Category: Skeptical Article – vic skeptics

The following two articles appeared in the Age, detailing the attempts by an evangelical Christian group to get religious Creationism studied in schools by claiming it to be a leading scientific theory called Intelligent Design. The Federal Education minister Brendan Nelson said that he approved of it being taught if parents wished.
“Creation crusade marches again, under new banner” (06/08/05) http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2005/08/05/1123125907323.html
“‘Intelligent design’ an option: Nelson” (11/08/05) http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2005/08/10/1123353386917.html
“Intelligent design-ists hide under science cloak” (12/08/05) http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2005/08/11/1123353439397.html

Letters

(12/08/05)

The end of critical thought

What is Brendan Nelson on about (“Intelligent design an option: Nelson“, The Age, 11/8)? To teach pseudo-creationism in schools View More Intelligent Design Letters 1

Homeopathy is an “alternative medicine” invented in the early 19th century by German doctor Samuel Hahnemann. Despite numerous experiments showing homeopathy to have no effect, it has become a multi-million dollar international industry with its own special rules in advertising law. In the 19th century, homeopathy was seen as a welcome alternative to dangerous medical practices of the time such as blistering, purges, leeches, and blood-letting. Although homeopathy has declined with advances in mainstream medicine, many people are nervous about the complex array of medicines that they do not understand, and which may have adverse side-effects. To them, homeopathy sounds great. Homeopathic remedies are advertised as safe. They have no side-effects, you can’t overdose, they are non habit-forming, and have no “use by” date. Why? Homeopathic preparations contain no medicine.
Some people feel better when they take homeopathic potions or pills. Some people don’t. In the modern world it’s easy to think that every time we are sick we should take medicines to make us better, (despite the fact that conditions like colds, flu and hangovers run their course and go away without medical intervention). Maybe homeopathic potions don’t work, but some people just View More Homeopathy

Taking a look at “Sensing Murder” – a shabby and insulting TV show
It is night in the suburbs. A street-lamp pole bears a tattered poster with the photos of three girls, information wanted. Under the bright star-lit sky stands an eldritch Rebecca Gibney.
“Many people are reticent to believe in psychic phenomena until there is scientific proof. What many people don’t realise is that there already is.”
At this, the stars in the sky coalesce into the Greek letter ‘psi‘�
“Psychic phenomena or �psi’ has been shown to exist in thousands of scientific experiments. Virtually all the scientists who have studied the evidence, even the hard-nosed sceptics, now agree that psi merits serious attention. The question is now no longer �What proof is there?’ but rather �What does the proof reveal about ourselves and the universe?’”
(Accompanying photographs show tests being performed with the words “Princeton University“)
Despite Channel Ten billing “Sensing Murder” as a show in which psychics work with police to solve murder cases, the police are not View More Sensing Nothing

“Primary Science Education – a Cause for Concern?”

In 1988, Bob Hawke introduced the term “The Clever Country” while opening Canberra’s Questacon . While attracting some derision, not least from many of the elite in Australia’s scientific community, the phrase did catalyse wide debate about the opportunities and difficulties confronting the Australian community in an era of enormous technological change. A focus on Education was inevitable.
At the same time, Victorian Education Policy underwent a sweeping revision. A plethora of year 11 and 12 courses were rationalized into the VCE, years 1 to 10 being subjected to the Curriculum and Standards Framework. The framers of the CSF held that the Curriculum could be divided into a small number of Key Learning Areas, and that prescriptive guidelines should commence at Junior Primary level.
Science is a Key Learning area. Victorian Government schools are required to provide a Science education based on the CSFII document, with non-Government schools generally following suit.
There is a wide range of passionately held opinions about the teaching of Science to younger students, but they can be categorized as follows:

• Is there sufficient emphasis and importance being placed on Primary Science?
• Who and what is Primary Science for?
• Is Science being taught well enough in Primary Schools?
• Should Science be taught at all, at this level?
• Does it Matter?

Chris Krishna-Pillay, Manager of CSIRO Education in Victoria will address these issues on Wednesday May 21 in The Barton Room, Whitehorse Inn Hotel, 5 Burwood Road Hawthorn.
(Transcript of the talk – May 2003 Talk) Admission is $10 at the door, with refreshments provided.
Chris will commence his presentation at 8.00 pm. We suggest you try the excellent bistro before the talk.
Whitehorse Inn Hotel has plenty of parking space, is a one-minute walk from Hawthorn Station, and is served by tram route 75.
Vic Skeptics are planning more events at this venue in 2003.

Related links

• http://www.asta.edu/primary/hardy_prisci.html
  • An address on the role of Primary Science, by Tim Hardy, Associate Professor of Education, University of Canberra
• http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/csfcd/sc/kssc.htm
  • Victorian Science Curriculum and Standards Framework (Primary = levels 1 to 3)
• http://www.atse.org.au
  • ASTE Website which contains their report on the teaching of Science in Australian Schools.

Teachers! There’s a new source of material designed to help you promote critical thinking in YOUR classroom! Australian Skeptics Teacher Resource http://www.skeptics.com.au/features/teachers.htm

Year 12 Psychology Exam Complaints (2003)

The VCE – year 12 – external Psychology Written Examination I was sat on Tuesday, 10 June by thousands of Victorians and contained an embarrassingly bad question about “mind over matter“.

1. Response from Lynne Kelly, Physics Teacher
2. Response from Ken Greatorex, Victorian Skeptics Secretary

Lynne Kelly

12th June 2003
Dear VCAA,
As a physics teacher of long standing, I was given a copy of this semester’s psychology exam by a very embarrassed psychology teacher. I was shocked to read Question 14.
Question 14, Page 19 reads:

Consider the amazing examples of mind over matter that you might have heard about or seen on television. For example, people lying on beds of nails, piercing themselves with spikes or walking on hot coals. How might an altered state of consciousness explain the resistance to pain in these situations?

For many years I have used the distribution of weight over the 1000 or so nails as an example of distributed pressure and a simple calculation by junior secondary students to show that the resultant pressure from each nail is far too low to cause pain. I have lain upon a Bed of Nails and can verify the lack of pain.
For many years I have used the pit of hot coals as an example of the difference between heat and temperature, and the importance of considering heat capacity and transfer in the calculation. My students know you can walk across a pit of hot coals without pain due to physics, not mind over matter – whatever that might be. I have walked across a pit of hot coals and can verify there is no pain involved.
What would well educated physics students do when confronted with Question 14? Will they be disadvantaged in the marking because they have studied physics?
What would poorly educated physics students take home from Question 14 except even worse physics?
The spike piercing bit is also explainable by simple science with no hint of View More Psychology Exam

Hogan, Peter (Ed.), 1992. pub Australian Skeptics Inc.
This small book gives the main arguments used by creationists against evolution (using original creationist material) with concise, readable rebuttals by science educators. Will help non-scientists understand why creation “science” can’t be taken seriously.
This handy little book is available for A$4.00 (including P & H) from Australian Skeptics Inc., Victorian Branch (Contact Details)
Also available electronically on the “Great Skeptics CD” (http://www.skeptics.com.au/features/news/greatcd.htm)

For more information

• Other Victorian Skeptics articles on this topic: Creationism
• Recommended books on creationism
  • http://www.skeptics.com.au/journal/creatrefs.htm

(Creationism articles)

The Great Debate: Creation v Evolution

One of the many amazing stories in the Bible is the story of The Great Flood. Before The Great Flood Noah was commanded by his God to build an ark (a large boat) and to collect a pair of all the animals on Earth. The Great Flood wiped out all the other animals, including humans, and those on Noah’s Ark repopulated the Earth after the flood subsided.
Given our present knowledge of evolution, genetics, geology, physics and archeology, few people, even practising Christians, believe the story to be literally true. However there are some people who insist that all the Bible stories are literally true. As well as the story of Noah’s Ark, they also believe that:

• The Earth and all living things on it were created in six 24-hour days.
• This occurred about 10,000 years ago.
• All present day animals are descended from those on Noah’s Ark.
• The theory of evolution is incorrect because it is not consistent with the Bible stories.

These are the fundamental beliefs of Creationism. But why are the religious beliefs of Creationists of concern to scientists? Does it matter if people’s religious beliefs are in disagreement with scientific knowledge? Scientists and science educators are concerned about Creationism because:

• The Creationists dispute the theory of evolution. Evolution is the foundation of biology and has great scientific credibility, so it is important to defend it from the misleading information presented by Creationists.
• Creationists claim to have scientific evidence for their beliefs, but their science is misleading and doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. The scientific community is concerned that non-scientists will be confused by this misinformation.
• Creationists want Creationism to be taught in science classes as an alternative theory to evolution. This is not acceptable to science educators, as it is a religious belief, not a scientific theory.

Darwin and the Theory of Evolution

Charles Darwin proposed the theory of evolution in 1859. He presented his theory after a five-year journey around the world as the naturalist on a British naval View More Creation v Evolution

Well-meaning or malicious, “clairvoyants” can be cruel to the grieving.
Skeptics sometimes find amusing the bizarre claims of clairvoyants, but there are many instances when their antics add to the trauma and heartache of bereaved people. Human tragedy is a fertile ground for clairvoyants, striking relatives and friends at their most vulnerable. Unthinking clairvoyants who offer unsolicited “visions” that add immeasurably to grief at this time are singularly unfunny.

Family tragedies

Of all human loss, the most difficult for any parent to imagine is the shattering sadness of losing a child. On Australia day 1996, Sarah Spiers, a secretary aged 18, went with friends to a nightclub in the business district of Claremont, a well-to-do suburb halfway between Perth and Fremantle in Western Australia. She knew the area well, having spent her schooldays in an adjoining suburb. Sarah left the club at about 2am and walked to the next street, where phone records show she called a taxi. When the cab arrived she was no sign of her. She has never been seen since.
Initially, police treated her disappearance as a missing person, perhaps a runaway. But her family knew this was not possible. She would never fail to communicate with her loving family, under any circumstances. Sarah had shared a unit with her sister and there was nothing in her background to indicate that she would voluntarily vanish. Her distraught parents searched for Sarah, printing posters and making public pleas for anyone holding her to return her safely.
Just four months later, Jane Rimmer, a 23 year old child care worker who had been to another Claremont nightspot, vanished in the early hours of the morning. Her body was found in bush 40 kilometres south of Perth. Police believed she had been killed within hours of her abduction. Panic set in when 27 year old lawyer Ciara Glennon vanished nine months later from the same strip around midnight. A serial killer was at large, the police said, and would strike again.
All this time Don and Carol Spiers had not View More Murders and Clairvoyants

The Australian Skeptics offer a Prize of AU $110,000 for proof of paranormal ability or incredible phenomena. This includes AU $20,000 “Finder’s Fee” for a person who finds a psychic who can demonstrate genuine ability. For more information see: http://www.skeptics.com.au/prize/index.html

International Skeptical Prizes

Many other organisations around the world offer similar rewards.

• 22 International prizes: http://www.aske.clara.co.uk/AwardList.html

(Creationism articles)

Peter Hogan Creates Concern Among Creationists

Vic Skeptics Committee member and Australian Skeptics Life Member Peter Hogan has cracked it for a mention in “Prayer News“, the official newsletter of the Creationist/Christian Fundamentalist organization “Answers in Genesis“.
Peter had an article in Australasian Science (Vol. 24 No. 1) warning readers that AiG was trying to get its supporters to donate subscriptions to Creation and TJ magazines to local and school libraries. Peter suggested it was important to make sure these magazines, which are anti-evolution, be classified as religion, and not as science, as AiG suggested.
He also jokingly suggested that a suitable classification would be “Myths & Legends“. AiG have magnanimously agreed to relegate their products to the “Myths and Legends” shelves – as soon as Evolution is also treated as a myth.

For more information

• discussion on “Answers in Genesis” : http://home.austarnet.com.au/stear/answers_in_genesis.htm
• “Australasian Science“: http://www.control.com.au