Generally, I am pleased to see so many improved performances on the final and in the class overall. Have a good remainder of the summer and I wish you all well in the rest of your university careers or else in the wide world after graduation.

- S.Walton

• Generally, people did very well on the final. I was pleased to see that most everyone seems to have studied hard for it. I was also very pleased to see a number of students whose final exam mark brought up their overall mark considerably.
• There were no multiple choice questions that were particularly difficult, apparently, at least none of them were consistently answered incorrectly. If you have any particular questions, fee free to e-mail me .
• The answer to both bonus questions was 'b':
  1. The best explanation of marginal knowledge systems is that they (b) "provide a pool of ideas that are used to challenge and develop orthodox ideas within science."
  2. The course promoted the idea that (b) "science is one of many legitimate knowledge systems, but the most useful for testing reality."
• Finals will available in Atkinson College, rm. 625, after Wednesday 11 August for inspection only. Those who provided SASEs should receive copies of their exam sometime next week, Canada Post willing...
• Comments on the essay question

  Part I was designed to force people to think not about the particular facts they had learned in class, but to think about the connections that the various pseudoscientific topics we have covered have to society at large. In general, better mar ks (5) were reserved for people who demonstrated an understanding or a suggestion of why it is that many of the pseudosciences remain so popular, despite considerable (if not overwhelming) evidence against them. Below are some of the elements that were k ey to providing a comprehensive answer to each topic (Note: these are not the canonical answers; this and much more was accepted):

  Part A
  
  • Occult Science in the Scientific Revolution: this refers specifically to the 16th and 17th century and ideas like alchemy and numerology. Social beliefs include the strong leaning towards Neo-Pythagoreanism for the belief that numbers are sign ificant, if not crucial to the makeup of the world. Additionally, there was a strong belief that there were "unknown" (occult) forces at work throughout nature and that these were yet another manifestation of God's work.
  • Astrology: Personal beliefs include a desire for a quick fix to our problems, simple (positive) answers to life's complex problems, and certainty in an uncertain world. Societally, the distrust of science and its lack of moral guidance contrib ute to the belief in Astrology as well. The Forer (Barnum) effect and subjective validation came into play as well.
  • Velikovsky: Societal beliefs included a lack of scientific training in the 1950s as well as a general belief in the truth of the Bible. People were also prone to believe anything with lots of obscure references and footnotes. Additionaly, an all-encompassing theory is generally more easily believed (regardless of its truth value) than a small, inconsequential one (i.e. it plays to our desire for simplicity and completeness)

    Part B
    

  • UFOs: here Sagan's ideas of why we believe were key. You need not have mentioned all of them, just a few: replaces religion, distrust of government, excitement, and love of mystery.
  • N-Rays: this one could be answered fairly straight from your notes and the reasons why Blondlot and other French scientists saw the N-rays: French desire to make a discovery; belief that the U. of Nancy would soon have a discovery because of th e large number of stellar faculty; French investigations of spiritualism; and the "old-boy" network in French science. Additionally, comments about Blondlot's commitment threshold were relevant, too.
  • Eugenics: Social beliefs included the existing class structure and that the power of the ruling elite was a (somehow) good thing. Individual beliefs were not only that people tend to compare themselves with others, want to be better (along som e axis) than others, and desire to have their family prosper. Additionally, Eugenics fit well within the rise of the middle class, where you could work to "better" yourself and your family (few people realized that Eugenics was not only an upper-c las thing).

    Part C
    

  • Parapsychology: Shermer's reasons for why we believe came in handy here: simple explanations for a complex world; hope for a better world; positive reinforcement that we are good people; etc. In addition, a distrust of science and a belief tha t "science doesn't have all the answers" feed the belief in psi-force. You might also have mentioned a confluence of parapsychology and New Age thinking as a societal belief.
  • Holocaust Denial: The main ideas here are that generally people are ignorant of history and that there are still many latent racist ideas floating around society. Additionally, a few people realized that a belief in HD is in some small way an attempt to not have to believe that "we" could have been so evil (i.e. a poly-anna-ish belief in the goodness of humanity).
  • Hyperdiffusionism: the general social beliefs here are ones of nationalism and racism. Individual beliefs are the same and blend into those of society, generally.

  ---

  Part II was graded with a great deal of latitude and most everybody did very well. I cannot claim that there is a definitive correct answer. No one was penalized for either a yes or no answer. The only way that answers "lost" points was if t hey simply made assertions and did not answer the "how" part of the question or it they said "yes and no" without providing a way to discriminate between the times when the answer was yes and the times it was no. Overall, the class answered about 30% "no ", 20% "yes", and 50% "yes and no".

  My personal belief is that science should not take beliefs into account for its internal investigations, but then when it come time to apply the scientific results, it must pay attention to how society is structured. But, science should not be afraid to "offend" anyone. If we discover a truth about nature that is somehow uncomfortable to society, then society may have to change. If we wish to keep a cherished belief that conflicts with science, we must work doubly hard to maintain it, all the while consciously realizing that the belief is just a belief, but nonetheless an important belief to us. There will undoubtedly be those who argue that it is a false belief and then work to undermine the belief, but consciously identifying it as a belief has the benefit of making us realize what we believe to be good/right/proper about our society is a social construct. Many will argue that society already acts in many ways which are contrary to nature (laws against interpersonal aggression, fo r example), but that such actions are for the "greater good" and should take precedence over out "natural" state.

  Anyway, for what it is worth, I was impressed with many of your comments on Part II. In future, I hope you will consider this dilemma between the "truths" of science and the "beliefs" of society in your careers and personal lives. And even if no one 's beliefs get changed, you will at least stop a moment and realize that they are beliefs and not necessarily based on any tangible evidence.