mcozad829
Premium Member
I recently wrote a paper for school on the issue of critical thinking and I thought it would be useful to post here. I have modified it to apply directly to our hobby and this forum.
Facts, Theories, and Opinions; The Application of Critical Thinking
By: Michael Cozad
I am relatively new to this forum, but it does not take very long to identify the largest issue with online forums. While this and other forums are excellent sources of information they are also filled with endless accounts of theories and opinions disguised as fact. A fact is a relatively rare thing in science and extensive criteria exists for determining fact from theory. At the base of this criteria exists the scientific method, which cannot exist without the application of critical thinking. While the scientific method falls outside the scope of this paper, it is important to note a basic outline of the scientific method. The scientific method is a process in which a question is posed, multiple hypothesis are developed, controlled experiments of variables are conducted (using a control group), observations are made, hypothesis are disproven or not disproven, the experiment and results are then published to be replicated by peers. A hypothesis that is continuously not disproven becomes scientific theory. A hypothesis that can be proven by absolute proof becomes a scientific fact. As you can see fact is not an easy thing to achieve. Because of a lack of funds, time, willingness, and opportunity not much in this hobby will be evaluated using the scientific method. This is where forums come in, forums are a platform for discussing opinions and experiences, you are not likely to find much scientific fact or even theory here. When evaluating opinions and experiences you need to use another scientific process to determine the credibility of the claim. This scientific process is called Critical Thinking and falls directly into the scope of this paper.
Critical Thinking
While there exists no absolute definition that with which all will agree, the following is a common formal form of critical thinking broadly accepted in the fields of biology and psychology.
Critical thinking is a six step process used to evaluate information received, so that it may be determined to be beneficial or useless to an individual. The six steps are really just questions you must ask yourself about the information you have learned. I strongly encourage anyone and everyone to use this process before you make a decision about your tank that could be devastating.
What is the source?
Is the person making the claim an expert? What are their qualifications in the hobby? What do their tanks look like? Does the person making the claim stand to make money off of your decision? (i.e. LFS)
2. Is the claim reasonable or extreme?
The famous astronomer Carl Sagan once said: “extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence”. Does this claim solve a very complex problem with a simple solution? Example, “you can maintain perfect water quality and all you have to do is add 1 drop of x product a day”
3. What is the evidence?
How many people have tried this and what were their results? Is this a case of “it worked for me”?
4. Could bias contaminate the conclusion?
I read a thread recently where the author claimed that his blue tang was perfectly happy in his 60 gallon tank. Are you going to take that advice because you want to confirm your belief that you are practicing ethical husbandry by keeping your blue tang in a small tank? If you ignore the overwhelming majority and only listen to the claims that confirm your belief, you are exhibiting confirmation bias.
5. Does the reasoning avoid common fallacies?
“Common sense” cannot and should not be substituted for scientific evidence. If you are going to take something as fact or even theory, is it just because it makes sense? The world used to be flat because “it just made sense”.
6. Does the issue require multiple or different perspectives?
If you ask a pool guy how to kill algae you are going to get a dramatically different response than if you asked a zoologist. Likewise if you are trying to get advice about keeping a Moorish Idol, you may not want to take the advice of someone who only keeps Xenia. Different solutions work for different problems in different applications.
The goal of this post is to try and help people, and to keep them from making extreme or dramatic decisions based anonymous sources. In the end any and all decisions you make regarding your aquarium will be your decision alone, and you will reap the benefits or consequences of that decision. Happy Reefing to all!
These are the references I used in writing this thread;
Psychology; Core Concepts, By: Phillip Zimbardo PhD, Robert Johnson PhD, Vivian McCann
Biology 10th Edition By: Peter H. Raven PhD (Washington University), George B. Johnson PhD (Washington University), Kenneth A. Mason PhD(University of Iowa), Jonathan B. Losos (Harvard University), Susan R. Singer PhD (Carleton College)
Facts, Theories, and Opinions; The Application of Critical Thinking
By: Michael Cozad
I am relatively new to this forum, but it does not take very long to identify the largest issue with online forums. While this and other forums are excellent sources of information they are also filled with endless accounts of theories and opinions disguised as fact. A fact is a relatively rare thing in science and extensive criteria exists for determining fact from theory. At the base of this criteria exists the scientific method, which cannot exist without the application of critical thinking. While the scientific method falls outside the scope of this paper, it is important to note a basic outline of the scientific method. The scientific method is a process in which a question is posed, multiple hypothesis are developed, controlled experiments of variables are conducted (using a control group), observations are made, hypothesis are disproven or not disproven, the experiment and results are then published to be replicated by peers. A hypothesis that is continuously not disproven becomes scientific theory. A hypothesis that can be proven by absolute proof becomes a scientific fact. As you can see fact is not an easy thing to achieve. Because of a lack of funds, time, willingness, and opportunity not much in this hobby will be evaluated using the scientific method. This is where forums come in, forums are a platform for discussing opinions and experiences, you are not likely to find much scientific fact or even theory here. When evaluating opinions and experiences you need to use another scientific process to determine the credibility of the claim. This scientific process is called Critical Thinking and falls directly into the scope of this paper.
Critical Thinking
While there exists no absolute definition that with which all will agree, the following is a common formal form of critical thinking broadly accepted in the fields of biology and psychology.
Critical thinking is a six step process used to evaluate information received, so that it may be determined to be beneficial or useless to an individual. The six steps are really just questions you must ask yourself about the information you have learned. I strongly encourage anyone and everyone to use this process before you make a decision about your tank that could be devastating.
What is the source?
Is the person making the claim an expert? What are their qualifications in the hobby? What do their tanks look like? Does the person making the claim stand to make money off of your decision? (i.e. LFS)
2. Is the claim reasonable or extreme?
The famous astronomer Carl Sagan once said: “extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence”. Does this claim solve a very complex problem with a simple solution? Example, “you can maintain perfect water quality and all you have to do is add 1 drop of x product a day”
3. What is the evidence?
How many people have tried this and what were their results? Is this a case of “it worked for me”?
4. Could bias contaminate the conclusion?
I read a thread recently where the author claimed that his blue tang was perfectly happy in his 60 gallon tank. Are you going to take that advice because you want to confirm your belief that you are practicing ethical husbandry by keeping your blue tang in a small tank? If you ignore the overwhelming majority and only listen to the claims that confirm your belief, you are exhibiting confirmation bias.
5. Does the reasoning avoid common fallacies?
“Common sense” cannot and should not be substituted for scientific evidence. If you are going to take something as fact or even theory, is it just because it makes sense? The world used to be flat because “it just made sense”.
6. Does the issue require multiple or different perspectives?
If you ask a pool guy how to kill algae you are going to get a dramatically different response than if you asked a zoologist. Likewise if you are trying to get advice about keeping a Moorish Idol, you may not want to take the advice of someone who only keeps Xenia. Different solutions work for different problems in different applications.
The goal of this post is to try and help people, and to keep them from making extreme or dramatic decisions based anonymous sources. In the end any and all decisions you make regarding your aquarium will be your decision alone, and you will reap the benefits or consequences of that decision. Happy Reefing to all!
These are the references I used in writing this thread;
Psychology; Core Concepts, By: Phillip Zimbardo PhD, Robert Johnson PhD, Vivian McCann
Biology 10th Edition By: Peter H. Raven PhD (Washington University), George B. Johnson PhD (Washington University), Kenneth A. Mason PhD(University of Iowa), Jonathan B. Losos (Harvard University), Susan R. Singer PhD (Carleton College)
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