At Science Online 2010 (or, as I like to call it, Esss Oh Ten Oh) I'll be participating in a session organized by Stephanie Zvan called Trust and Critical Thinking, with herself, PZ Myers, my favorite Radio Talk Show Host Desiree Schell, and Kirsten "Dr. Kiki" Sanford. Oh, and me.
Pursuant to this session, we've put up a few posts discussing the topic. They are:
Are you a real skeptic? I doubt it.
...Fine. So I could say that people have different opinions about the meaning of the word "skeptic," or more dogmatically, that some people don't understand the meaning of the term. And I will get to that. But I also want to point out that there is another problem with the term "skeptic" which is a bit more vague and not everyone will agree on....
Credulity, Skepticism and Cynicism
You've met them. "Oh, those scientists. They get their funding from the government/industry/political think tanks. They're just producing the results needed to keep their money flowing. They'll say anything it takes. Besides, it's not like they don't make mistakes. Even Newton and Einstein had it wrong."...
Empowering the individual does not equal ensmartening the individual
....You are a tax-paying American Citizen and it turns out that the expenses associated with the keynote speaker for this important gathering of scientists are covered by a grant form the National Science Foundation. Including the speaker's fee, travel expenses, etc., American Taxpayers are about to spend $15,000 on this talk.
You get to vote for who gives the talk....
Trust and Critical Thinking in Science Reporting: A Case Study
...This is something that a lot of science writers do. Controversy is conflict is the basis of story. Stories order information, making it more accessible, and stories get remembered. I only hope I did it right....
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