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Red Flags and Reasons for Belief in our World

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Red Flags and Reasons for Belief in our World

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By: Jacob Ballantyne, working individually

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Definition:

The red flag red herring can be defined as something, in particular a clue, that is projected to be misleading or confusing. Further, it can be explained as a mistaken belief or logic being used in order to explain or argue something. This is where the misleading and/or confusing aspect comes into play.

Connection:

The link below shows not only what ref herring is, but also provide a distinct example. This links example shows a clear picture of when a teacher catches a student cheating on a test, assignment or exam and the student tries to change the subject away from their mistake or tries to argue a point as to why they should not be reprimanded for cheating. This diversion away from talking about the actual problem of cheating is a great way to show red herring and how the student is portraying this with the teacher.

https://literarydevices.net/red-herring/

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Definition:

When talking about the red flag Appeal to Authority it can be examined as the means of using a celebrity to sell or use a product even if the product is bad or does not work. Many people will buy into this and may believe in different products and objects because if their favourite celebrity uses a product they will be more apt to want to use it as well. For example, like Usan Bolt who uses a specific pair of running shoes, many people will think that they can be closer to him and his skills if they get a pair of running shoes.

Connection:

The YouTube link below outlines a commercial that a famous international female artist Rihanna did with a cosmetic company called Cover Girl. This is an example of appeal to authority because the company is using a famous popular person such as Rhianna to endorse their company making more people apt to by the product if their favourite singer promotes it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPnYUoPfIXI

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Definition:

When looking at Ideological Support, it can be explained and defined as people’s beliefs and the people who accept the same claims as them. Some examples of ideological support usually pertain to religious beliefs or political beliefs and others have the same ideologies as these individuals.

Connection:

The link below shows an example and connection of how different individuals ideologies can all come to the same agreement and moral beliefs. The link below shows a clear picture of how the Scientology group believes in the same religious beliefs and ideologies and has come together to create a support group of individuals who all accept the same claims. This can also connect back to appeal to authority, as there are celebrities a part of this cult group, who try to get others to join them in the same ideologies they believe and recruit more people.

https://www.scientology.org/what-is-scientology.html

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Definition:

When looking at the red flag Ancient Wisdom, it is evident that it includes any orientations to ancient existences and prehistoric data. Cause for belief is because some ancient practices believe in aspects such as medical bloodletting, ancient Chinese medicine and spontaneous generation. Further, it can be noted that ancient wisdom's can greatly relate back to reincarnation.

Connection:

The YouTube link below shows a documentary about bloodletting mentioned above. Medical bloodletting is a term used for when you are cut open and drained of all the toxins and ‘bad’ blood. This film proves that bloodletting was an true thing and is still used multiple times on many different occasions. More people used to believe this practice but now it is only believed by very few.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgsK6yhv5Cg

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Definition:

The red flag Confirmation Bias can be defined as the likelihood to understand new evidence as confirmation of one's current beliefs or philosophies. Reason for belief is when people look at the information and only believe and read what they want to hear rather than the information that is accurate and true.

Connection:

The below is a picture of a stereotyped fortune teller. Fortune tellers have been known to give very specific information that questions how they know information about individuals. However, it is known that fortune tellers will get inaccurate information about an individual and their life, or they use too general terms that can pertain to many people. Many people go to fortune tellers to validate information or look for something they want to hear.

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Definition:

The term unexplained can be defined as the unknown and what can not be described is considered unexplainable. As a result of this, many times as humans, we try to come up with our own beliefs to try and explain it to ourselves.

Connection:

This website can be examined as an example of the unexplained because it shows individuals different perspectives of sightings of UFO’s, ghosts, and other supernatural creatures. This can not be explained by anyone, and I myself have gone and had different spots on my pictures, which cannot be explained. This website did a great job of continually reporting different sighting and natural beings that individuals encountered, but could not explain why they were happening.

http://www.theparanormalseekers.ca/ghost-road---port-perry.html

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1.       Define Problem: What exactly is the problem?

2.       Gather Information: What is the source?

3.       Evaluate Evidence: Is the source credible?  Is there proof?  Have the facts been checked?  Can the results be reproduced?  Has the scientific method been followed?

4.       Recognize Assumptions, Emotions, Biases:  What are the personal assumptions, emotions, and bias?  What are the potential impacts of the assumptions, emotions, and bias?

5.       Synthesize Evidence, Identify Alternatives:  What are the alternative solutions?  Synthesize all findings to write clear and concise statements of alternative solutions.  Keep an open mind!

6.       Select Best Alternative:  Consider all alternative solutions (along with supporting evidence) and write a conclusion that selects the best alternative.  Make an informed choice!

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Reasons for Belief: Perception and Observation

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Reasons for Belief: Perception and Observation

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Definition:

When looking at perception and observation it can be related back to our five senses. When we use our own perception and observations, our mind can lead us to believe one thing and end up with making a decision. Unfortunately, sometimes our perceptions and observations can be skewed due to our experiences.

Connection:

Using the picture below, it is clear that this child is using his sense of hearing for perception and observation because as the saying goes, “if you listen to a seashell, you will still be able to hear the sound of the ocean inside of it.” However, this is not true, and it is based on our perceptions and experiences that lead us to believe this. This is because it is not actually the ocean you can hear, but rather sound waves that are creating the sound inside the shell, but people use their senses to believe and make a decision that they are in fact hearing the ocean.

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Definition:

When looking at patternicity, it can be described by Dr. Michael Shermer as the “tendency to find meaningful patterns in meaningful and meaningless noise.” Therefore, it is important to remember that in patternicity, as humans we are always looking for patterns and that they can be seen in many different aspects of our lives. For example, people look at a picture drawn from an artist and can see one thing while another person sees a completely different thing.

Connection:

When you were little did you ever look up at the clouds and try and create patterns or shapes, even though they may not have looked like the same thing to another person? This is a great example of patternicity, which can be seen in the picture below as in my opinion it can be interpreted as a dinosaur running, whereas someone else may interpret it completely different.