Psuedoscience

The part of this chapter that I thought was really interesting was that of Psuedoscience. Psuedoscience is described in the text as being a body of explanations or hypotheses that masquerade as the truth. It is often based on emotional appeals, superstition and rhetoric rather than the scientific method and can therefore be considered unscientific. Examples of Psuedoscience are astrology, psychic healings, tarot card readings, mind readings and numerology. The principles of most Psuedosciences are so vague worded that it becomes difficult to test their validity in a scientific setting. For instance, Horoscopes offer ambiguous statements that could apply to just about anyone which makes it hard to determine if it is truly falsifiable. Another example would be faith healing because, when someone is not healed, their healer can simply say that they did not have enough faith. Faith is not tangible and thus there is no way to say whether or not the healer was wrong. 

Question 2 (Scientific Research)

When I was a child, I thought I could get behind the sun if I just went far enough. Whenever my family and I went on a long drive or on a trip, I would stare up at the sun and wait for our car to pass it. It took me a little while to learn, mostly through school and science class, that my ambition was impossible. I had been looking at the sun as if it was a coin in the sky with a front and a back to it that could be seen depending on where you were in relation to it. Through reading and learning more about scientific research, I found out that the sun is spherical—a giant ball of fire in our solar system— and that Earth revolves around it.  Therefore it doesn't matter where you go on the planet; you will never be able to see the front and then the back of the sun. This is but one of many ways in which scientific research has changed the way I see the world around me.

Question 1 (Falsifiable Horoscopes)

Today, Virgo, don't be too surprised if you have difficulty getting into a work frame of mind. It's likely that you'd rather daydream than be in the real world. You're susceptible to daydreaming and taking imaginative trips. Consider making a list of everything that you need to do to help you focus. This will help you meet your short-term objectives, and you can take it easy this evening

My horoscope basically says that I will have a hard time focusing at work today and that creating a list of what I need to do would help me keep track of my short term objectives. This prediction felt a little vague to me. Most people get distracted when they are trying to work and yes making a list can help you keep on track, but that would be true for just about anyone on any day of the week. I’m finding that horoscopes tend to give practical advice and disguise it as something that is unique to your circumstances, so that when it works, you get the feeling they knew the future. It would seem that this horoscope is falsifiable because all it would take is one Virgo to say that this prediction didn’t apply to them today, however, I think it would be difficult to find someone who wasn’t distracted at all and who wouldn’t benefit from making a list of what they need to do.

Bias in News

The part of this chapter that I thought was interesting was bias in the news. This part explained how aside from selecting stories that appeal to the largest audience, the news is often reported in a biased way to keep us tuned in. It said that reporters may exaggerate or play down certain aspects of the story in order to keep us interested in what was happening. They also try to stay away from stories that might offend their sponsors, thus the news can seem one-sided at times. Furthermore, there are certain gender biases in news, in that the news is usually reported from a male point of view. I thought this was interesting because, before reading this, I hadn’t realized how much the news was affected by outside sources. I could understand why television shows or commercials might be biased on some matters but I figured the news was above all of that. 

Question 2 (Internet Plagiarism)

Although both seem to make a compelling argument, I am more inclined to agree with Sadler than Hunt. Brooke J. Sadler, an assistant professor of philosophy at the University of South Florida, poses several reason why internet plagiarism is wrong. She explains how plagiarism, at its core, is an intent to deceive, a violation of trust, theft of another’s ideas, and unfair to those who didn’t plagiarize. She believes it is important for students to educate themselves on the different forms of plagiarism and how serious it is. On the other hand, Russel Hunt who is a professor of English at St. Thomas University believes there are some unexpected benefits to internet plagiarism. He believes that internet plagiarism in school challenges the faculty, and essentially the system itself, to come up with new and perhaps better ways to teach their students. Hunt’s argument seems to be more inductive in that it is focused on something that could possibly happen rather than something that certainly will happen. He can’t know for certain whether or not allowing students to plagiarize will have all of the benefits he speaks of. Whereas Sadler’s argument strictly focuses on what plagiarism is and how it affects those who do it and those who do not.

Question 1 (Worldview)

As much as it pains me to admit it, I believe that much of my worldview has been and still is affected by the media. When I was a child, watching cartoons and children shows, my idea of the world was roughly defined as a place with both good and evil, but also a place where good would always win. I think this worldview was reinforced by watching sitcoms and cartoons where all the problems they faced were solved in less than thirty minutes. This had me believing that things would always work out for people who had good intentions and that those with malicious intentions would somehow fail. Though my worldview doesn’t quite fall in line with that anymore, it is still challenged and influenced by the mass media. Hearing about all the misfortune, and in some cases tragedy, on the news can still making me question my current worldview.

Product Placement

The part of this chapter that I thought was interesting was that of product placement. Product placement is an advertising strategy in which a real commercial product is used in fictional media, and the presence of the product is a result of an economic exchange between the media company and the business that produces the product. Basically, these business pay for their products to be integrated into the television shows that people are watching. Although now it can stretch as far as movies and sports uniforms as well. Some consider product placement a deceptive means to get consumers to buy the product as the advertisements are slipped in their without disclosure. I don’t think I really agree with this though. It does seem slightly underhanded for these business to pay to have their products put into these shows but it is still fairly harmless. No one is telling people they have to buy the products. Their just putting the idea there.

Question 2 (Advertisements)

Margo G. Wootan, in her Guidelines for Responsible Food Marketing to Children, suggests that we protect children from unhealthy food advertisements by limiting what the advertisers can show. She mentions how marketing advertisements for low nutrition food undermine parents’ authority when they are trying to encourage their children to eat healthier foods. On the other hand, Robert Liodice reminds us that, as Americans, we are all entitled to freedom of speech. He warns that chipping away at such an important right can be dangerous. He believes that restricting unhealthy food advertisements to children would trample upon our first amendment rights and diminish the whole idea of free enterprise. I am inclined to side with Liodice in this matter. Although I do understand where Wootan is coming from, I believe Liodice makes a better argument. Advertisements, no matter how suggestive, do not force children to eat unhealthy foods. Advertisements merely put the idea in their heads and it is entirely up to their parents to say yes or no to it. If anything, I think we should be encouraging parents to buy healthier foods despite how their children may protest.

Question 1 (Marketing Strategies)

One marketing strategy that I encountered this week was one which encouraged my impulsive buying. I’ve learned, through the reading, that research has found that over seventy percent of purchasing decisions are made on the spot in retail stores. It seemed a little off to me at first but, after giving it some thought, I realized there was some truth to it. I almost always go into the drugstore for one item in particular and end up leaving with a handful more than I had planned to buy. This week I went into Walgreens to get some Tylenol and decided to get some gum and chips that were by the checkout line. Before reading this chapter, I had no idea so much thought was being put into how and where the products are being displayed in the store. Though I don’t like the thought of being manipulated by marketing research, I have to admit I’m impressed by how effective it seems to be.