On Sun, Jan 17, 2010 at 10:43 AM, Alyson Mack <alym...@gmail.com> wrote: > the sad truth is, our children ARE becoming more stupid every year. The fact
Do you have any evidence for this claim? IQ scores have been rising pretty steadily for a century. (Look up the Flynn effect <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flynn_effect>.) SAT scores are the highest they've been since the 1960s, although a somewhat larger percentage of high school students are taking the test. There are always fluctuations, but are there any measures of intelligence that have been showing a consistent decline? On a different note, who here has read _The Demon-Haunted World_ or _Why People Believe Weird Things_? They're both relevant to the larger discussion of critical thinking. Jane > On Fri, Jan 15, 2010 at 5:11 PM, malcolm McCallum < > malcolm.mccal...@herpconbio.org> wrote: > >> At what point does the scientific community realize that the current >> surge in patent medicines and nonsense medical devices are seriously >> eroding the nation's confidence in science? >> This is not directly related to ecology, but ecology is science and if >> people misuse science to sell products that are medically irrelevant >> it certainly must affect all science. >> >> For example, if the average person sees a supposed physician on TV >> parading products that "absorb fat out of your body" or send "magnetic >> impulses into your joints" or provide the "healing effects of light", >> he/she does not necessarily recognize the difference between >> commercial claims and scientific ones. Further, if that person is >> suckered in to buy this sucker bait, he/she is certain to find, once >> any placebo affect passes, that it is shear snake oil. Consequently, >> these folks see these advertisements with supposed nutritionists, >> phds, MDs, etc. and learn not to believe what they say. Along comes a >> scientist claiming extraordinary changes such as climate change, ozone >> layer issues, problems with pollution, and endangered species...on TV, >> even in commercials. Why should they believe them? It looks and >> smells just like that snake oil aunt Martha bought off TV that did >> nothing but moisten her skin. >> >> Does anyone else see that a deeper problem exists here? These >> products are much more harmful that simply misleading people, they are >> more than simply false advertising, they really should not be allowed >> to make the extraordinary claims that they do. Some of the products >> are harmless, some are dangerous simply in the fact that folks choose >> to depend on these prior to seeking real medical advice, but all have >> a serious potential to erode the general public's view of the >> scientific community. >> >> -- >> Malcolm L. McCallum >> Associate Professor of Biology >> Managing Editor, >> Herpetological Conservation and Biology >> Texas A&M University-Texarkana >> Fall Teaching Schedule: >> Vertebrate Biology - TR 10-11:40; General Ecology - MW 1-2:40pm; >> Forensic Science - W 6-9:40pm >> Office Hourse- TBA >> >> 1880's: "There's lots of good fish in the sea" W.S. Gilbert >> 1990's: Many fish stocks depleted due to overfishing, habitat loss, >> and pollution. >> 2000: Marine reserves, ecosystem restoration, and pollution reduction >> MAY help restore populations. >> 2022: Soylent Green is People! >> >> Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any >> attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may >> contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized >> review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not >> the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and >> destroy all copies of the original message. >> > -- ------------- Jane Shevtsov Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia co-founder, <www.worldbeyondborders.org> Check out my blog, <http://perceivingwholes.blogspot.com>Perceiving Wholes "The whole person must have both the humility to nurture the Earth and the pride to go to Mars." --Wyn Wachhorst, The Dream of Spaceflight
