Communicating Science Effectively

Communicating Science Effectively
Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 153
Release: 2017-03-08
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0309451051

Science and technology are embedded in virtually every aspect of modern life. As a result, people face an increasing need to integrate information from science with their personal values and other considerations as they make important life decisions about medical care, the safety of foods, what to do about climate change, and many other issues. Communicating science effectively, however, is a complex task and an acquired skill. Moreover, the approaches to communicating science that will be most effective for specific audiences and circumstances are not obvious. Fortunately, there is an expanding science base from diverse disciplines that can support science communicators in making these determinations. Communicating Science Effectively offers a research agenda for science communicators and researchers seeking to apply this research and fill gaps in knowledge about how to communicate effectively about science, focusing in particular on issues that are contentious in the public sphere. To inform this research agenda, this publication identifies important influences â€" psychological, economic, political, social, cultural, and media-related â€" on how science related to such issues is understood, perceived, and used.

Science and Psychic Phenomena

Science and Psychic Phenomena
Author: Chris Carter
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 362
Release: 2012-02-22
Genre: Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN: 1594777055

A factual and conscientious argument against materialism’s vehement denial of psi phenomena • Explores the scandalous history of parapsychology since the scientific revolution of the 17th century • Provides reproducible evidence from scientific research that telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition, and psychokinesis are real • Shows that skepticism of psi phenomena is based more on a religion of materialism than on hard science Reports of psychic abilities, such as telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition, and psychokinesis, date back to the beginning of recorded human history in all cultures. Documented, reproducible evidence exists that these abilities are real, yet the mainstream scientific community has vehemently denied the existence of psi phenomena for centuries. The battle over the reality of psi has carried on in scientific academies, courtrooms, scholarly journals, newspapers, and radio stations and has included scandals, wild accusations, ruined reputations, as well as bizarre characters on both sides of the debate. If true evidence exists, why then is the study of psi phenomena--parapsychology--so controversial? And why has the controversy lasted for centuries? Exploring the scandalous history of parapsychology and citing decades of research, Chris Carter shows that, contrary to mainstream belief, replicable evidence of psi phenomena exists. The controversy over parapsychology continues not because ESP and other abilities cannot be verified but because their existence challenges deeply held worldviews more strongly rooted in religious and philosophical beliefs than in hard science. Carter reveals how the doctrine of materialism--in which nothing matters but matter--has become an infallible article of faith for many scientists and philosophers, much like the convictions of religious fundamentalists. Consequently, the possibility of psychic abilities cannot be tolerated because their existence would refute materialism and contradict a deeply ingrained ideology. By outlining the origin of this passionate debate, Carter calls on all open-minded individuals to disregard the church of skepticism and reach their own conclusions by looking at the vast body of evidence.

Controversial New Religions

Controversial New Religions
Author: James R. Lewis
Publisher:
Total Pages: 495
Release: 2014
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0199315310

Written by established scholars as well as younger experts in their field, this updated and revised second edition of Controversial New Religions offers a scholarly, dispassionate look at the new religious groups that have generated the most attention in the media and general public.

Controversial Issues in Social Research Methods

Controversial Issues in Social Research Methods
Author: Jerald Greenberg
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 335
Release: 2012-12-06
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1461237564

It is often said that one of the key determinants of a book's wmth is the extent to which it fulfills the reader's expectations. As such, we welcome this oppor tunity to help formulate the expectations of our readers, to express our view of what this book is and what it is not. We believe that fully appreciating this volume requires understanding its mission and how it differs from that of other books on research methodology. We have not prepared a primer on research techniques. We offer no "how to" guides for researchers-nothing on how to conduct interviews, how to design studies, or how to analyze data. We also have not prepared a partisan platform documenting "our way" of thinking about research. Very few, if any, attempts at proselytizing may be found in these pages. What we have done, we believe, is to bring together a number of recurring controversial issues about social psychological research-issues that have divided profes sionals, puzzled students, and filled the pages of our journals. Few scholars have missed reports arguing the sides of various methodological contro versies, such as those surrounding the merits or shortcomings of field research in comparison to laboratory research, the use of role playing as an alternative for studies involving deception, or the value of informed consent procedures, to name only a few examples. Our aim in preparing this volume has been to organize and summarize the salient aspects of these and other impmtant controversial issues.

Phenomena

Phenomena
Author: Annie Jacobsen
Publisher: Little, Brown
Total Pages: 502
Release: 2017-03-28
Genre: History
ISBN: 0316349372

The definitive history of the military's decades-long investigation into mental powers and phenomena, from the author of Pulitzer Prize finalist The Pentagon's Brain and international bestseller Area 51. This is a book about a team of scientists and psychics with top secret clearances. For more than forty years, the U.S. government has researched extrasensory perception, using it in attempts to locate hostages, fugitives, secret bases, and downed fighter jets, to divine other nations' secrets, and even to predict future threats to national security. The intelligence agencies and military services involved include CIA, DIA, NSA, DEA, the Navy, Air Force, and Army-and even the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Now, for the first time, New York Times bestselling author Annie Jacobsen tells the story of these radical, controversial programs, using never before seen declassified documents as well as exclusive interviews with, and unprecedented access to, more than fifty of the individuals involved. Speaking on the record, many for the first time, are former CIA and Defense Department scientists, analysts, and program managers, as well as the government psychics themselves. Who did the U.S. government hire for these top secret programs, and how do they explain their military and intelligence work? How do scientists approach such enigmatic subject matter? What interested the government in these supposed powers and does the research continue? Phenomena is a riveting investigation into how far governments will go in the name of national security.

Controversy Mapping

Controversy Mapping
Author: Tommaso Venturini
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 334
Release: 2021-12-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1509544526

As disputes concerning the environment, the economy, and pandemics occupy public debate, we need to learn to navigate matters of public concern when facts are in doubt and expertise is contested. Controversy Mapping is the first book to introduce readers to the observation and representation of contested issues on digital media. Drawing on actor-network theory and digital methods, Venturini and Munk outline the conceptual underpinnings and the many tools and techniques of controversy mapping. They review its history in science and technology studies, discuss its methodological potential, and unfold its political implications. Through a range of cases and examples, they demonstrate how to chart actors and issues using digital fieldwork and computational techniques. A preface by Richard Rogers and an interview with Bruno Latour are also included. A crucial field guide and hands-on companion for the digital age, Controversy Mapping is an indispensable resource for students and scholars of media and communication, as well as activists, journalists, citizens, and decision makers.

Forbidden Bigfoot

Forbidden Bigfoot
Author: Lisa A. Shiel
Publisher: Jacobsville Books
Total Pages: 1
Release: 2013-09-02
Genre: Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN: 1934631299

Mysterious footprints. Eerie screams. For centuries, if not longer, stunned witnesses have reported face-to-face encounters with the bizarre beasts responsible for mystifying us with the tantalizing evidence they leave behind. Countless books and documentaries have offered up the same explanation, that Bigfoot are nothing more than large, bipedal apes that mainstream science has yet to accept as real. But is this the truth, or merely disinformation? Now, Lisa A. Shiel--author of the acclaimed Backyard Bigfoot--presents the uncensored facts about Bigfoot in a meticulously researched, no-holds-barred exploration of the phenomenon. Forbidden Bigfoot exposes the startling connections between Sasquatch and other unexplained phenomena, from UFOs and fairies to stick signs and crop-circle-like formations. Shiel strips away the hype about claims of Bigfoot DNA evidence, touted as the ultimate proof, and explores what genetics and the fossil record can really tell us about these elusive creatures. What are the facts? Grab a copy of Forbidden Bigfoot today to find out! ------------ Originally published as three e-books, this complete version of Forbidden Bigfoot includes updated information and new illustrations, all presented in full color. ++++++ "[Shiel] offers us her very best, which is nothing less than a first-class study of the anomalous side of Bigfoot. ... [She] pulls no punches when she notes the spectacular failure of the [Bigfoot research] community to prove its point that the North American Bigfoot are simply unidentified and unclassifiedapes...be prepared for a wild ride into the world of Bigfoot that so many steer clear of. Their loss can be your gain - if you are prepared to think, and look, outside of the Bigfoot box." -- Nick Redfern, Mysterious Universe "Very highly recommended reading, particularly for non-specialist general readers with an interest in cryptozoological and related studies." --Julie Summers, Midwest Book Review "[This book] is an excellent read! ... [It] will be a classic book in BF world." -- Regan Lee, Frame 352: The Stranger Side of Bigfoot

Forbidden Bigfoot

Forbidden Bigfoot
Author: Lisa A. Shiel
Publisher:
Total Pages: 304
Release: 2013-09-02
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 9781934631546

Mysterious footprints. Eerie screams. For centuries, if not longer, stunned witnesses have reported face-to-face encounters with the bizarre beasts responsible for mystifying us with the tantalizing evidence they leave behind. Countless books and documentaries have offered up the same explanation, that Bigfoot are nothing more than large, bipedal apes that mainstream science has yet to accept as real. But is this the truth, or merely disinformation? Now, Lisa A. Shiel-author of the acclaimed Backyard Bigfoot-presents the uncensored facts about Bigfoot in a meticulously researched, no-holds-barred exploration of the phenomenon. Forbidden Bigfoot exposes the startling connections between Sasquatch and other unexplained phenomena, from UFOs and fairies to stick signs and crop-circle-like formations. Shiel strips away the hype about claims of Bigfoot DNA evidence, touted as the ultimate proof, and explores what genetics and the fossil record can really tell us about these elusive creatures. What are the facts? Grab a copy of Forbidden Bigfoot today to find out! This version of Forbidden Bigfoot has a black & white interior.

Parapsychology

Parapsychology
Author: Richard Broughton
Publisher: Vintage
Total Pages: 408
Release: 1992-03
Genre: Parapsychology
ISBN: 9780712652933

Discussing all aspects of the subject of parapsychology, this book describes the debates about the validity of paranormal experiences, distinguishes between what is "known" and what is speculation in each field and discusses research from India and Russia. Case histories are included.