Good Science or Bad Science?

Deciphering between good science and bad science seems like an impossible task. The general public is extremely vulnerable to accepting bad science when it is presented in a creative way or by big name people. I recently ran across a set of guidelines presented by TEDx.com for the purpose of filtering out the bad science which can be used by each of us in our attempt to incorporate good science into our lives. 

From TED's website:

TED is a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design. Since then its scope has become ever broader. 

TED has a massive database the presents short lectures by world experts on all sorts of different topics ranging from mechanical birds to faith to cochlear implants (go Karl White!!). The lectures are all around 18 minutes long and are an invaluable public source of information.

While the letter including the guidelines is quite long, you can read the complete thing here. But I am going to pull the guts out of the letter and present it below. I have highlighted the ones that commonly lure people in with neon green.

Marks of Good Science:

• It makes claims that can be tested and verified
• It has been published in a peer reviewed journal (but beware… there are some dodgy journals out there that seem credible, but aren’t.)
• It is based on theories that are discussed and argued for by many experts in the field
• It is backed up by experiments that have generated enough data to convince other experts of its legitimacy
• Its proponents are secure enough to accept areas of doubt and need for further investigation
• It does not fly in the face of the broad existing body of scientific knowledge
• The proposed speaker works for a university and/or has a phD or other bona fide high level scientific qualification

Topics banned from TEDx stages(meaning that they are rampant with bad science):

• GMO food and anti-GMO foodists
• Food as medicine, especially to treat a specific condition: Autism and ADHD, especially causes of and cures for autism
• "Healing," including reiki, energy fields, alternative health and placebos, crystals, pyramid power
• "Free energy" and perpetual motion machines, alchemy, time travel
• The neuroscience of [fill in the blank] — not saying this will all be non-legitimate, but that it’s a field where a lot of goofballs are right now
• The fusion of science and spirituality. Be especially careful of anyone trying to prove the validity of their religious beliefs and practices by using science

Red Flags 

• Barrages you with piles of unrelated, over-general backup material, attempting to bury you in data they think you won’t have time to read
• Holds a nonstandard degree. For instance, if the physics-related speaker has a degree in engineering, not physics; if the medical researcher does not have an M.D. or Ph.D.; if the affiliated university does not have a solid reputation. This is not snobbery; if a scientist truly wishes to make an advance in their chosen field, they’ll make an effort to engage with other scholars
• Claims to have knowledge no one else has
• Sends information only from websites they created themselves; there is little or no comment on them in mainstream science publications or even on Wikipedia
• Provides data that takes the form of anecdotes, testimonials and/or studies of only one person
• Sells a product, supplement, plan or service related to their proposed talk — this is a BIG RED FLAG

Tips for Looking into a Topic.

Start with some basic web research. Wikipedia is your first stop to gain a basic background. Following primary-source links from Wikipedia, work out from there to university websites, science and health blogs, and databases of papers published in respected journals

The world is full of ideas, both good and bad. Science is the PROCESS by which we "build and organize knowlege". It is the process by which we can work together to improve our universe. Be smart out there when confronted with various ideas. There are a lot of wing-nuts in disguise.

The Bible: Becoming Gray....

As I have come to learn more and more about religion and God I have accepted the fact that nothing is black and white. Absolute truth is really only an idea that gives humans hope. Learning is an eternal process. For me, seeing the world in more of a gray tone, I believe, has opened my mind to information that I would have previously rejected because it didn't conform to the current way I viewed the world. It has also made things more interesting and complex. This view promotes more critical thinking which only further advances the process of obtaining truth and eternally progressing.

This week I had the opportunity to listen to a few more awesome presentations from mormonstories (part of the Open Stories Foundation). One in particular, which will be added to my top 10 list, was in interview with Jared Anderson. Jared was working on his Ph.D. in Religious Studies at the University of Carolina at Chapel Hill, focusing on the gospels and the New Testament at the time of this interview. At this time he was also an active LDS member that even mentioned recently giving his daughter a priesthood blessing. I am not sure what his current status is now but none the less he is an awesome thoughtful guy who has immense depth to views on God and spirituality.

Since breaking the mold and starting my journey to find truth I have realized that many of the things that I have based my beliefs on were only assumptions. I have always been curious about the Bible, where it came from and how reliable it actually is. I, like probably most of the Bible believing population, accepted it on the basic claim that it came from God. I am not sure exactly what I thought that meant but probably simply that God inspired the authors to write down the truth. Having a Mormon belief system I accepted the fact that the Bible could have errors due to translation and therefore never considered it infallible as much of the christian world does. I never thought that the Bible was the all inclusive word of God and only held it as an inspired set of records for me to learn from. A few assumptions that I made about the Bible were:

1. The Gospels were actually written by the disciples that ministered with Jesus, Mathew, Mark, Luke and John. 
2. The books of the Bible are presented in chronological order. 
3. The Gospels were written during or shortly after the death of Christ.

Jared presented information about the Bible that opened my eyes to the amount of information that scholars have obtained as a result of many life times devoted to it's study. He presented the information from a scholarly perspective, as opposed to a theological perspective. I learned that the first books in the bible, 1st and 2nd Thessalonians, written by Paul (who never even met Jesus in the flesh), weren't written until around 50CE. The first Gospel written was the book of Mark written in 69CE (approx 40yrs after Jesus' death), which is the least detailed book (lacking a birth narrative and a resurrection narrative). All of the authors of the Gospels (Mathew, Mark, Luke & John) are anonymous, the names of the books being added later after they were written. He takes listeners on a "whirlwind tour" of the Bible in chronological order. It was awesomely enlightening. He also discusses, in Part 4 starting at 30min, the historical Jesus. He presented information the supports the idea that a very influential man named Jesus actually did exist. In part 4 starting at 1hr he discusses the many different translations of the Bible and how and why they differ. 

My favorite part of the interview was when he answered the question, "How do you justify staying Mormon?"(Part 5 starting at 1hr 10min). He as a very thoughtful answer that I loved. While I have not decided to remain officially associated with the church I still absolutely value many aspects and principles of the Mormon theology and culture. He answers the question, "What is the purpose of religion?", something that I have pondered frequently. Overall I felt like his words and information were extremely helpful in my search and I would recommend listening to this podcast to anyone who is interested. If  people are hesitant as to the motives of Jared I would recommend listening to the last part where he shares his feelings about God and His plan for us. I still value the Bible and consider it an important document in one's search for truth and progression. Removing and verifying previous assumptions is part of the process of seeking. 

Jared Anderson's interview can be downloaded here: http://mormonstories.org/239-243-jared-anderson-an-academic-introduction-to-the-new-testament/

Skeptics Guide to the Universe Podcast Series

Podcasts are a great way to learn stuff as you do stuff. I listen to them as I drive and run mainly. A new one that I started listening to which I am very impressed with is called "The Skeptics Guide to the Universe: Your Escape to Reality". The podcast is put on by a bunch of critical thinkers and the organization is dedicated to promoting critical thinking, reason, and the public understanding of science. To give you an idea of the broad array of material that they cover, the few episodes that I have listened to have included discussions on such things as; skin fungi, osteoarthritis, patent trolls, kangaroos, genetically modified foods, debunked Sasquatch sightings, debunked UFO and extraterrestrial sightings, neuroscience, history's most deadly volcano, morality without religion and so much more. It has further opened my eyes to the awesomeness of science and learning.

Wrong for Right, Growing Pains and Complex Choices in the LDS Church

Mormonstories.org has has recently led me to critically evaluate things of the spiritual nature in my life. Once I started listening to the interviews  presented there I have allowed them to occupy much of my free time. I download recordings and listen as I perform somewhat mindless activities such as running and driving. These once mindless activities have been transformed into times of deep thought and pondering. I recently listened to an interview with Daymon Smith who wrote the book, "The Book Of Mammon: A Book About A Book About A Corportation That Owns The Mormons". It was a fascinating interview that covered topics that I haven't previously known much about. My brief thoughts on each of the 4 parts of the lecture. 

Lecture is found here:  149-152: LDS Anthropologist Daymon Smith on Post-Manifesto Polygamy, Correlation, The Corporate LDS Chruch, and Mammon. 

Episode 1: In this interview Daymon discusses the hurdles that the church had to overcome to eventually break off from the practice of polygamy. Polygamy was so deeply ingrained into the minds of the members of the church at that time that this task couldn't be accomplished with the issuing of a simple manifesto as I had always thought and as is taught in the church today. Due to the paranoia at the time that the feds would come and take polygamy practicing brethren away it was difficult to tell which statements concerning polygamy were serious and which were a type of code to appease the federal government and "beat the devil at his own game". This was an extremely complex time in church history. It caused me to ponder the question of what I would do if I was put in the position where I had to go against what I felt God had asked me to do to follow the laws of the land.

Episode 2: This episode discusses that question that probably every member of the church has had at some point, "who the heck wrote this manual". Daymon discusses the evolution of a correlated doctrine in an attempt to handle the rapid worldwide church growth in the middle 1900's. I know I always wondered what part the brethren of the church played in the decision of what goes into the manual. He also mentions that nothing on LDS.org goes back prior to the early 1970's (I think it was 1972), about the time that correlated doctrines began in the church. While I can see how the church had a need to keep the doctrine uniformed throughout the world I also see the problems that it causes with the concept that God's truths are eternal, yet changing behind the scenes. I personally agree with the concept that we should be searching for absolute truths but should always have the ability to reject or improve something that we thought was true at one point. So in essence we need to admit that nothing can be a confirmed absolute truth. This leads us on an eternal search which is only allowed to continue when we accept this fact. Thinking that we have the absolute truth only causes us to stop.

Episode 3: This one was all about the church being a corporation and honestly nothing really stuck. But I'm sure it was good. 

Episode 4: Living is Oakland I pass people on a regular basis that are asking for handouts. They usually have a small cardboard sign with some reason as to why they need some sort of help. Most of the time I give out money I feel as if I am a sucker and that the person isn't honest in his/her efforts. This feeling has prevented me from helping others and causes a small internal wrestle every time. What is the best way to help people? What would our titled perfect example, Jesus Christ, do in these situations? In this episode it discusses what the church does with it's money. While not a lot is known on this topic, because the church doesn't release it's financial statements, there is some information that is available. From income estimates provided by Daymon, the church is bringing in a whopping 13 million dollars a day!!! The ways in which this money is used is the topic of discussion and while there are multiple perspectives to every issue we are given a few facts to help us at least see where the church's money is going. This has led me to thing about how am I living my life? Am I contributing to society? How much should I be expected to contribute? What is the best way to contribute to those in need? These are the hard questions. Brother Smith wraps things up with a powerful testimony in the church, acknowledging that it does have it's problems and probably needs to do some redirecting on certain issues. 

Thanks again Mormonstories for a spiritually/mentally stimulating experience.