthesize Evidence, Identify Alternatives:

One website that could be an alternative is britannica. They are a scholarly site that uses logic and reason. We believe they are a reputable source. Another source that is reputable is the New York State department of health. This is a government ran website that also provides accurate information surrounding cyanide.

Select Best Alternative:

If we had to choose between the two alternatives we would have to go with the New York State department of health only because it is a government ran website. But if we are being completely honest we truly believe that the CDC is the most reputable website out of the three and is well respected around the world.

Source
https://emergency.cdc.gov/agent/cyanide/basics/facts.asp