Topic 1) Our Place in this Universe
How do we decide what is true? The Concept of Evidence
Humans are by very nature inquisitive seekers of knowledge. We attempt to understand how our Universe works in order to understand our place within it. Throughout history there have been commonly held beliefs and even scientific theories that have turned out to be... well, complete rubbish. We find it amusing to think that people (even well-educated ones!) once believed in theories such as spontaneous generation and the flat Earth.
But are we really any better at working out what is true and what isn't? When we consider modern-day misconceptions and how far our technologies have advanced, perhaps it doesn't really seem so absurd anymore. Perhaps when we consider our ability to instantly access information via the internet and our vastly enhanced ability to uncover the truth, the prevalence of misconceptions is actually far more embarrassing today than it was in the past.
Humans are by very nature inquisitive seekers of knowledge. We attempt to understand how our Universe works in order to understand our place within it. Throughout history there have been commonly held beliefs and even scientific theories that have turned out to be... well, complete rubbish. We find it amusing to think that people (even well-educated ones!) once believed in theories such as spontaneous generation and the flat Earth.
But are we really any better at working out what is true and what isn't? When we consider modern-day misconceptions and how far our technologies have advanced, perhaps it doesn't really seem so absurd anymore. Perhaps when we consider our ability to instantly access information via the internet and our vastly enhanced ability to uncover the truth, the prevalence of misconceptions is actually far more embarrassing today than it was in the past.
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"Our Place in this Universe" explores four important areas in Science:
1) The Big Bang Theory of the Universe
2) The Wave/Particle Nature of Light
3) The Theory of Plate Tectonics
4) The Theory of Evolution
Within each area, you will investigate:
1) The important features of these theories
2) The processes by which scientific knowledge evolves through observation and experimentation
3) How theories gain acceptance by the scientific community
4) What makes scientific evidence valid
Ted Talk: Battling Bad Science
Every day there are news reports of new health advice, but how can you know if they're right? Doctor and epidemiologist Ben Goldacre shows us, at high speed, the ways evidence can be distorted, from the blindingly obvious nutrition claims to the very subtle tricks of the pharmaceutical industry. |
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