An informal fallacy where you argue that because event A directly preceded event B, that event A caused event B. That is, because the two events correlate, that this then implies causation. This can also be thought of as a perceived relationship between two things that doesn't necessarily imply that one is the cause of the other. Clearly, this is a flawed position as correlation doesn't always imply causation. However, it is true that…
Read MoreIn May, the United States began relaxing restrictions that were put into place to prevent the transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Although federal guidelines for the reopening process were published, states have created and implemented individual plans for reopening. The result has been an unmitigated disaster. While certain states, including former hotspots such as New Jersey, New York, and Illinois have managed to “flatten the curve,” the majority of other states, including Florida, Texas, California, Arizona, and others, have seen record numbers of new cases of COVID-19 [1]. The United States, as a whole, is…
Read MoreWhether you believe that COVID-19-related estimates, specifically infections and deaths, are over- or under-reported depends almost entirely on where you get your news. This is an unfortunate result of these sources having diverging motives. Some aim to inform the public while others are advancing their own agendas. Discerning which is which can prove difficult, especially because many of the arguments made by nefarious individuals and organizations are…
Read Moreystems thinking is best described as a synthesis between reductionism and holism. Reductionism is the practice of analyzing and describing complex phenomenon on a simpler or more fundamental level while holism is looking at the same phenomenon and describing it in the context of the whole. If you were to view systems thinking as a spectrum, at one end would be reductionism and then holism would be at the other end. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, but to have the best description of the situation one should embrace the synthesis of the two, which is…
Read MoreConfirmation bias is this omnipresent cognitive force that is always influencing how we view the world. Even for the most rational thinkers out there; confirmation bias as is the case with all cognitive biases can only be minimized and never completely eliminated on the individual level. One of these mitigation strategies that can not only help you to minimize the effects of the influence of confirmation bias, but help you to eschew thinking in binaries (i.e., black and white thinking), is…
Read MoreCoronavirus, COVID19, or SARS-CoV-2 are all names that you've heard for the novel virus that was first identified in Wuhan China in 2019 and that's currently severely disrupting our way of life throughout the world. This is the same virus that has overwhelmed the healthcare systems of various countries, has been called a “hoax” by certain world leaders, has led to social-distancing practices implemented throughout the world, and forced us to…
Read MoreThe technological revolution, with its explosion of data and far reaching accessibility, has forever changed the way humanity consumes information. Whereas once upon a time, before the days of the World Wide Web, information (along with accessibility) was limited; those days are now long gone. Today, humanity is constantly barraged with digital information. Whether it is the overwhelming surplus of questionable content or clickbait that serves no other purpose than driving traffic for the sake of sales, there’s….
Read MoreMy first cell phone, back in the early 2000’s, was a Nokia 1100. The extent of its capabilities were basic calling, basic text messaging, and surviving high velocity impacts into hard surfaces. Despite 3G networks being commercially available two years before the Nokia 1100’s release in 2003, the phone operated solely within the 2G network. But what do these 2G, 3G, 5G networks mean, anyway? Do we just add a new digit every couple of years when the networks get better? Why are people worried about….
Read MorePerhaps since the dawn of the human race, people have looked to the stars and theorized colonizing our moon and other planets. The rapid technological advancements of recent decades, especially as it relates to space travel, have begun to make this interstellar proposition a genuine possibility in the not so distant future. Considering the rapid decline of our current planet due to climate change, among other serious concerns, many people are…
Read MoreAn informal fallacy where two options or an “either/or” situation is presented when more possibilities exist. This fallacy is ostensibly logical, but, on closer evaluation, it becomes clear that it is indeed sophistry as there exist more than two possibilities than were presented. This type of thinking obfuscates the nuances that accompany most situations in life. That is, in general, life is…
Read MoreThe revival of psychedelic medicine and its profoundly therapeutic implications in treating mental illness has been recently bolstered by some astonishing preliminary research. Headlines, such as the FDA “fast-tracking” psilocybin treatment for depression and declaring it a “groundbreaking” therapy” are certainly hard to miss [1,2]. Still, in the past such tenuous excitement has often been met with….
Read MoreThe magnitude of people across the globe affected by mood disorders, such as anxiety and depression, is astonishing. Unfortunately, the overall efficacy (or lack thereof) of standard treatments is somewhat depressing in and of itself. As such, the need for new or complementary therapies that are at least as effective, if not more, is pressing. In recent years,….
Read MoreIn the news we often hear stories of ‘scientific studies’ which make claims such as: ‘the most addictive food is pizza’, or ‘the MMR vaccine causes Autism’ [1,2]. Those same news outlets will also report on studies that have found new evidence of climate change, or the effects of cannabis on opioid deaths [3]. Often, the same studies are discussed on multiple news outlets regardless of….
Read MoreIn today’s day and age, health related content marketing is constantly bombarding us. Be it by the burgeoning CBD industry claiming their oil or tincture can remedy everything from anxiety and chronic pain, to countless health supplement retailers regaling the….
Read MoreA philosophical razor is a rule that cuts out conclusions that have a low probability of being correct. I use the phrase “low probability” because the nature of a philosophical razor is that it is a rule-of-thumb and not a formal principle. Razors are quite common in…
Read MoreThe advent of the Internet has arguably been one of mankind’s most innovative and powerful creations. The ability to share information has truly never been easier, and….
Read MoreThe scientific method is arguably the most valuable instrument for knowledge that we have ever invented. Nonetheless, it is not perfect as bad research does sometimes get published and the volumes of evidence generated are….
Read MoreA formal fallacy in which it is argued that because a perceived authority figure (or figures) believes a proposition (relevant to their authority) to be true, that proposition must therefore be true. This is also known as….
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