Scientific Thinking & Methadology
The components of critical and scientific thinking
Skepticism
Skeptics question truth and reliability; they are the essence of science.
They are not close minded, they simply need core evidence in order to believe
Skeptics are understood wrongly in society
Reasoning
Logical thinking isn't common, but it is key to success in science
Wishful and emotional thinking are far easier, they are unreliable (cannot be justified)
Logical thinking is sometimes painful; it forces us to shatter our hopes
Humans are not born with logical reasoning, it must be disciplined
Evidence
For matters of religion, it is unjustifiable and therefore considered spectral
What is reliable? It is when evidence can be justified and repeated.
Natural evidence is synonymous to empirical (reliable)
Authoritarian evidence is the most common alternative to empircal
However it can also be unreliable
Revelatory Evidence is evidence revealed by supernatural powers (unreliable)
Hearsay evidence is what is heard from another person (unreliable)
Empirical evidence is susceptible to one's senses (reliable)
Critical and Scientific thinking
Personal: Critical thinking is applied in advertisement analysis
Scientific thinking can be applied across many different disciplines
Scientific thinking is the study of nature
Not everyone uses critical thinking
Scientific thinking MUST be used by scientists
Critical thinking is scientific thinking in everyday life
What is Science?
Religion would be "unscientific" since it cannot be justified
Most individuals believe in things that are unjustifiable
Reliable knowledge is one that can be justified
a method of discovering reliable knowledge about nature
