Science or Superstition

Welcome to the course website for the Science or Superstition courses taught by George Matthews at Plymouth State University. Here you can find all the reading material for the course, assignments and the course blog. We will be covering one chapter in each two week section. Please see the calendar for more details.

• 📝 Blog
• 📋 Table of Contents
• Chapter 1: Introduction
  • 📂 1.1 Introduction
  • 📂 1.2 Using the Blog
  • 📂 1.3 What is science?
  • 📂 1.4 Critical Thinking
• Chapter 2: The Origins of Science
  • 📂 2.1 Ancient Greek Naturalism
  • 📂 2.2 Magical Thinking
  • 📂 2.3 Arguments and Reasoning
  • 📂 2. 4 Case Study: ESP
• Chapter 3: Modern Science
  • 📂 3.1 The Scientific Revolution
  • 📂 3.2 Perception and Illusion
  • 📂 3.3 Knowledge and Observation
  • 📂 3.4 Case study: Cryptids
• Chapter 4: Matter and Energy
  • 📂 4.1 A Second Revolution in Science
  • 📂 4.2 Logical Fallacies
  • 📂 4.3 The Logic of Explanation
  • 📂 4.4 Case Study: Salem’s Secrets
• Chapter 5: Explaining Life
  • 📂 5.1 Towards a Science of Life
  • 📂 5.2 Cognitive Biases
  • 📂 5.3 Chance, Uncertainty and Evolution
  • 📂 5.4 Case Study: Darwin in School
• Chapter 6: Understanding Ourselves
  • 📂 6.1 A Science of Mind
  • 📂 6.2 Fraud and Bias in Science
  • 📂 6.3 Science, Pseudoscience and the Demarcation Problem
  • 📂 6.4 Minds, Machines and Freedom
  • 📂 6.5 Science Denial
  • 📂 6.6 Case Study: Vaccines, Public Health, and Science Education
• Appendix
  • 📂 H5P