A Renewed Call for Separation of Science & State Promoting Critical Thinking in a Prejudiced World By Dallas McPheeters
10/19/2009
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Police State vs. Critical Society
Prejudiced Thinking
Fact-less Cynical, Hostile Dissenters silenced
Critical Thinking
10/19/2009
Considers both sides Welcomes debate Reserves judgment
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Global Warming Example
Political Rhetoric The facts are in. There’s no more debate We Have Consensus Scientific Community Response Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine has over 19,000 signatures of scientists who are not in consensus www.oism.org/pproject Including two from UA and two from ASU
10/19/2009
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Consensus versus Science
Michael Crichton, B.A. Anthropology, Harvard M.D. “Let's be clear: the work of science has nothing whatever to do with consensus. Consensus is the business of politics. Science, on the contrary, requires only one investigator who happens to be right, which means that he or she has results that are verifiable by reference to the real world. In science consensus is irrelevant. What is relevant is reproducible results. The greatest scientists in history are great precisely because they broke with the consensus…” - American Review, ‘07
10/19/2009
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Tax Revenues Example
Political Rhetoric
Rich don’t pay their fair share of taxes
Verifiable Facts
10/19/2009
IRS.gov
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Available Options (Handout)
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Join Thinkers Anonymous
2.
Blindly believe what we are told Nuke dissenters Engage in recreational thinking only.
Develop Critical Thinking Skills
10/19/2009
Consider all sides Reserve judgment as long as possible www.criticalthinking.org All Human Rights Reserved :-)
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Review
Science and State should not be bedfellows (strange or otherwise). Critical thinking skills should be encouraged, taught, and developed. Don’t sell your winter clothes just yet. Stay poor to avoid paying taxes. Life is a math problem, and we have a calculator.
10/19/2009
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!ank y"! Questions? 10/19/2009
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