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Definition:

Ideology is centred around how a series of beliefs is the basis from which people draw their opinions and decision-making skills whether they be supported by facts or not.

Connection:

Hitler preached that only people of pure nordic bloodlines were the dominant race. This master race should subjugate all inferior races that could not trace their bloodlines back to his vision of blond-haired, blue-eyed german-centric peoples. "Inferior races" were destined to serve the master race or perish. Pure bloodlines could only be kept pure by preventing the interbreeding of his pure germanic people with other races or cultures.

Hilter used propaganda and terror to support his beliefs which were evidenced by the deportation and murder of the Jewish people and the sterilization of the undesirables. He also envisioned a greater Germany that would encompass many countries by military conquest to bring to life his ideology. Hilter and Goebbels's propaganda machine continually reinforced this ideology on the German people which would be considered the convinces by faith and belief connection to the pseudoscience watchlist.

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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 Post #6, the graph relating to Confusion of Correlation with Causation

Define Problem (extraordinary claim):

Is there a link between Autism and Organic Food?

Gather Evidence:

The information provided could be a red flag. The graph suggests a correlation between the increased number of medically confirmed autism cases with the increase in sales of organic foods. An alternative reason for the increase in organic food sales could be that more people are trying to eat healthier so "organic foods" are on the rise. The author of the graph had not shown any other stipulation as to why they would consider autism and organic foods as a direct corollary. The rise in autism could be the result of pesticide use or some other environmental agent.

Evaluate Evidence:

Comparing the graph to that of google search results statistics, the information appears to be true. The graph indicates growth in autism within a time period of 20 years and also a growth in organic food sales within the same time period. Based solely on the graph, it would seem that there is a connection between the two parameters but there is no other evidence to support the supposition.

Recognize Assumptions, Emotions, and Biases:

The person who created this graph obviously wished to tie the two subjects together to form a nonsensical relationship. With the basis behind the creation of the graph realized, this graph holds no scientific value as it's heavily based on events occurring within the same timeframe rather than scientific reasoning.

Synthesize Evidence, Identify Alternatives:

Alternative Solution 1: There is a direct connection between organic food and autism, resulting in an increasing amount of cases being diagnosed.

Alternative Solution 2: The search results related to these terms are merely coincidental, leaving no grounds for these two subjects to be considered immediately related.

Alternative Solution 3: People diagnosed with autism desire organic foods in greater quantities.

Select Best Alternative:

I conclude that Organic Food and Autism are not directly correlated.

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Definition:

The belief in Simplicity is one where in scenarios where scientific reasoning is lacking, simple answers with basic assumptions are often made in the spur of the moment.

Connection:

This funny comic displays the father confirming the daughter's belief that the candy that she found missing was eaten by a monster. Since she's a little kid, she can't think of a reason why her candy could possibly be missing other than through the concept of a monster told to her by an authority figure. This also ties into Emotional Connection as well to a degree as it shows just how much she trusts her father to not take her candy and that her default assumption is that a monster must've done it. This has a connection to the pseudoscience watchlist - deliberately creates mystery - by invoking an unknown and unseen entity that only eats kids' chocolate and lives in a closet.

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Definition:

The belief in Patternicity is based on our intrinsic ability to recognize patterns even in places where there aren't any in our daily lives.

Connection:

In the picture provided a sunflower can be seen which upon further analysis reveals how each spiral of the sunflower's seeds mimics the Fibonacci sequence. The Fibonacci sequence is a mathematical description of the increasing sequence of numbers in a specific pattern. For example, the center seed radiates out to more seeds and then more seeds again until it reaches its boundary. There is a connection to the pseudoscience watchlist - use of scientific/mathematical-sounding language - by trying to convince the public there is an underlying order to nature.

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Post #6: Confusion of Correlation with Causation (Image)

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Post #6: Confusion of Correlation with Causation (Image)

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Definition:

The Confusion of Correlation with Causation red flag is centred around how the two terms become illogically intertwined resulting in relationships that have no basis or meaning other than coincidence.

Connection:

In the graph displayed, it would appear that the root cause of autism would be the sales of organic foods. Even though this graph shows a very close relationship in cases to sales, by using the critical thinking process and skepticism, this information can easily be examined. By evaluating sources and evidence, recognizing assumptions, emotions and biases, and considering alternatives (purely coincidental), this information can be seen in another light. No substantial research has determined that organic food specifically would influence this statistic as well as how autism is usually diagnosed when someone is very young or just born so it can't be logically connected. This is merely a coincidence that was stumbled upon and reworked to make people believe in its nonsensical nature. Additionally, a flaw, in this case, would be how the graph cites this information without providing an explanation behind why this comparison was made. Also, it lacks credit to the creator so we're unsure of the potential bias that could be riddled throughout this graph and whether or not the information is reliable.

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Description:

The Red Herring red flag is one where the question that was initially asked is avoided and other questions are asked to confuse or sway the argument in the favor of the opposition.

Connection:

Above is a picture of the famous "Chewbacca Defense" that is showcased on the tv show South Park. The original trial was a harassment case between a record company and the character named Chef. The Chewbacca defence is comprised of a complete misdirection regarding the facts of the trial at hand to confuse the jury into thinking whatever Johnny Chocran wants them to. In the episode, the lawyer Johnny Cochran brings up the irrelevant concept of why a Wookie would want to live with the tiny Ewoks on the planet Endor exclaiming "it doesn't make sense!". He then concludes that if it makes no sense why Chewbacca would live on Endor and that the mention of Chewbacca, in this case, doesn't make sense, then the jury must acquit. In essence, he's alluding to the idea that if it makes no sense why Chewbacca would live on Endor then it makes no sense that the record company would be suing for harassment even though all relevant evidence pointed to a false accusation. I see a connection to the pseudoscience watchlist - deliberately creating mystery or confusion - to sway public opinion against the known facts. This is abundantly clear based on the hyperbolic example shown in the show.

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Definition:

The All Natural red flag is based on the idea that anything that is natural and comes from the earth is beneficial and will provide the purest, most beneficial effects.

Connection:

The picture seen above is the powder of the plant called Kratom which is marketed as an all-natural alternative to traditional pain relief and drowsiness treatments. According to reports from consumers, Kratom can affect you by making you feel alert and talkative under low dosages. However, Kratom is something that the FDA is vehemently against, through their research, they found that it can cause serious short-term and long-term negative health effects even sometimes resulting in things as serious as liver damage or death. Because of this, it is banned in a variety of countries and US states. The issue lies in the fact that the drug is incredibly addictive and minor usage can result in extensive addictions. This proves the connection in the pseudoscience watchlist - convinces by faith and belief - that even though something comes from the earth and is seen as "pure", without any science behind the practices, it should be regarded as dangerous. Additionally, a limitation here is how flooded the internet is with misleading user accounts, often even superseding the results of drug research facilities. Because of the vast amount of conflicting information, many people take Kratom without a true understanding of its harmful nature.

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Post #3 Red Flag: Appeal to Authority (Image)

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Post #3 Red Flag: Appeal to Authority (Image)

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Definition:

The Appeal to Authority red flag is in reference to how people who are in power or have a high social status often are able to influence their fans and onlookers based on their public appearances and forward-facing opinions.

Connection:

In the picture I've provided, Michael Bublé is seen taking a sip of the Bubly sparkling water. This is a part of the "Bublé vs Bubly" marketing campaign that the company was running to attain media attention. This is an example of an Appeal to Authority as it helps to develop a connection between the drink and the famous singer given their similar naming. A connection to the pseudoscience watchlist is made here - often appeals to emotion - the people watching the commercial are influenced by this connection and wish to experience this drink that their favourite singer is enamoured with.

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Post #2 Red Flag: Ancient Wisdom (Image)

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Post #2 Red Flag: Ancient Wisdom (Image)

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Definition:

The Ancient Wisdom red flag relates back to the knowledge spouted by our ancient ancestors and the pseudoscience they performed. Given how it "stood the test of time", people believe in its authenticity without asking any questions.

Connection:

This image demonstrates the Ancient Wisdom red flag as it showcases the Flat Earth Theory proposed originally through biblical scripture. The premise was that the earth was a disk at the center of the universe, floating on a vast ocean or just suspended in space. It has since been disproved from as far back as Ancient Greece 2,700 years ago. Since that time, having been resurrected in the 1950s, the Flat Earth has grown to a collective of several thousand believers in said theory. This theory connects to the pseudoscience watchlist element through the use of scientific-sounding language; with talk in the flat earth community of magnetic fields, gravity fallacies and incorrect physics, the information they've spread is confusing on purpose to make the potential reader more inclined to believe them because it seems like they're knowledgeable. So much disinformation surrounding science is spread online nowadays so people are bound to get confused and end up believing in the incorrect thing based on the information they find. A limitation found here is the significant lack of concrete physical evidence that proves this theory.

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Made by Jeremy Hannah, working individually

Student Number: 100826956