https://padlet.com/christopher_jelly/mjrsw0b03vxq Chris Jelly - World Mysteries en-us 2019-04-07 13:42:23 UTC 2019-04-08 16:36:56 UTC hello@padlet.com christopher_jelly https://padlet.com/christopher_jelly/mjrsw0b03vxq/wish/349247436 Made by Chris Jelly - Working Individually]]> 2019-04-07 13:45:11 UTC https://padlet.com/christopher_jelly/mjrsw0b03vxq/wish/349247436 christopher_jelly https://padlet.com/christopher_jelly/mjrsw0b03vxq/wish/349247617 Description
This article claims to have solved the mystery of the Voynich Manuscript, claiming that it is a medical textbook, primarily on women's health. The author claims that the confusing script is simply abbreviations for language used at the time.
Connections
This article connects to the reason for belief Simplicity as the author is disregarding the complexity of the text, and making an assumption that the text is simply abbreviations. While this is not impossible, he did not follow up with other professionals in the field, or keep up to date with current research that would disprove this theory. Making sure that a scientific professional approaches a topic with a healthy dose of skepticism is crucial, to avoid these mistakes. I believe Confirmation Bias  could be a factor here, as the author provided two selected translations which could possibly make sense, without providing examples that could explain the rest of the text.

]]> 2019-04-07 13:46:49 UTC https://padlet.com/christopher_jelly/mjrsw0b03vxq/wish/349247617 christopher_jelly https://padlet.com/christopher_jelly/mjrsw0b03vxq/wish/349247672 Description
This is a small Reddit post from a subreddit dedicated to the Voynich Manuscript translations. In this particular post, the writer suggests that the writer of the text heard voices in their head that told him about things, and he wrote those things down.
Connections
This post connects to the reason for belief of Unexplained, as the writer is proposing a unlikely theory under the guise of "we just don't know". While it is true we don't know the true source of the Voynich Manuscript, researchers still come up with theories based on evidence, and not based on what we don't know.

]]> 2019-04-07 13:47:28 UTC https://padlet.com/christopher_jelly/mjrsw0b03vxq/wish/349247672 christopher_jelly https://padlet.com/christopher_jelly/mjrsw0b03vxq/wish/349247681 Description
This is an article suggesting that the Voynich Manuscript was created by an alien who crash landed on the planet in the 1400s. The article suggests that the text is a self-written chronicle of the rest of the alien's life.
Connections
This post connects to the Unexplained reason for belief, as the author poses his theory of aliens immediately followed by stating that since we don't know for sure the true answer, then we should consider all possible answers equally. The article makes many statements without providing references or proof, such as saying that the language can not be found anywhere else on earth. Coupled with the spelling and grammatical errors common in pseudoscience articles, this theory is not likely to be worth considering.]]> 2019-04-07 13:47:35 UTC https://padlet.com/christopher_jelly/mjrsw0b03vxq/wish/349247681 christopher_jelly https://padlet.com/christopher_jelly/mjrsw0b03vxq/wish/349247726 Description
In this video, the individual goes into some detail about how he believes the Voynich Manuscript is related to Stonehenge, with the circles being star charts based on shadow casting, with his proof being that Stonehenge is 360 degrees around, or in other worlds forms a circle.
Connections
This video connects to the course content through the red flag confusion of correlation with causation as he confuses the fact that Stonehenge is a circle, and would cast a shadow, with the intentions of the creators to use it as a calendar or shadow-caster. Proof by Verbosity can also be seen here as he is relaying a ton of information, most of which is meaningless. He also fails to actually explain a few points, claiming that it is just too much to get in to right now.

]]> 2019-04-07 13:48:02 UTC https://padlet.com/christopher_jelly/mjrsw0b03vxq/wish/349247726 christopher_jelly https://padlet.com/christopher_jelly/mjrsw0b03vxq/wish/349247751 Description
A video from an individual claiming to have decoded the Voynich Manuscript. He claims the manuscript was not writted by humans. His proof is that since current computers can not decode it, it must not be a code, but rather an alien language. One of the proofs he lists in his comments below the video is that two of the pigments could not be sourced to the period it was written in, and as such can not be written by humans.
Connections
This video also uses the Unexplained reason for belief, which is very common for Voynich theories, as the translation has not yet been solved. The author states that since we can not decode it, it must not be code, however this is a large assumption to make, and lines up well with pseudoscience theories. Agenticity also connects to this video, as he believes that aliens are the cause of the text, instead of placing the cause on a potentially more likely cause. ]]> 2019-04-07 13:48:11 UTC https://padlet.com/christopher_jelly/mjrsw0b03vxq/wish/349247751 christopher_jelly https://padlet.com/christopher_jelly/mjrsw0b03vxq/wish/349247774 Description
This video is by Stephen Bax, a professor of linguistics out of the United Kingdom. In this video he talks about the Voynich Manuscript in some depth, sticking to sourced theories and credible facts.
Connections
I think this is an interesting video to include, for how it avoids the Pseudoscience red flags and reasons for beliefs. The author avoids the Unexplained reasons for belief by not proposing theories without having evidence that might support it. This I think it the number one mistake people make when proposing pseudoscience theories, in that there is no strong evidence so support their theories. The author makes sure to source his theories, and only proposes possible theories, without claiming to have solved the riddle of the manuscript.

]]> 2019-04-07 13:48:27 UTC https://padlet.com/christopher_jelly/mjrsw0b03vxq/wish/349247774 christopher_jelly https://padlet.com/christopher_jelly/mjrsw0b03vxq/wish/349247867 Description
This is one of the diagrams drawn in the Voynich Manuscript, these depict circular diagrams with text around the edges and pictures within.
Connections
I believe we can connect these diagrams with the Confusion of Correlation with Causation red flag, as there are many reasons for why these diagrams could be made in this shape, but just because a circle can represent something does not mean that it does. Patternicity can also be potentially seen here, as the average reader will look for things they recognize within the picture, however that does not mean that was the intention of the author.]]> 2019-04-07 13:49:30 UTC https://padlet.com/christopher_jelly/mjrsw0b03vxq/wish/349247867 christopher_jelly https://padlet.com/christopher_jelly/mjrsw0b03vxq/wish/349247890 Description
This picture depicts an individual conducting research for the Voynich Manuscript.
Connections
This connects to the course material by showing the proper process with which to study an old document. By applying proper techniques one can avoid reasons for belief such as Unexplained. By applying the critical thinking process and use evidence of carbon dating and linguistic research one can avoid supporting false claims.

]]> 2019-04-07 13:49:44 UTC https://padlet.com/christopher_jelly/mjrsw0b03vxq/wish/349247890 christopher_jelly https://padlet.com/christopher_jelly/mjrsw0b03vxq/wish/349247904 Description
This image is another from the Voynich Manuscript, this time depicting a female figure interacting with some device or thing.
Connections
This is a great example of an image that people can easily interpret in different ways through the use of patternicity, as it is not clear what is depicted in the picture, and is open to interpretation. Applying a healthy amount of skepticism when reading theories regarding this manuscript is ideal, as there was only one intention when this was created, but many interpretations. Some people might have trouble separating their Ideology from objective fact when looking at this diagram, as you also need to consider that you are looking at it from the perspective of someone who was raised in the current era, as opposed to 1400-1500s when it was written.

]]> 2019-04-07 13:49:50 UTC https://padlet.com/christopher_jelly/mjrsw0b03vxq/wish/349247904 christopher_jelly https://padlet.com/christopher_jelly/mjrsw0b03vxq/wish/349247927 1 - The thing that I learned about this topic that most surprised me was that the manuscript has still not been solved to this day. That researchers have been studying it for a hundred years, and we are not much closer to discerning the exact translation as we were when we started is very surprising.

2 - This topic is interesting to me as I enjoy reading some non-fiction books on my own, and seeing a book such as this that can not be deciphered is very interesting.

3 - I think the most interesting research is the linguistic pattern recognition used to attempt to decipher the text. In the video by Stephen Bax, he breaks down a few examples of how he approached recognizing likely patterns, and matching it to

4 - I think the thing I am most likely to remember from this research would be the far fetched theories some people come up with to explain the manuscript. People take the smallest piece of evidence and create entire theories based on them

5 - After completing the majority of this course, I think that the Pseudoscience is a combination of "All Natural" and "Ancient Wisdom" as they are currently harming many people through the Anti-Vax movement. These beliefs are dangerous because holding them does not only affect themselves, but the rest of the world as well. While I believe none of the pseudosciences are harmless, I think that the appeal to authority is the least dangerous, as it is largely human nature to simplify your beliefs and base them on small movements or individuals.

6 - I think the skepticism skills are the most important thing to pass on from this class. While I may forget the exact terms and definitions of the red flags, I think the essence of this course is approaching topics with the proper frame of mind, and considering all of the reasons that the author is saying what they are saying.]]> 2019-04-07 13:50:06 UTC https://padlet.com/christopher_jelly/mjrsw0b03vxq/wish/349247927