Chapter 0: So what are we doing here?

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Chapter 0 So what are we doing here?

• My goal, give you example and practice in how
  science thinks and how we arrive at knowledge
  astronomy is the setting
• The text gives a little on the process of science
  and clear thinking, but not enough to my way of
  thinking
• I wrote my own Chapter 0 just for you! And,
  maybe to stir some action in the room as we throw
  some icewater on snake-oil salesman and other
  foes of clear thinking

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The Nature of Thinking Clearly

• The most incomprehensible thing about the
  universe is, it is comprehensible Albert
  Einstein
• Poetry, or did he mean us to take this literally?

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The brain/mind is a product of nature

• It has evolved by natural selection
• Natural Selection we are not all equal. Those
  better able to survive and prosper leave more
  descendents, who to some extent, inherit
  genetically this higher fitness, and therefore
  in turn leave more offspring as well.

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Each Species is Distinguished by Having a
Distinctive Edge

• So, What makes us, homo sapiens, good competitors
  for the resources necessary for life?

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How do you Know when Youve Understood Something?

• What is the actual experience of understanding?
• What is / are the experiencial cues that signal
  understanding?

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The Light Bulb Feeling!

• The light bulb feeling Too many of us did not
  have teachers or parents who pointed out how
  important it is to recognize it and to seek it.
• It is the gold standard for a genuine grasp of
  Reality.

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The Light bulb goes on

• when new understanding is integrated into
  previous understanding in a non-contradictory
  way.
• Reason the art of identifying facts about
  reality without contradictions.

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Getting to the Light Bulb Feeling

• Requires caring. Requires mental effort. Focus.
• Curiosity is natures built-in motivation to give
  thinking a try. And reward is the lightbulb
  feeling of understanding it feels good! As it
  should, its concrete expression of your power.
• If youre not curious, learning will be very very
  difficult for you! Re-connect with your native
  curiosity (otherwise youre doomed!)

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Hey, its all weve got!

• The authoritarian mindset arghh!!
• Rote memorization of undigested factoids. Gah!
• This is not (yet) 1984 no lightbulb?, then no
  understanding!
• Dont let yourself be brow-beaten into accepting
  the undigestable by authorities. Ask why do
  you say so?

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New Age thinking

• Theres brilliantly insightful New Age thought,
  and then theres nonsense. Really need a good
  BS detector here! a bit too fuzzy for the most
  part!
• PseudoScienceTarot cards, pyramid power, past
  lives, homeopathy the list is almost endless!

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Astrology

• is within the reach of science!
• By that I mean its testable, and
• it fails miserably! How interesting that so few
  astrology followers have any interest in this
  telltale fact! Psychology, rather than a desire
  for truth, seems to be whats going on.

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There is ONE REALITY

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Reality that which exists.

• Everything fits together without contradiction,
  by logical necessity... Because the alternative
  is your brain doesnt work. Then nothing you say
  can be trusted, including the claim theres more
  than ONE Reality
• See? Claiming multiple realities is
  self-contradictory!

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Natural vs. Supernatural

• If the mind works, then theres ONE Reality.
  Reality that which actually exists.
• The idea of the supernatural provides no
  explanatory power. Its giving up on a
  non-contradictory explanation.
• If we cant explain it, we work harder till we
  can. Supernatural is either a claim no natural
  explanation is ever possible (and its logically
  self-contradictory to make such a statement),
  i.e stops all thought and effort, or its
  wishful thinking.
• And its a statement that your brain doesnt
  work. Self Contradiction a nonsensical
  statement!

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Respecting Your Own Mind

• Top priority a respect for facts, for what
  Nature says is true!
• What is the evidence? Is this reasonable
  does this conflict with other observations or
  knowledge I hold? asking these questions
  regularly gives self confidence.
• Putting other considerations first(do I want to
  believe this? Will this make me unpopular? Does
  this force me to confront things I dont want to
  confront?) . is the path to towards a mind
  learning to distrust itself. Anxiety, depression
  yow! Cultivate a proper Method, a proper
  Orientation to Reality, if you want good self
  respect, confidence.
• Its OK to acknowledge I dont know. Be clear
  on what you have understood, what you know to be
  false, and what is still not understood by you.
  Dont be so quick to grasp at a false
  explanation. Genuine understanding takes effort,
  takes careful investigation, takes perhaps
  advances in technology takes TIME! Patience!

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3 modes of representing reality in internal
experience

• Visual (pictures, movies)
• Auditory (sounds)
• Kinesthetic (a visceral sensation using your
  proprioceptive system)
• Practice all three. Physical sciences best
  understood using the visual mode.

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Scientific Method The most efficient way weve
found to get that lightbulb feeling of genuine
understanding

• Observations generate questions how does?
• Come up with a hypothesis of how
• Imagine the meaning of the hypothesis, to come up
  with ways of testing. If X is true, then we
  ought to see Y go look for Y.
• Test and test again. Ask Nature herself if your
  hypthesis is valid. If it fails then youve
  RULED it OUT. Time to find a new hypothesis.
• If it passes every test put to it, a hypothesis
  graduates to the status of a THEORY

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Occams Razor

• Given two or more ideas, all of which are
  consistent with current observations, the one
  which is simplest (least conflicts with current
  knowledge) is most likely to be true
• Its an efficient guide to finding decent
  hypotheses
• Note most likely Nature isnt obliged to
  obey your notions of simplicity. But its a good
  bet for allocating scarce resources of scientific
  time and money

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A quote from Carl Sagans The Demon Haunted
World

• If we can't think for ourselves, if we're
  unwilling to question authority, then we're just
  putty in the hands of those in power. But if the
  citizens are educated and form their own
  opinions, then those in power work for us. In
  every country, we should be teaching our children
  the scientific method and the reasons for a Bill
  of Rights. With it comes a certain decency,
  humility and community spirit. In the
  demon-haunted world that we inhabit by virtue of
  being human, this may be all that stands between
  us and the enveloping darkness." Carl Sagan
• My own feelings most of the scientists I know
  and have worked with are profoundly spiritual
  people. But they see spirituality in a deeper
  sense than the conventional sense. A connection
  with the Universe that has mystery, grandeur,
  profund respect for the human person and for a
  world that is subtle, but not malicious
  (Einstein).
• No secret Im not fond of western religions, but
  I do have respect for spirituality, and
  especially the ancient wisdoms of some Eastern
  philosophies. Zen, Taoism, have found ways of
  casting the spiritual life in ways that do not
  include the fundamentalist notions of Original
  Sin or that humans are mere servants for the
  supposed will of God.

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Key Points Chapter 0 and Scientific Thinking

• All of Chap 0 is important (after all, I wrote
  it!) So, read it thoroughly
• The steps of the scientific method
• The nature and psychological issues of
  pseudo-science.
• Occams Razor
• Modes of representing reality in our minds
• The fatal flaws with supernaturalism

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Martian canals seeing what you want to see?
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Face on Mars by Martian Orbiter
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The Universe Revealed by Science is magical!

• Astrology and other New Age bogusities? Cmon
  its time let go. Lets evolve
• You want to go slack-jawed with awe? Study
  quantum mechanics, study modern cosmology,
  inflation theory!
• Science is much MORE magical because its Nature
  herself talking to us. (When you see a great,
  inspiring film, isnt it much more inspiring when
  you learn at the end that it was a true story?)
• And the best reason science is just plain FUN.
• So toss dogmatism, learn to be humble (dont
  dictate to Nature what she is and is not!), and
  to re-assume the responsibility of independent
  thought. Get comfortable with uncertainty, be
  open minded
• - but not so open minded that your brains fall
  out.