Scienterrific Print Edition

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SCIENTERRIFIC

Afterword & References In light of recent events taking place around the world, and in considering the itense societal demand for us to be better-informed intellectuals, scientific thinking is a skill that must be propagated and encouraged. Often upon hearing the word "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 discussions and take-home readings.

These readings were: $Q ,QWURGXFWLRQ WR 6FLHQFH 6FLHQWLßF 7KLQNLQJ DQG WKH 6FLHQWLßF 0HWKRG E\ 6WHYHQ ' 6FKDIHUVPDQ 6FLHQFH DV )DOVLßFDWLRQ RULJLQDOO\ SXEOLVKHG LQ &RQMHFWXUHV DQG 5HIXWDWLRQV E\ .DUO 5 3RSSHU 722/6 )25 6.(37,&$/ 7+,1.,1* IURP 7KH )LQH $UW RI %DORQH\ 'HWHFWLRQ E\ &DUO 6DJDQ 7KH 1DWXUH RI 6FLHQFH

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 issue, ZH DLP WR EULQJ \RX VFLHQWLĂ&#x;F WKLQNLQJ :H UH GHOLYHULQJ it out of the stereotypical academic environment of the VFLHQFH ZRUOG DQG LQWR WKH UHDO HYHU\ GD\ ZRUOG :H OO EH WHOOLQJ \RX KRZ \RX FDQ WKLQN VFLHQWLĂ&#x;FDOO\ DERXW \RXU EXVLQHVV GHDOV KRZ WR MXGJH FRQWHQW \RX Ă&#x;QG RQOLQH KRZ to win arguments, and so much more all using the careful WRROV RI VFLHQWLĂ&#x;F WKLQNLQJ :H KRSH \RX HQMR\ WKLV LVVXH

MEET THE AUTHORS

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BUSINESS

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

POLITICS

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.

INTERVIEW

Our one-on-one chat with Dr. Galle about what Scientific Thinking means to him & how he applies it day-to day

TIPS &

ENTERTAINMENT

Good Luck or Good Business;

Is entrepreneurial success beginner's luck or a serious skill?

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A lot of successful entrepreneurs have had to pursue here is an erroneous belief their organizational goals for that to be successful, you have to several years until they were have luck on your side. Well, luck is achieved. Generally speaking, a tiny factor that can contribute to nearly all successful people know your success; you can for instance, be that achieving success is a matter at the right place at the right time. of determination rather than just However, the truth is commitment, luck. In life, the harder you work persistent, hard work, will power, and the more committed you are, the enthusiasm and rational thinking are luckier you get. So we can put it this the essences of one's personal and way, "Luck is created and it's not an entrepreneurial success. exterior factor."

According to an article titled "Doing Business in China" the billionaire Mr. Wu Changjiang-足 owner and founder of NVC Lighting, the biggest lighting manufacturer in China, emphasized that after coming from a poor background and working in many factories, pursing his dream he came to the conclusion that his success hasn't come through luck, but rather through hard work and aiming high.

what keeps you gaining a foothold in the market are, apart from the market conditions, your personal attributes and strategies; how you run the business and how you exert control over what may possibly be regarded as uncontrollable.

In the business world there is no such thing called luck, even being at the right place at the right time is a business strategy only those who apply scientific thinking as a managerial approach to guide Many of you may still presume their business know when to capture that there are other people out business opportunities. According to there who were luckier that Mr. the Harvard paper Skill vs. Luck Wu and found success knocking on in Entrepreneurship and Venture their doors. Unfortunately those Capital: Evidence from Serial miraculous moment are minimal and Entrepreneurs, research have shown those extremely "lucky people" are that entrepreneurs who invest in a minorities and in fact if they don't good industry-足year are more likely work with their beginner luck; if to invest in a good industry-足year they don't capitalize on luck their in their next business enterprise. dreams will get crushed immediately. Thus, this articulates the fact that, market timing ability is an attribute Assume that you wake up and of entrepreneurs." find a substantial amount of money under your pillow that can aid you in starting your dream business. You successfully launched your business and were able to make your way through the rough market competition. But the question remains, what guarantees your success in the market? At this point, I don't think that the so called "effortless luck" can help. In fact,

{Don't wait for good opportunities...

create them}

Wise Words On Luck

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Unstructured thinking could be‌

3URPRWLQJ 6FLHQWLßF Thinking among Decision Makers

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anagers and decision makers LQ DQ\ RUJDQL]DWLRQ HQFRXQWHU FRQàLFWLQJ situations, where they are 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 WKH FRUH SULQFLSOHV RI VFLHQWLßF WKLQNLQJ as a managerial 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 ¡«íöéçø ¶æ÷éöúåøíóò óê ôìéòóñéòå ¡¹éêéööíòë øó ôöíóö öéçóöèéè èåøå åòè ôöóīø ¡«éèùçøíóò óê ïòóûðéèëé êöóñ ïòóûò ðåû÷ or from market conditions

2)´åòåëéö÷ òééè øó çóñé ùô ûíøì èíĨéöéòø hypotheses, exclude rival ones and choose the most testable, adequate for the purpose, attainable hypothesis.

The Purpose of A Hypothesis

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¡®ùíèé÷ øìé èíöéçøíóò óê øìé ÷øùèý ¡¹éçóëòíþé÷ ÷íëòíīçåòø íòêóöñåøíóò ¡¨íè íò çìóó÷íòë øìé ñó÷ø ÷ùíøåæðé ôðåò ¡·öé÷éòø÷ å êöåñéûóöï êóö ÷ý÷øéñåøíþíòë øìé 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 úåöíåæðé÷ 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 JXDUDQWHH WKHLU SHRSOH V ULJKWV WKH SHRSOH 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 main components: empiricism, skepticism, UDWLRQDOLVP :KLOH 'U 6KFDIHUVPDQ 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 LWV XWPRVW EHVW WR DYRLG LW :KHQ ZULWLQJ 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"

:HOO DFWXDOO\ D QXPEHU RI UHDVRQV 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 FRPHV VWUDLJKW IURP WKH KRUVH V PRXWK

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.

3

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!

5

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The Truth A

The FAKE

About Sandy:

E Evidence

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 some cases fact can truly be stranger than Ă&#x;FWLRQ ZKHQ SLFWXUHV RI VKDUNV VZLPPLQJ WKURXJK WKH VWUHHWV RI 1<& 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 two categories: >> 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" :HOO D QXPEHU RI WKLQJV

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/RRN IRU FRUURERUDWLQJ HYLGHQFH 9LGHRV DUH PXFK PRUH GLIĂ&#x;FXOW to fabricate, so if an event is 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.

2

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Most fabrications involve image editing software such as 3KRWRVKRS VR ORRN IRU WHOO WDOH VLJQV WKDW WKH LPDJHV 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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:KDW LV \RXU IDYRULWH aspect of science"

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.

2

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I think one of the most fundamental skills UHODWHG WR VFLHQWLĂ&#x;F WKLQNLQJ LV OHDUQLQJ how to deal with uncertainty, because the popular stereotype of scientists is usually UHODWHG WR VFLHQWLĂ&#x;F ODZ \RX NQRZ WKH VSHHG of light or the like. It’s the law not just a good idea or it’s the geeky guys in white

We caught up with Dr. Ka Professor in the School of Sc at AUC for a chat about how & how he believes it is applic 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 LPSRUWDQW WKLQJV DERXW VFLHQWLĂ&#x;F WKLQNLQJ is Ă&#x;JXULQJ RXW KRZ WR GHDO ZLWK UHVXOWV WKDW give you a range of estimates, I have to estimate how uncertain I am, but I have to learn how to manage it, I have to learn how certain is certain enough.

3

Are there times when \RX VWUXJJOH WR DSSO\ VFLHQWLĂ&#x;F WKLQNLQJ"

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 you GLVUHJDUG VFLHQWLĂ&#x;F WKLQNLQJ DQ\WKLQJ

/ *$//( 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 HPSOR\PHQW DQG MRE VLGH ,Ă–G VD\ VFLHQWLĂ&#x;F thinking is becoming more important over time in a lot of sectors anyways. But the related to ethics or politics you can still other thing is, in terms of if we all have collect data, look at how good it is, and calculators or GPS devices, do we not need OHW LW LQIRUP \RX 6FLHQWLĂ&#x;F WKLQNLQJ FDQ to learn to do math anymore or do we get inform a lot of your decisions but at the end OD]\ DERXW LW" 8P WKDWĂ–V SRVVLEOH RQH it still leaves you with the choice; you do of the examples would be that up until this or you do something else and some of recent times, everyone would have known the reasoning behind that choice is going something about the movement of the stars to relate to your politics your ethics your because you need it too in order to keep family and whatever sort of you know your up with how you knew what time it was. psychology you know Nobody does that any more but that’s not DOZD\V D EDG WKLQJ :H DOO VSHFLDOL]H $QG 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 $V WHFKQRORJ\ understand how my toaster works before I SURJUHVVHV GR \RX EHOLHYH eat breakfast.

arl Galle, Visiting Assistant ciences and Engineering here w he views scientific thinking cable to our day-to-day lives.

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

5

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I think people are too skeptical in many ZD\V :KLFK LV QRW WR VD\ WKDW VNHSWLFLVP is bad, but what we’ve lost is a sense of organized skepticism, that is, not just skepticism in terms of “I don’t believe what anyone else is telling meâ€?: dogmatism. You 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 WKH WKLQJV , DOUHDG\ EHOLHYHĂ™ :H KDYH WR distinguish between skepticism based on GDWD H[SHULHQFH DQG DVNLQJ YHU\ VSHFLĂ&#x;F questions and skepticism for the sake of not believing. It’s always good to keep asking questions but there’s a difference between asking questions and nihilism, denying that anything is true or worth changing my own opinion about

and can exercise ground-truthing and a little bit of questioning to make sure that it isn’t just a few people who shout “I know the way! I know the way!� as they lead you deeper and deeper into disaster.

7

What is the best piece RI DGYLFH \RX FRXOG JLYH XV DERXW VFLHQFH DQG VFLHQWLĂ&#x;F WKLQNLQJ"

Hmmm... –Pauses- I would say the best piece of advice is just keep reading about science from time to time. In terms of using VFLHQWLĂ&#x;F WKLQNLQJ LWĂ–V KDUGHU WR VD\ ZKDW am I going to read or what am I going to look at because it’s sort of a philosophical topic but in your day to day life, you can always think about the testability of an issue, or the validity of someone’s evidence about a topic. I would also say have a look at news articles about science, because there’s everything from astronomy to ELRORJ\ DQG VRPHWLPHV WKH LGHDV \RX Ă&#x;QG will really challenge your thinking and inspire you. It’s also just downright neat stuff, it takes you out of your daily grind of silly politics and the like. You can think about our solar system for a few minutes instead. It puts us in our place and one ,V VFLHQWLĂ&#x;F WKLQNLQJ of the most valuable things you can do ZLWK \RXU OLIH LQ JHQHUDO LV MXVW WU\ WR Ă&#x;QG QHFHVVDU\ IRU VXFFHVV" interesting things, people you can meet and Tragically No. I wish it were! I’ve seen learn from, interesting places to go, things enough examples of people who do very WR WU\ RXW 7U\ WR DOZD\V Ă&#x;QG QRYHOW\ DQG ZHOO DQG LW FDQ EH LQ D YDULHW\ RI Ă&#x;HOGV Unfortunately, there are plenty of areas and science can be a piece of that. MREV ZKHUH VSHDNLQJ FRQĂ&#x;GHQWO\ FDQ JHW you very far. But that is where it becomes important to educate everyone about VFLHQWLĂ&#x;F WKLQNLQJ VR WKDW WKHUH DUH PRUH people that can spot this kind of behavior

6

Food for Thought Before we begin the fun the stuff, allow us to leave you with some food for thought. After seeing the multiple ways scientific thinking can be employed in various disciplines such as business, politics and technology, do you feel that you are starting to grasp the value of this skill? Do you find that upon reflection, you can come up with more ways to incorporate scientific thinking in your day to day life? Do you find yourself questioning others around you, challenging their reasoning, and making your own conclusions? ¹éıéçøíóò í÷ å úéöý íñôóöøåòø å÷ôéçø óê ðéåöòíòë ºó öéıéçø óò øìé÷é questions and begin to explore the value of scientific thinking in your life. However, without further ado, allow us to present you with our fun bit.

-Cue

the

cute

monkey

&

the

cartoons-

Hmmm…

5

WAYS YOU COULD BECOME A 136) 7'-)28-*-' 8,-2/)6

1. Be Skeptical! You can't just believe absolutely anything you hear! Ask a thousand and one questions when someone gives you a new piece of information. Question their sources, their validity, & make your own judgements! 2. Avoid Hasty Judgements! While we're on the topic of judgements, don't make yours too quickly! Make sure you've gathered all the facts, disregarded any prejudice, & made sound conclusions 3. Think Systematically! Ever tried to plan a trip and found that you don't know where to start? Thinking systematically and creating wellthought-of steps and processes for what you need to KIX HSRI EVI OI]W XS XLMROMRK QSVI WGMIRXM多GEPP] avoiding chaos. 4. Admit your errors! No one likes a know-it-all; IWTIGMEPP] WGMIRXM多G XLMROIVW -J there are fallacies in your arguments or conclusions, you must never be afraid to own up to them

GSVVIGX XLIQ -X RSX SRP] QEOIW ]SY E QSVI WGMIRXM多G XLMROIV FYX EPWS E FIXXIV GSRZIVWEXMSREPMWX and more mature individual. *SVKIX XLI FS\ HVE[ ]SYV S[R WLETI 7GMIRXM多G thinking demands creativity and innovation! However, make sure your train of thought still follows a solid track that others can follow as well if they wanted to.

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 LQGHSHQGHQW YDULDEOH" 2U DUH RWKHU variables, such as which song is sung, PRUH 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 most talented VLQJHUV WKH\ FDQ Ă&#x;QG HOLPLQDWHV WKHLU allowing factors other than talent to LQĂ XHQFH WKHP 7KH FKRVHQ VRQJ LV therefore far more important than the singers’ appearances.

HOW TO WIN AN ARGUMENT Use scientific thinking to your advantage

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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!

6SRWOLJKW RQ $ SCIENTIFIC 7+,1.(5 (LQVWHLQ (G I Was born with a Gigantic Head My mother, Pauline Einstein, thought that she gave birth to a deformed child due to my big malformed head I experienced speech problems in my early childhood

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

Fallacy in Ugg-umen

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Caught in the Skepticism

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