Normally I'd do my own homework, but this is something I think SDN would be really good at finding. The subject is "Find an online example of pseudo-expert or pseudo-scientific testimony that attempts to persuade it's audience of a false argument. Your job is not to prove why the pseudo-expert is wrong, but to explain how he or she uses fallacies or rhetoric to convince an audience."
I've found normal ones like 9/11 truthers and end-of-the-world fanatics, but I was hoping someone on SDN might know of a really far-out-there one. Possibly something like young-earth creationism or lolbertarianism, but I'd prefer things like flat-earth creationism or anarcho-libertarianism. Any ideas?
Someone posted an argument from a YEC author in SLAM under the title "From the other side..." or something. The fallacious reasoning between the strawmen and the equivocation and false equivalence is extremely easy to spot and expand upon.
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Dominus Atheos wrote:Normally I'd do my own homework, but this is something I think SDN would be really good at finding. The subject is "Find an online example of pseudo-expert or pseudo-scientific testimony that attempts to persuade it's audience of a false argument. Your job is not to prove why the pseudo-expert is wrong, but to explain how he or she uses fallacies or rhetoric to convince an audience."
I've found normal ones like 9/11 truthers and end-of-the-world fanatics, but I was hoping someone on SDN might know of a really far-out-there one. Possibly something like young-earth creationism or lolbertarianism, but I'd prefer things like flat-earth creationism or anarcho-libertarianism. Any ideas?
No pro-trek sites please.
I would recommend the Aquatic Ape theory for human evolution.
GALE Force Biological Agent/
BOTM/Great Dolphin Conspiracy/ Entomology and Evolutionary Biology Subdirector:SD.net Dept. of Biological Sciences
There is Grandeur in the View of Life; it fills me with a Deep Wonder, and Intense Cynicism.
I found the Wikipedia page for that and it seems to only link to scholarly sources or sources debunking it. Do you know of any more pop-sci sources that might be more trying to convince people of it and less discussion of it?
Dominus Atheos wrote:I found the Wikipedia page for that and it seems to only link to scholarly sources or sources debunking it. Do you know of any more pop-sci sources that might be more trying to convince people of it and less discussion of it?
Not off the top of my head no. You may be able to do a general google search though.
GALE Force Biological Agent/
BOTM/Great Dolphin Conspiracy/ Entomology and Evolutionary Biology Subdirector:SD.net Dept. of Biological Sciences
There is Grandeur in the View of Life; it fills me with a Deep Wonder, and Intense Cynicism.
EDIT: Also, you could try homeopathy, ear candling or other health quackery.
JULY 20TH 1969 - The day the entire world was looking up
It suddenly struck me that that tiny pea, pretty and blue, was the Earth. I put up my thumb and shut one eye, and my thumb blotted out the planet Earth. I didn't feel like a giant. I felt very, very small. - NEIL ARMSTRONG, MISSION COMMANDER, APOLLO 11
Signature dedicated to the greatest achievement of mankind.
MILDLY DERANGED PHYSICIST does not mind BREAKING the SOUND BARRIER, because it is INSURED. - Simon_Jester considering the problems of hypersonic flight for Team L.A.M.E.
If you´re looking for a far-out-there one you might want to look into the hollow world thing. I first heard of this from a guy on a trip back from Berlin.
He apparently believed that the world is hollow and that there is a big hole at the north pole that connects the outer world and the inner world. The inside is inhabited by Nazis who have access to alien technology and are working on taking over the world. (We don´t have any pictures of this hole because the American military is guarding it and shoot anybody who comes close, btw.)
The real Nazis during WWII were mind controlled by an alien race who want to take over the world. The alien plan failed and now the aliens are trying to take over the world by global warming. These aliens need a warmer climate and furthermore more CO2 to live. So the obvious solution is to turn our world into a world inhabitable by them and at the same time killing us off.
From his OP, it seemed more like a topic where the arguments use deception, lies, pseudoscience and logical fallacies, which on the surface look somewhat legitimate.
The hollow earth thing is a bit too patethic
In that context, most medical quackery is the best target, since they convince so many people who lack any critical thinking skills whatsoever, and the snake oil salesmen are very adept at smoke&mirrors - ie. they lie convincingly.
JULY 20TH 1969 - The day the entire world was looking up
It suddenly struck me that that tiny pea, pretty and blue, was the Earth. I put up my thumb and shut one eye, and my thumb blotted out the planet Earth. I didn't feel like a giant. I felt very, very small. - NEIL ARMSTRONG, MISSION COMMANDER, APOLLO 11
Signature dedicated to the greatest achievement of mankind.
MILDLY DERANGED PHYSICIST does not mind BREAKING the SOUND BARRIER, because it is INSURED. - Simon_Jester considering the problems of hypersonic flight for Team L.A.M.E.
Dominus Atheos wrote:Normally I'd do my own homework, but this is something I think SDN would be really good at finding. The subject is "Find an online example of pseudo-expert or pseudo-scientific testimony that attempts to persuade it's audience of a false argument. Your job is not to prove why the pseudo-expert is wrong, but to explain how he or she uses fallacies or rhetoric to convince an audience."
I'd take one of the medical quackery epics and run with that. The best place to go is the Quackwatch page run by Dr Stephen Barrett. It's HERE.
Nations do not survive by setting examples for others
Nations survive by making examples of others
JULY 20TH 1969 - The day the entire world was looking up
It suddenly struck me that that tiny pea, pretty and blue, was the Earth. I put up my thumb and shut one eye, and my thumb blotted out the planet Earth. I didn't feel like a giant. I felt very, very small. - NEIL ARMSTRONG, MISSION COMMANDER, APOLLO 11
Signature dedicated to the greatest achievement of mankind.
MILDLY DERANGED PHYSICIST does not mind BREAKING the SOUND BARRIER, because it is INSURED. - Simon_Jester considering the problems of hypersonic flight for Team L.A.M.E.
Holy shit, man, if Thanas sees this, he's going to roll his eyes so hard they'll pop out of their sockets!
...I know mine almost did. No recorded events before 800 AD? Really?
JULY 20TH 1969 - The day the entire world was looking up
It suddenly struck me that that tiny pea, pretty and blue, was the Earth. I put up my thumb and shut one eye, and my thumb blotted out the planet Earth. I didn't feel like a giant. I felt very, very small. - NEIL ARMSTRONG, MISSION COMMANDER, APOLLO 11
Signature dedicated to the greatest achievement of mankind.
MILDLY DERANGED PHYSICIST does not mind BREAKING the SOUND BARRIER, because it is INSURED. - Simon_Jester considering the problems of hypersonic flight for Team L.A.M.E.
