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mmg's picture

Lingering questions and loopiness

I was always intrigued by the way different people behave, what behaviours are considered normal, and which come across as strange. The very thin and sometimes cloudy line between the two makes this more interesting. The idea that brain = behaviour seems credible, yet I am curious to know where individual life experiences, culture, thought come in here. Do our different brains process these things differently? Or is the way our brain processes these and other things determined by these factors? I will be looking at how this course answers that question.

 The idea of loopy science is appealing, it makes sense. A lot of science is always changing. Even the most definitive of rules have exceptions. (F=ma included). The only problem is that the way the general public is to anticipate that anything that comes from a scientist has to be ‘true’. Look at toothpaste ads, or dandruff shampoos – ‘70% of researchers say…’ or ’96% damage control, tested and proven’. It’s a cultural thing. Now if the producers were to say that this is true only for the cases tested, not many toothpastes will sell. What I am trying to say is that while the idea of loopy science is definitely credible, it is an idea that will be hard to put across to all of the general populace.  

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