SCIENTERRIFIC MAGAZINE

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Every day we are faced with an abundance of decisions to make and paths to choose. Our lives take us on a journey of continuous exploration, so we must be armed with the tools of logic and rationlism to thoroughly explore our world and answer all of our questions. So, in this LVVXH ZH DLP WR EULQJ \RX VFLHQWLĂ&#x;F WKLQNLQJ We're delivering it out of the stereotypical academic environment of the science world and into the real every-day world. We'll be telling \RX KRZ \RX FDQ WKLQN VFLHQWLĂ&#x;FDOO\ DERXW your business deals, how to judge content \RX Ă&#x;QG RQOLQH KRZ WR ZLQ DUJXPHQWV DQG so much more all using the careful tools of VFLHQWLĂ&#x;F WKLQNLQJ :H KRSH \RX HQMR\ WKLV LVVXH

MEET THE AUTHORS

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SALLY; I am a sophomore, majoring in business administration with

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BUSINESS A segment that will show you exactly how you can bridge the gap between cientific thinking & business

POLITICS ONLINE INTERVIEW

How can politicians utilize the tools of scientific and critical thinking in creating a constitution?

How are you judging evidents and events presented to you online? do you know how to evaluate online content? Here you will learn how.

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anagers and decision makers in any organization encounter FRQĂ LFWLQJ VLWXDWLRQV ZKHUH WKH\ DUH required to choose from among different alternatives and implement decisions on this basis. These Decisions can be categorized as daily decisions or strategic ones; decisions that require long term plans. Desirable results are attainable if managers apply the core principles RI VFLHQWLĂ&#x;F WKLQNLQJ DV D PDQDJHULDO tool to undo value in organizational and management decision making areas.

1) Before embarking on implementing a decision, managers need to collect data and information from reliable sources to explain and analyze the issue being studied.

Sources of Knowledge ÂĄ íÜÊçø œÌáÊÜúüøíóò óê ôÏÊòóùÊòü† ÂĄ šÊêÊÜÜíòÍ øó ôÜíóÜ ÜÊçóÜèÊè èüøü üòè profit. ÂĄ ÊèÚçøíóò óê ïòóÝðÊèÍÊ êÜóù known laws or from market conditions ř— ´üòüÍÊÜá òÊÊè øó çóùÊ Úô ÝíøÏ different hypotheses, exclude rival ones and choose the most testable, adequate for the purpose, attainable hypothesis.

The purpose of hypothesis

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¡ ®ùíèé÷ øìé èíöéçøíóò óê øìé ÷øùèý ¡ ¹éçóëòíþé÷ ÷íëòíīçåòø íòêóöñåøíóò ¡ ¨íè íò çìóó÷íòë øìé ñó÷ø ÷ùíøåæðé plan. ¡ ·öé÷éòø÷ å êöåñéûóöï êóö systematizing the conclusions that result. 3) It is crucial for decision makers to identify the variables (the possible threats and opportunities if a certain action/ decision is to be applied).

Identifying variables ¡ «éçí÷íóò ñåïéö÷ ñù÷ø íèéòøíêý variables that influence the process of decision making, and variables that are influenced by the decision being made to conceptualize the overall effect of the decision. 4) After identifying the possible threats and opportunities of a certain decision, managers then plan on conveying a decision.

Ways of passing on decisions. ¡ ĥöóùëì èé÷çöíôøíúé ÷øåøéñéòø÷ ¡ ĥöóùëì êóöñåð ´ééøíòë÷ øìåø åððóû arguments to elucidate, interpret, defend, challenge, and explore future and current implications of the decision. 5) Afterwards, managers should trace the end result consequences of the decision to enhance or modify their decision making system to get the desired results.

>>> 7KH PHWKRGRORJ\ RI DSSO\LQJ VFLHQWLßF WKLQNLQJ WR VROYH PDQDJHULDO SUREOHPV LQFOXGHV Analyzing the phenomena or the problem, collecting knowledge and information about the problem, coming up with alternative decisions, estimating the possible opportunities and threats of each course of action, applying a decision, and then observing its implications.

CONSTITUTIONAL THINKING Humankind favors order and structure. Societies, ancient and modern, strive to create strong civilizations based on unity & order. In order for them to do so, however; they need to lay down a code of law, seen in its earliest form in Hammurabi’s code in ancient Mesopotamia and seen now in what is more modernly known as a constitution. A country’s constitution is its foundation; the rules, standards, and principles a country’s people believe in and

OLYH E\ (VWDEOLVKHG Ă&#x;UVW ZRUOG FRXQWULHV have equally powerful constitutions that guarantee their people's rights & the people take pride in. 2QO\ Ă&#x;UVW ZRUOG FRXQWULHV DUHQ W ERUQ ZLWK that stature. They are given that ranking because of their overall condition, be it economic, social, or other. A powerful constitution is what allows for this. Fledgling third-world countries, much like

our very own Egypt, must recognize the importance of creating a strong constitution and must make it their priority. A nation will not survive without one. A strong constitution is created by laying effective and powerful foundations for the rules upon which the country must be governed. I believe that these foundations OLH LQ WKH DPRXQW RI FULWLFDO DQG VFLHQWLĂ&#x;F thinking that has gone into creating them. By following the methodical nature of VFLHQFH SUHFLVH VWHSV RI VFLHQWLĂ&#x;F WKLQNLQJ & rational conclusions that are yielded, debate about the validity, accuracy, & partiality is avoided all together. 'HOYLQJ LQWR WKH IXQGDPHQWDOV RI VFLHQWLĂ&#x;F thinking and the nature of science would go far beyond this article. It is a subject deep enough that entire university courses are given to teach it and cultivate it. However, some of its key principles that can be utilized in the creation of a constitution FDQ EH IRXQG LQ NH\ VFLHQWLĂ&#x;F DUWLFOHV OLNH An Introduction to Science by Dr. Steven Schafersman and The Nature of Science published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

included; none are segregated against and none enjoy more freedom than the rest. $OVR VFLHQWLĂ&#x;F WKLQNLQJ HPSOR\V WKUHH PDLQ FRPSRQHQWV HPSLULFLVP VNHSWLFLVP & rationalism. While Dr. Shcafersman H[SODLQV WKHLU LPSRUWDQFH WR VFLHQWLĂ&#x;F inquiry in his article, I believe they can be just as fundamental when writing a strong constitution. Rationalism and Skepticism are two vital tools needed to create sound, logical, and reliable laws. People are more likely to abide by rules they can follow the reasoning behind. Also, these two tools allow law-makers to see any loopholes in their premises and proposed laws. Empiricism is also essential to the process because it dictates the type reasoning a lawmaker can suggest backing up a law.

A constitution created with these tools of VFLHQFH DQG VFLHQWLĂ&#x;F WKLQNLQJ ZLOO SURYLGH an effective and solid framework for a developing society like ours. It will ensure WKDW WKH SULQFLSOHV RI VFLHQWLĂ&#x;F WKLQNLQJ DUH rooted deep into the peoples’ minds; people ZLOO QRW MXVW Ă&#x;QG UXOHV LQ WKH FRQVWLWXWLRQ they’ll be able to analyze why they were put WKHUH LQ WKH Ă&#x;UVW SODFH IROORZ WKH UHDVRQLQJ EHKLQG WKHP DQG DUJXH IRU WKHLU HIĂ&#x;FDF\ Science looks to previously gathered data, Moreover, a constitution based on the previously conducted experiments for SULQFLSOHV RI VFLHQFH DQG VFLHQWLĂ&#x;F WKLQNLQJ previous knowledge, and a sound base to ZLOO QRW UHĂ HFW RU DIIHFW DQ\ SDUWLFXODU formulate a hypothesis. Similarly, we can SROLWLFDO SDUW\ PDNLQJ LW WKH EHVW Ă&#x;UVW VWHS look to previously written constitutions for towards bringing our country forward into errors or corrections that can be made while WKH Ă&#x;UVW ZRUOG writing a new one, for laws that have been PHW E\ WKH ELJJHVW FRQVHQVXV DQG Ă&#x;QDOO\ for a rubric or guide for the corners that must be covered by the law. Science is also, ideally, free of bias and does its utmost best to avoid it. When writing a constitution, we must take great care in making sure that all segments’ and sectors of our society’s rights are protected and

TWITTER; We’re having trust issues! Almost everyone has integrated social media into their daily informationgathering routines; because as technology advances, newer and more unconventional methods of spreading news become more popular. Nowadays, the average individual is just as likely to open their internet browser and see WKH ODWHVW KHDGOLQHV Ă DVK DW WKHP RU ORJ onto their Twitter account and read others› opinions on whatever is going on in the world, as they are to turn to the television or the radio for their daily dose of news. However, as the institutions and corners of news-making and news- reporting disseminate with the ever- advancing technology, problems arise for the independent consumer. The individual who, in the past, looked solely to the newspapers & television stations for reliable information is now bombarded with it from all corners on various social media platforms. This individual, who once believed in the credibility and reliability of the printed and documented word, is now left to sift through a mountain of images, headlines, & stories for what is really considered news. Furthermore, talk-show hosts often quote things being said on twitter. But ZK\ GLG WKLV KDSSHQ LQ WKH Ă&#x;UVW SODFH"

Well actually, a number of reasons. Twitter is completely free & preys upon the natural human need to share information & whereabouts. It is one of the only social media platforms that allows content to be shared with anyone who wants to view it, eliminating limits such as liking or adding that other sites like Facebook impose. Also, Twitter provides Trending Topics that one could choose to view by location or worldwide which tell us what the world is talking about. In addition, the -140character restriction compels people to be concise and express their QHZV DV EULHà \ DV SRVVLEOH VRPHZKDW eliminating the capacity for overly decorative adjectives & hyperbole. Finally, Twitter is accessible from almost every mobile device because they have created applications with interfaces to suit every device›s capabilities.

ÂŤBut with everyone tweeting and talking all at once. . . how do we extract the real deal from all the noise?Âť

7KDW VXUSULVLQJO\ LV QRW D YHU\ GLIĂ&#x;FXOW task when keeping in mind the basics of FULWLFDO VFLHQWLĂ&#x;F WKLQNLQJ -XVW IROORZ the steps below!

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)LUVW IRUHPRVW ORRN IRU WKH YHULĂ&#x;HG DFFRXQW VLJQ 7KLV LFRQ means that the source is really who they say they are and not an imposter. This is particularly helpful when trying to sort through which celebrity news is gossip & which is real. Look for what comes straight from the horse's mouth!

Next, try to make sure that your source is unbiased. You can do this by scanning their previous tweets for particular preferences or clear attitudes against one side of an argument.

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Follow retweets to the source! Believing a retweet blindly is exactly like believing in hearsay which is a HUGE error! Hearsay easily changes key words and key facts to bend an argument one direction or the other

Look for fallacies in argument & study the claims made in the tweets. They may be short, but that makes them more fallible. Sometimes, more words are needed to express a correct idea!

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The FAKE

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The catastrophic hurricane “Sandyâ€? hit the United States & the Caribbean in late October leaving massive destruction in its wake. It inarguably hit New York City the hardest on the American East Coast & left a bizarre trail of images in its wake. Now while in VRPH FDVHV IDFW FDQ WUXO\ EH VWUDQJHU WKDQ Ă&#x;FWLRQ ZKHQ SLFWXUHV of sharks swimming through the streets of NYC & snorkelers in the subway begin to emerge on the internet one begins to think

Ă˜:DLWĂž ZKDW"Ă™ Here’s where your skepticism and critical thinking skills come in.

The fakes come in WZR FDWHJRULHV >> photos that have been entirely fabricated >>photos of previous storms or hurricanes that are being re-circulated as photos of Sandy. You must be able to look the fake pictures and think for yourself, Ă˜:DLW LV WKLV UHDO"Ă™ :KDW VKRXOG VHW WKH DODUP RII LQ \RXU KHDG" Well, a number of things ...

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Look for corroborating evidence! Videos DUH PXFK PRUH GLIĂ&#x;FXOW WR IDEULFDWH VR LI DQ HYHQW LV documented on video as well as through pictures, the pictures are probably real. Also, if multiple credible sources are circulating the image, it is probably true.

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,I LW GRHVQĂ–W Ă&#x;W ZLWK WKH way the world works or seems too out of place, it is probably fabricated. A seal on dry land IDFLQJ D FDU" Really?

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Can you follow the OHDG EDFN WR WKH SKRWRJUDSKHU" What are other people saying DERXW WKH LPDJH" *DWKHU WKLV information and never be afraid to be speculative of really strange images.

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Most fabrications involve image editing software such as Photoshop, so look for tell tale signs that the images MXVW GRQĂ–W Ă&#x;W ,I WKH VWDWLRQ UHDOO\ ZHUH Ă RRGHG ZLWK ZDWHU ZRXOGQĂ–W LW EH PRUH RI D PHVV" :RXOGQĂ–W VRPH LWHPV EH Ă RDWLQJ LQ WKH ZDWHU" Think critically when analyzing pictures!

One on One;

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My favorite aspect of science would probably be the way it continually generates something new and surprising. The day to day grind of science, if you’re working in a lab, may seem kind of boring or tedious, as any job doesyou know, one more pie-chart, one more calculation, one more this. But the way science as a whole works, it’s always showing us things about the world, about the universe that we never expected before.

žÊ çüÚÍÏø Úô ÝíøÏ ÂŤĂśÂ† ²ü ¡ÜóêÊááóÜ íò øÏÊ ºçÏóóð óê ºç at AUC for a chat about how & how he believes it is applic

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I think one of the most fundamental skills related WR VFLHQWLĂ&#x;F WKLQNLQJ LV learning how to deal with uncertainty, because the popular stereotype of scientists is usually related WR VFLHQWLĂ&#x;F ODZ \RX NQRZ the speed of light or the

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I am, but I have to learn åöð ®åððé ½í÷íøíòë ¨÷÷í÷øåòø how to manage it, I have to çíéòçé÷ åòè ¬òëíòééöíòë ìéöé learn how certain is certain w he views scientific thinking enough.

cable to our day-to-day lives. like. It’s the law not just a good idea or it’s the geeky guys in white coats who are saying I haven’t seen another human being in three years but I’ve done a lot of calculations and this is the way nature works. But in practice one of the most important things DERXW VFLHQWLßF WKLQNLQJ is ßJXULQJ RXW KRZ WR GHDO with results that give you a range of estimates, I have to estimate how uncertain

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There are always things that you get emotional about in terms of their ethical principles, or their political principles. On the one hand that doesn’t mean \RX GLVUHJDUG VFLHQWLßF thinking, anything related to ethics or politics you can still collect data, look

at how good it is, and let LW LQIRUP \RX 6FLHQWLĂ&#x;F thinking can inform a lot of your decisions but at the end it still leaves you with the choice; you do this or you do something else and some of the reasoning behind that choice is going to relate to your politics your ethics your family and whatever sort of you know your psychology you know

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Interesting question, because in terms of the skills you need to make things and manage WKLQJV VFLHQWLĂ&#x;F WKLQNLQJ

and technological understanding in many ways is getting more important. So even with like a lot of manufacturing jobs, so manufacturing in the past used to be y’know, a bunch of people in a line & you pick up one part and you put it into this place here and you pass it onto the next person. So on the employment and job side, ,Ă–G VD\ VFLHQWLĂ&#x;F WKLQNLQJ LV becoming more important over time in a lot of sectors anyways. But the other thing is, in terms of if we all have calculators or GPS devices, do we not need to learn to do math anymore RU GR ZH JHW OD]\ DERXW LW" Um, that’s possible. & one of the examples would be that up until recent times, everyone would have known something about the movement of the stars because you need it too in

order to keep up with how you knew what time it was. Nobody does that any more but that’s not always a bad thing. We all specialize. And as a teaching method I think it’s still useful to try to learn what goes on underneath because you understand it more. There’s skills to be maintained by doing that but technology moves on and I don’t need to understand how my toaster works before I eat breakfast.

of organized skepticism, that is, not just skepticism in terms of “I don’t believe what anyone else is telling PHÙ GRJPDWLVP <RX can take skepticism to “I will never believe what anyone else is telling me and therefore my opinion is as good as anyone else because you can’t prove that that’s true, therefore you can’t prove that I’m wrong, so I’m going to keep believing the things I already believe”. We have to distinguish between skepticism based on data, experience, and asking YHU\ VSHFLßF TXHVWLRQV 'R \RX EHOLHYH WKDW SHRSOH QRZDGD\V and skepticism for the sake of not believing. It’s DUH WRR VNHSWLFDO RU always good to keep asking QRW VNHSWLFDO HQRXJK" questions but there’s a I think people are too difference between asking skeptical in many ways. questions and nihilism, Which is not to say that denying that anything is skepticism is bad, but true or worth changing my what we’ve lost is a sense own opinion about

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The Voice Factor

The voice is often distinguished from other talent seeking shows in that its judges are turned around in their seats when contestants step in to sing. The judges then try to recruit contestants to be on their individual competing teams. The elimination of the visual aspect is meant as a means of reducing H[WHUQDO YDULDEOHV WKDW FDQ LQà XHQFH judges’ opinions. However, is a singer’s appearance truly the most important independent YDULDEOH" 2U DUH RWKHU YDULDEOHV such as which song is sung, more LPSRUWDQW" $IWHU DOO MXGJHV PD\

be more open to picking a person purely out of song choice. Another problem lies in that some songs can demonstrate singing ability more so than others. Choice of song, therefore, plays a far more important role, as appearance only matters if the judges are biased, which they are not. That the judges try to form a team of the PRVW WDOHQWHG VLQJHUV WKH\ FDQ Ă&#x;QG eliminates their allowing factors RWKHU WKDQ WDOHQW WR LQĂ XHQFH WKHP The chosen song is therefore far more important than the singers’ appearances.

HOW TO WIN AN ARGUMENT Use scientific thinking to your advantage

W

e all get into arguments. Some we win. Others we lose. Nothing is more frustrating than losing an argument simply because one couldn’t deal properly with another person’s illogical thinking. This can easily be remedied however, through the use of scientific thinking. Using scientific thinking, one can successfully root out logical errors and fallacies present in the other person’s argument. All one needs to do is go over the steps of the scientific method. The other person will probably not have employed very many (if any at all) of the steps required of the scientific method.

1-

Ask your opponent what evidence they have to support their claim. Do they have any? Most people make the most absurd claims with absolutely no evidence whatsoever.

2

-Question your opponent on their sources. Do they have any? Are they reliable ones? Remember, there are no absolute authorities in science. Use this to your advantage.

3

-State your own claim. Back it up with evidence. Make sure your sources are reliable. If you want to be extremely thorough, be prepared to prove their reliability.

4

-Enjoy crushing your opponents’ arguments and imposing your views on them!

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At the age of five, I was inspired by a compass that was shown to me by my father when I was sick in bed

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Caught in the Skepticism

Afterword & References In light of recent events taking place around the world, and in considering the itense societal demand for us to be betterinformed intellectuals, scientific thinking is a skill that must æé ôöóôåëåøéè åòè éòçóùöåëéè ¶ijéò ùôóò ìéåöíòë øìé ûóöè "science", individuals shrink back and decide to leave the matter to the specialists. In this issue, we wanted to demonstrate that "scientific thinking" isn't even purely scientific. It is a concept that is taken out of the meticulous nature of science, but one that can be applied, with practice, to almost every area of our lives. As students at the American University in Cairo and as individuals who hold valuable knowledge, we feel that it is our duty to share it, as a form of civic engagement if you may. We want to show the readers of this pubilication the spark, and leave them interested to continue to develop this skill. This publication was made to be submitted for Dr. Sawsan El-Gogary of The American University in Cairo. All content is original but created with knowledge from previous in-class GLVFXVVLRQV DQG WDNH KRPH UHDGLQJV 7KHVH UHDGLQJV ZHUH $Q ,QWURGXFWLRQ WR 6FLHQFH 6FLHQWLßF 7KLQNLQJ DQG WKH 6FLHQWLßF 0HWKRG E\ 6WHYHQ ' 6FKDIHUVPDQ 6FLHQFH DV )DOVLßFDWLRQ RULJLQDOO\ SXEOLVKHG LQ &RQMHFWXUHV DQG 5HIXWDWLRQV E\ .DUO 5 3RSSHU 722/6 )25 6.(37,&$/ 7+,1.,1* IURP 7KH )LQH $UW RI %DORQH\ 'HWHFWLRQ E\ &DUO 6DJDQ 7KH 1DWXUH RI 6FLHQFH

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