Question

Scientism is:

means the same thing as science

A currently popular ideology that science is the only way (or most reliable way) to get knowledge

is the only way to do science

invited by Aristotle

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Question 22 pts

According to the text there is no such thing as THE scientific method. Different scientific methodologies are used to test different scientific hypotheses.

True

False

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Question 32 pts

What are some warning signs of bogus science:

the research is pitched directly to the media

the evidence is anecdotal

the discoverer argues that belief in big foot goes back thousands of years.

all of the above

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Question 42 pts

A double-blind procedure is when neither the researchers nor the patients know who is in the treatment group and who is in the control group.

True

False

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Question 52 pts

Even though no scientific theory can ever be conclusively confirmed or confuted, some theories can still be shown to be better than others.

True

False

Answer 1

• Scientism is a currently popular ideology that science is the only way (or most reliable way) to get knowledge.Scientism is the broad-based belief that the assumptions and methods of research of the physical and natural sciences are equally appropriate (or even essential) to all other disciplines, including philosophy, the humanities and the social sciences.
• 22.True;Some areas of science can be more easily tested than others. For example, scientists studying how stars change as they age or how dinosaurs digested their food cannot fast-forward a star's life by a million years or run medical exams on feeding dinosaurs to test their hypotheses. When direct experimentation is not possible, scientists modify the scientific method. In fact, there are probably as many versions of the scientific method as there are scientists.But even when modified, the goal remains the same: to discover cause and effect relationships by asking questions, carefully gathering and examining the evidence, and seeing if all the available information can be combined in to a logical answer.
• 32.all of the above;The discoverer pitches the claim directly to the media. The integrity of science rests on the willingness of scientists to expose new ideas and findings to the scrutiny of other scientists. Thus, scientists expect their colleagues to reveal new findings to them initially. An attempt to bypass peer review by taking a new result directly to the media, and thence to the public, suggests that the work is unlikely to stand up to close examination by other scientists.
• Evidence for a discovery is anecdotal. If modern science has learned anything in the past century, it is to distrust anecdotal evidence. Because anecdotes have a very strong emotional impact, they serve to keep superstitious beliefs alive in an age of science.
• The discoverer says a belief is credible because it has endured for centuries. There is a persistent myth that hundreds or even thousands of years ago, long before anyone knew that blood circulates throughout the body, or that germs cause disease, our ancestors possessed miraculous remedies that modern science cannot understand. Much of what is termed "alternative medicine" is part of that myth.
• 42.True. A double-blind study is one in which neither the participants nor the experimenters know who is receiving a particular treatment. This procedure is utilized to prevent bias in research results. Double-blind studies are particularly useful for preventing bias due to demand characteristics or the placebo effect.
• 52.True,Scientific theories are neither absolutely false nor absolutely true. They are always somewhere in between. Some theories are better, more credible, and more accepted than others. There is always more, more credible, and better evidence for some theories than others.