Something a little less exam-oriented but interesting stuff nonetheless I hope. This video from Minute Physics discusses what we do and do not know about the origins of the Universe. We make observations and draw conclusions. Hopefully what we don’t do is look for areas of uncertainty and then make up an explanation. It’s OK not to …
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Category:Scepticism
Is Climate Change Our Fault…
I have had recent correspondence asking me my view on Climate Change. I wouldn’t give my opinion but asked the commenter to say what they thought or had heard. They replied in some detail – although I am assured that there is more to come. I have asked if I could address a couple of the points …
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Rick Perry…
Rick Perry was governor of Texas for fourteen years and ran for US President in 2012 and 2016. I wrote about him when I wrote about how Donald Trump could never be President of the United States! One of his main policies in 2012 was that he was going to close down the three branches …
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Trump’s Language…
Madame Noël-Davies sent me a link last week to a video that analyses Donald Trump’s language. I have posted the video below. It makes particularly interesting viewing given his somewhat surprising defeat in the Iowa Caucus last night. Perhaps the US electorate are beginning to see through his act. . Don’t get too excited, their preferred candidate, …
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Air On Planes…
The Food Babe is one of the Internet’s most successful nutritionists. She writes about detox diets (not possible), advocates food free from chemicals (not possible) & claims that aluminium absorbed from deodorant causes a range of serious diseases (not possible). I just want to point out one especially brilliant article she wrote about flying.
Ad Hominem…
A fallacy of relevance Ad hominem is Latin for ‘to the man’ and when used in reference to an argument or piece of reasoning it means that the comment is aimed against a person and not at the position that the argument involves. Examples… From the comments section below an article about disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong …
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Straw Man…
A fallacy of ambiguity. The straw man refers to a debating technique where a weak (or false) version of an opponent’s argument is presented, and then attacked. If you want to be convincing in an argumentative essay or debate then, when you have established your common ground, be meticulous in understanding your opponent’s point of view …
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False Dichotomy…
A fallacy of presumption. This fallacy is sometimes called the false dilemma or the bifurcation fallacy. When you are presented with only two possible options check carefully that you are not being offered a false dichotomy. Maybe there is one or more unstated additional possibilities. You’re either part of the solution or part of the problem. …
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Appeal To Authority…
A fallacy of relevance. The appeal to authority logical fallacy is one of several that try to make their point by referring to an irrelevant external agent. It has a similar structure to the appeal to popularity or the appeal to tradition. As with the ad hominem fallacy, you need to be a little careful. Do …
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Select Committees…
To help monitor the performance of different areas of government policy, the UK Parliament forms Commons Select Committees. These are cross-party groups of MPs who publicly scrutinise a particular subject. The Science & Technology group is chaired by the Conservative MP for North Oxford (who lives in Summertown!) Nicola Blackwood. The committee’s page on the parliament website states …
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