Ranthropologist

Tag: critical thinking

  • Daily Reads: Labeling Knowledge

    Daily Reads: Labeling Knowledge

    This article in the Washington Post by Ilya Somin proposes an interesting idea about the scientific literacy of the general public: we don’t need to be highly knowledgeable about science – or many other topics, for that matter – to get by in our daily lives. So when a survey comes out such as the one with which the article opens, illustrating that 80% of the American public would support labeling of foods that contain DNA, it is misleading for us to assume that 80% of Americans are stupid. Yes, it pains me greatly to realize that that many people don’t know what DNA is and that it is present in just about everything we eat, but Somin is correct in concluding that with the vast quantities of information that exist, it is unrealistic to expect people to be knowledgeable of everything. (This principle is used in tongue-in-cheek “warnings” about the substance dihydrogen monoxide – otherwise known as water – and how dangerous it can be. This capitalizes on people’s lack of knowledge about chemical names and trades in the rather elitist assumption that people who don’t know the chemical structure and name of water are stupid, rather than merely untutored.) That said, I think this is why critical thinking is so important. People need to be taught to admit that they don’t know things and that they may need more information before coming to a conclusion. If we all realize and admit how much we don’t know, rather than forming opinions without doing more research, then I think perhaps a lot of our problems with scientific misunderstandings would end.

    Over 80 percent of Americans support “mandatory labels on foods containing DNA”

  • Daily Reads: The Gluten-Free Craze

    Daily Reads: The Gluten-Free Craze

    In my post on the bandwagon fallacy, I used the popularity of certain food fads as my example. One of those fads is the current gluten-free craze. This article from NPR by James S. Fell discusses how this fad has created difficulties for people who have actually been diagnosed with celiac disease. These folks, unlike those who refer to themselves as gluten intolerant, experience severe health consequences from eating gluten – and they comprise only about 1% of the population. Just like with everything else, fads like this must be considered with a critical eye. Anecdotal evidence from people who say they feel better when they cut gluten out of their diets is not the same as the results of rigorous, controlled, peer-reviewed studies of the effects of dietary gluten. It may well be that the so-called and frequently self-diagnosed gluten intolerant feel better because they are eating more healthfully in general – e.g., if you have cut out gluten, then you’ve probably cut out a lot of processed junk foods like pastries, donuts, etc. and substituted with less processed foods. So beware of fads, be compassionate and understanding of those who actually have celiac disease, and don’t be too quick to jump on the bandwagon.

    Gluten-Free Craze is Boon and Bane To Those With Celiac Disease

  • Daily Read: Get Your Kids Vaccinated

    Daily Read: Get Your Kids Vaccinated

    I haven’t written any posts specifically about this subject, but it should come as a surprise to no one that I am pro-vaccine. This is a great post by Jennifer Raff from her blog Violent Metaphors that covers the basic arguments for why vaccines are safe, effective, and important. The article is chock-full of links for further reading, and if you have time, I recommend that you click through and read up on the multiple studies that have proved the safety and efficacy of vaccines. The recent outbreak of measles at Disneyland, which has caused infections in at least 20 people so far, brought this always-simmering issue back to immediate public attention. I think it is something that should be constantly reiterated because the consequences of people not vaccinating their children can be severe – and not just for the kids who aren’t vaccinated. Personal belief exemptions for vaccines are becoming more and more common at schools, and I think this is dangerous. If you know anybody who is on the fence about vaccines, please encourage them to think critically and do their research – and as the article says, not just from the anti-vaccine side. You can also encourage people to learn how to assess arguments from a scientific, critical perspective so they understand the difference between testable scientific hypotheses and untestable conspiracy theories. I know a good place to start: right here at Ranthropologist!

    Dear Parents, You Are Being Lied To

    H/T to my friend Todd and IFLScience.com for bring this post to my attention.

  • Daily Reads: A Glass of Poop

    Daily Reads: A Glass of Poop

    Linda Poon of NPR uses the word poop in her headline, so I guess I can too! This article about Bill Gates drinking a glass of water derived from sewage sludge makes me very happy. This process has derisively – and misleadingly – been called “toilet to tap” (a technology I mentioned in this post), and as such it has scared people away from an extremely effective way of recycling precious water. This appears to be a different technology from the classic method of collecting and treating water from sewage, but the results are the same. This is the sort of innovation the world needs. People just need to put on their critical thinking caps and realize that the initial source, while gross to think about, is irrelevant to the ultimate product: clean, drinkable water.

    Bill Gates Raises A Glass To (And Of) Water Made From Poop

  • Daily Reads: Home Cooking

    Daily Reads: Home Cooking

    Here’s an interesting little article on the link between home cooking and health by NPR’s Melissa McEwen that illustrates how we have to be careful about the assumptions we make. There is a tendency with science reporting in the media to simplify complex ideas. This, of course, is necessary when you have to contend with word limits. But that same simplification can bleed over into policy statements, as illustrated in this article. It has been taken as a truism that cooking and eating more frequently at home will lead to overall better health, especially in terms of conditions like metabolic syndrome, a precursor to type 2 diabetes. New research indicates that this may not actually be the case – but importantly, the article also  points out that more research needs to be done to see exactly what the connections really are. This is the scientific method and critical thinking in a nutshell and shows how important it is to be skeptical of broad claims.

    Is “Cook at Home” Always Good Health Advice?

  • Daily Reads: Surprise Journal

    Daily Reads: Surprise Journal

    Julia Galef of Slate writes about the power of surprise and its importance to discovery and learning in this great article. When things don’t go the way we expected them to – when we are surprised – those are the best opportunities for learning something and for confronting our own confirmation bias. I think this is an important tool for questioning our assumptions. I might do as the article suggests and start keeping my own surprise journal.

    Surprise! The most important skill in science or self-improvement is noticing the unexpected