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Post #10 Critical Thinking Process Question Responses (Word document)

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Post #10 Critical Thinking Process Question Responses (Word document)

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Post #9: Reasons for Belief - Unexplained (Religion)

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Post #9: Reasons for Belief - Unexplained (Religion)

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Definition: The unknown cannot be explained and is currently not understood by science yet.
Connection: This article is about the five reasons why someone might believe in God. Science cannot explain "God" and often it is a controversial topic. Many people believe because there is no good reason not to.

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"To believe in God, you just need to believe, to have faith." I've heard this sort of statement at least a dozen times in my life. But what really causes belief in God and life after death?

A wide range of research suggests that religious beliefs can be altered (to an extent) by certain psychological needs and states. I discuss 5 of these below.
1) A Need for Control
Research by Aaron Kay (now at Duke University) and colleagues suggests that when someone is feeling personal uncertainty, or a lack of personal control, they are more likely to believe that God is in control. The basic idea is that people have a need for control, and when they receive this via secular routes (like cops or the government) they do not have the same need to believe that God possesses control. Evolutionary psychologists have made similar arguments, citing data showing that when economic and health security are high, people tend to be less religious.
2) A Need to Cope with Death
Reminders of death increase people's belief in spirits and the power of prayer. Moreover, having people read that there is life after death (even atheists) reduces people's psychological distress in response to thinking about death.
3) Suffering
Kurt Gray (University of Maryland) has conducted several studies showing that people believe in God more strongly after being exposed to unexplained suffering. For instance, if people read of suffering that can be explained (i.e., a man loses his job) this would not increase belief in God. However, if people read that am unexpected flood had caused a family to die, this would increase belief.

Ironically, suffering increases theism.
4) A Need for Justice
When people think that a God that can punish is watching them, they behave more morally. Moreover, they also feel less of a need to punish others. It follows from this research (though the study has not been done) that people should have less belief in God (at least his punishing characteristics) when they are feeling like secular sources of authority are providing ample justice. Somewhat supporting this, religious people have less distrust of atheists after watching a video of police effectiveness.

The need to punish others (who have not been punished) is associated with belief in God.
5) Experiential Thinking
There are (at least) two primary modes of thinking and decision making. One is called experiential thinking, in which a person relies primarily on their "gut" or their feelings when making a decision. The other is logical thinking, in which a person makes a decision in a more cold, calculated manner.

Research suggests that belief in God is higher among people who more often think experientially. Moreover, forcing people to think experientially in an experiment heightens their belief in God, compared to people who are forced to think logically.

In other words, people's natural thinking style could, or could not, lend itself to belief in the supernatural.
Further Comments:
I do not mean to suggest that these are the only five factors that influence belief in God. There are many other factors.

I also would like to add that these studies are all conducted measuring a continuum of belief, typically on a scale of 1-5 or 1-7, and the results of each study are dealing with average scores across all participants. Therefore, I am not suggesting that a person with strong belief will suddenly not believe at all (go from a 7 to a 2, for instance) if they are feeling in control, or are not exposed to suffering. I also am not suggesting that a person with no belief will suddenly believe entirely (go from a 2 to a 7) under certain situations.

What this work does suggest is that moderate shifts in belief can occur when people are feeling things, such as a fear of death, a lack of control or a need for justice, and when they are exposed to suffering or are thinking experientially.

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"To believe in God, you just need to believe, to have faith." I've heard this sort of statement at least a dozen times in my life. But what really causes belief in God and life after death? A wide range of research suggests that religious beliefs can be altered (to an extent) by certain psychological needs and states.

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Post #8: Reason for Belief - Simplicity (Mom using healthy eating to cure cancer article)

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Post #8: Reason for Belief - Simplicity (Mom using healthy eating to cure cancer article)

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Definition: Simple answers are easier to understand than the scientific answers sometimes. Some people cannot wrap their head around a more complicated answer so they try to find the most simple way to understand something.
Connection: The lady in the article believes that her cancer is "emotional" and that it can be cured by "feeding her body good things". She also believes that any modern treatments will damage her body; instead of using harsh treatments like chemo, Sarah is going to take the simple, "healthy" route and cure her cancer by going vegan.

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Sarah Valentine, 36, was diagnosed with breast cancer in December of last year

The mother-of-four from Kent has rejected surgery and is focusing on her diet

She insists: 'I think by feeding my body good things, it will have an impact'

A mother-of-four with breast cancer has turned down conventional treatment and instead plans to cure her illness through a combination of healthy eating, bitter almonds and purified water.

Sarah Valentine, 36, of Bethersden, Kent, was offered either a full mastectomy or a lumpectomy and radiotherapy on the NHS - but she has defied medical advice by declining both options.

Instead, she has overhauled her diet to eliminate meat and dairy.

Sarah, whose cable jointer boyfriend, Richard, 35, backs her decision, knows some people will think she is making a mistake - but she is adamant her decision is the right one.

'I'm a mum to four children - Jesse, 15, Poppy, five Teddy, four, Billy, one,' she said. 'They are my priority and I am not irresponsible.

'This is not a diet, it is life and death.

'I think by feeding my body good things, it will have an impact. I've done a lot of scientific research into it.'

Make-up artist Sarah was diagnosed with cancer after she noticed an indentation on her left breast, as she danced naked in front of her 60-year-old mum Annie Herbert's mirror in Bermondsey, south London, on December 3 last year.

Sarah, is now following an alkaline-based vegan diet - believing it will give her the best chance of beating the disease, which has previously affected several members of her family.

SARAH'S DIET PLAN

And she hopes her extreme measures will reverse the progress of her currently stage 1 cancer, which is made up of two tumours measuring 2.1cm by 1.7cm and 1cm by 1cm.

'If it doesn't work, I will reconsider my options, but at this stage I am trying this,' she said.

Sarah also believes that surgery could damage her health.

She continued: 'I think I stand a better chance doing this than having a mastectomy straight away.

'I believe if I had a mastectomy I would be dead within 10 years. This is about healing my body back to health.

'I'm 100% sure that my cancer is emotional.

'I've been dealt some really terrible hands in my 36 years, but that's all in the past and I'd really like to show the Big C the door.'

Sarah's diet was never bad. She would eat free-range eggs, well-sourced meat and good quality butter.

Additionally, she was careful not to take hormones in tablets or her food and favoured natural products.

'I used bicarbonate of soda instead of deodorant, never had any hormones in pharmaceuticals or food, ate healthily and breastfed all my children,' she said. 'I couldn't believe that I got ill.'

Sarah discovered her lump after stepping out of the shower and dancing in front of the mirror.

'I thought I'd lost weight, so was dancing around a bit,' she explained. 'It was then I noticed the lump.' Two days later, on December 5, she headed to her GP, who referred her to the breast clinic.

On December 19, at Buckland Hospital in Dover, Kent, a doctor examined her and, concerned, referred her to Kent and Canterbury Hospital, Canterbury, for an ultrasound, needle biopsy and mammogram.

But it was not until December 30 at William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, Kent, that her cancer was confirmed.

'I knew already,' she recalled. 'As soon as I saw the indentation and felt a lump I realised.'

Sadly, this is not the first time Sarah has been affected by cancer.

Close family members have had it and her childhood friend, professional footballer Ernie Cooksey, died in 2008, aged 27, after battling skin cancer.

'Maybe my experience of the illness has made it easier for me to cope,' she said. 'I've seen people go through chemotherapy and be very ill as a result.

'And I've heard about others having mastectomies and still not surviving.'

Now Sarah is speaking out to make people aware that breast cancer can affect anyone and that a lump is just one sign. She hopes to get #Shakeyourtits - a hashtag encouraging people to examine their breasts for changes including lumps, indentions, changes to the skin and bumps - trending.

She said: 'We should all be shaking, massaging, feeling our way around to spot any changes in our breasts as soon as possible.'

Sarah also needs £30,000 to fund her natural treatment.

'I need to get vitamin C drips, supplements, a water distiller, thermo imaging to check tumour shrinkage and hormone-testing reports,' she said.

If you would like to help Sarah, please visit her GoFundMe page.

RESEARCH INTO 'CANCER DIETS'

*Source: CancerResearchUK.org

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Mum using healthy eating to treat cancer

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Sarah Valentine, 36, was diagnosed with breast cancer in December of last year The mother-of-four from Kent has rejected surgery and is focusing on her diet She insists: 'I think by feeding my body good things, it will have an impact' A mother-of-four with breast cancer has turned down conventional treatment and instead plans to cure her illness through a combination of healthy eating, bitter almonds and purified water.

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Post #6: Red Flag - Red Herring (Going Off of Topic Comic)

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Post #6: Red Flag - Red Herring (Going Off of Topic Comic)

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Definition: Irrelevant information in used in an argument to distract/confuse a person from the logical evidence.
Connection: This comic demonstrates the "Red Herring" fallacy. The man says he didn't accomplish anything this week because he was completing a certification, but didn't want his boss to ask what the certification was for (because it was most likely just an excuse for not being productive). When the boss does ask what the certification was for, the man goes off on a tangent about how he is offended that they think the certification is a waste of time to distract them from the real point; what was the certification for?

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Post #7: Reason for Belief - Patternicity (Palm Reading Photo)

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Post #7: Reason for Belief - Patternicity (Palm Reading Photo)

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Definition: Finding "meaningful" patterns in meaningless places.
Connection: Palm reading is often based upon finding common patterns in the lines of the hand that mean nothing at all and saying it can predict your future.

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Post #5: Red Flag - Ancient Wisdom (Bloodletting Video)

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Post #5: Red Flag - Ancient Wisdom (Bloodletting Video)

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Definition: The belief that ancient peoples had more knowledge than current day science. Using old practises that have usually been disproved in modern times.
Connection: This video shows the red flag "Ancient Wisdom". In India, many people believe in bloodletting, an ancient practise where the skin is cut to release blood, which is said to also release the poison in the body caused by illnesses. Bloodletting was disproved a long time ago, yet it is still practised in many places around the world.

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India's Roadside Clinic: Open Air Bloodletting

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India's Roadside Clinic: Open Air Bloodletting SUBSCRIBE: http://bit.ly/Oc61Hj Poorly Indian patients are shunning modern medicine - for gruesome roadside blood letting clinics. The practice of blood letting involved controlled bleeding in an attempt to rid the body of what practioners call "polluted blood". Hakim Muhammad Gyas, 79, runs one such clinic in New Delhi, the Indian capital.

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Post #4: Red Flag - Confusion of Correlation with Causation (Cell Phones Cause Cancer)

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Post #4: Red Flag - Confusion of Correlation with Causation (Cell Phones Cause Cancer)

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Definition: The correlation between two ideas does not mean that one causes the other.
Connection: This comic demonstrates that the stick figure with the hat believe that cell phones are causing cancer because the graph shows that the cancer rates have gone up along with the cell phone usage. Just because the cancer rates have gone up with the use of cell phones does not mean that cell phones have been causing cancer. Correlation does not imply causation.

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Post #3: Red Flag - Appeal to Authority (SugarBear Hair Vitamins The Kardashians) CONT.

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Post #3: Red Flag - Appeal to Authority (SugarBear Hair Vitamins The Kardashians) CONT.

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Connection: The Kardashian's are said to only be famous because they are pretty. Most of the Kardashian/Jenner sisters have been seen endorsing the SugarBear Hair Vitamins on their social media. The Kardashian's have no proof of this vitamin working and are being paid to take pictures of themselves taking the vitamins.

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Post #3: Red Flag - Appeal to Authority (SugarBear Hair Vitamins The Kardashians)

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Post #3: Red Flag - Appeal to Authority (SugarBear Hair Vitamins The Kardashians)

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Definition: When an "authority" figure (celebrity, doctors, police, etc.) are enforcing a product/idea. This often leads to people believing in ideas because it is endorsed by a certain person in popular media or someone who is an "expert" (i.e. doctor).

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Post #2: Red Flag - All Natural (iRenew Energy Bracelet)

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Post #2: Red Flag - All Natural (iRenew Energy Bracelet)

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Definition: "Natural" is better than "unnatural".
Connection: This video demonstrates the "All Natural" red flag because it claims the bracelet uses our bodies 'natural frequencies' to positively affect our energy levels and balance.

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Post #1: Title - World Mysteries Padlet Assignment

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Post #1: Title - World Mysteries Padlet Assignment

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Made by Jillian Ball, working individually