KINE 1000 Study Guide - Final Guide: Dorothy Nelkin, Sociobiology, Determinism
18 Apr 2018
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Kinesiology 1000 Study Notes
Whose Data Counts – Part 1
January 15, 2018
Blue Monday:
• 3rd Monday of January
• Most difficult day of the year
• Referred to as “blue day”
• False, no scientific evidence to support this fact. Monday should not be any “bluer” than
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Yet, we believe in it.
How has science been portrayed by the media and how much do we trust science today?
Present day’s dilemma between science and our beliefs – What do we believe and why?
• The Earth if flat!
• Vaccines produce autism! (huge)
• Humans are responsible for climate change!
• The Earth is only 6000 years old!
• Dinosaurs and humans lived together! (does not affect anything)
Where is the evidence? We cannot believe in something that goes against our interest. Why and
how do we believe these things? People believe in science when it is convenient to them.
Good Science Vs. Bad Science
Though there is no scientific information, people believe it.
Dorothy Nelkin posed the following question: Can we trust scientists? Before, they were seen as
hardworking, intelligent and in-lab research scientists. Today, media makes us believe they are
liars. What is validated as a good scientist? Why did they only point out for females that they are
wives and mothers? What about males? This information about males is ignored.
Sociobiology – Biological Determinism
• Determines who we are, how we became. It was an explanation of human behaviour
through genetics and DNA. It was an easy explanation and the media loved it. It explains
that behaviour is inevitable. It is due to DNA. No matter what you do, you will not
change.
There was a case in which big words were used to write a paper. This was done on purpose and
even though it did not make sense, the paper was accepted. It was published as it was. Science
was not so pure and this tells us that we should be careful with peer review journals as well. It
sounded good, it made no sense at all. Was it a good plan?
How are we being misled by scientists? Sometimes, nobody believes scientists.
People still believe the autism myth despite proving that this information was false.
Whose Data Counts – Part 2
January 17, 2018
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Paradigm Shift – change the way you think
In today’s time, we consider scientists to be a different entity. Let us say that we have two
different articles. One tells us that coffee is good for you, but the other tells us that coffee has
harmful effects. Which one would you trust? Many cultures have different beliefs when it comes
to health and life. How do we form our beliefs?
What if every study says that exercise is bad for us? How do I break my old belief system and
incorporate new knowledge?
As well, by how much does our biology and environment affect our behaviour? We have so
many unanswered questions in science that we are changing by the second. We must also
remember that in science, good information is really boring. Science does not leap ahead the way
journalists like to cover it.
Health has become a target for “fake news”. Take the example of vaccines. Many families are
refusing to give their children the vaccine with fear that is causes autism. We cannot isolate the
child from the classroom, but this puts everyone else at risk as well.
Humana ends with one line, “Believe in science!”.
Whose Data Counts – Guest Lecture
January 22, 2018
How do we know what we know?
• custom and tradition
• authority
• personal experience
• reasoning
• scientific inquiry
Deductive Reasoning:
• General assumption to specific assumption based on logical conclusions (broad to
specific). He went from mammals, to humans, to concluding that someone has eaten
within the last 24 hours.
Inductive Reasoning:
• Specific cases to general application. Based on empirical conclusion (specific to broad).
He provided the example of testing a drug on 1 person, to 10 people, to 100 people and
then to 1000 people.
The work of scientists, no matter how eminent or influential, is always judged by the quality of
their evidence and reasoning, not authority. What is the best way of knowing?
The answer: scientific method and reasoning
Hypothesis – deduction – predictions – observation – test of prediction – induction – REPEAT
Race and Racism – Part 1
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Blue monday: 3rd monday of january, most difficult day of the year, referred to as blue day , false, no scientific evidence to support this fact. We cannot believe in something that goes against our interest. People believe in science when it is convenient to them. Though there is no scientific information, people believe it. Before, they were seen as hardworking, intelligent and in-lab research scientists. Today, media makes us believe they are liars. Sociobiology biological determinism: determines who we are, how we became. It was an explanation of human behaviour through genetics and dna. It was an easy explanation and the media loved it. No matter what you do, you will not change. There was a case in which big words were used to write a paper. This was done on purpose and even though it did not make sense, the paper was accepted.
