Nonscientific Ways Research Articles

A Spatial Analysis of The Human Environmental Factors Affecting the Increase in Soil Salinity in Al-Qadisiyah

The human factor is one of the most important factors that can affect soil salinity , as man plays an important role in influencing and changing it through various agricultural activities such as tillage, levelling, agriculture, irrigation, drainage , fertilization, and the whole of these processes affect soil salinity either negatively or positively, if used in nonscientific ways that lead to soil degradation, salinization, and low productivity, and thus the loss of this vital resource that we need constantly. In this research, these aforementioned factors were studied in detail and the extent of their impact on the salinity of the soil in Al-Qadisiyah, as it became clear that there are a group of human factors that led to the emergence of the problem of salinity within the soil of Al-Qadisiyah sub-district, and that this phenomenon is expanding at the expense of arable land.

Science, Myth-Making and Mythologeme in the Formation of the Picture of Socio-Historical Reality

The article discusses the problem of forming a picture of historical reality in the context of the implementation of scientific in non-scientific ways of organizing it. Myth and science differ as qualitatively different stages of information objectification, mythmaking sets the irrational, and science sets the rational components of the picture of the world. Historical science represents a system of knowledge about the content, laws, principles and drivers of social evolution. The specificity of the picture of sociohistorical reality lies in the organic synthesis of rationally based knowledge and complexes of representations formulated at the level of phenomenological reflection, abductive interpretation, rules of formal consistency and other institutions that do not have the resources of objective verification. The mythologeme of the picture of social history is the result of a projection on the image of a historical event of the priorities of the culture of social reproduction and the imperatives of epistemological procedures for organizing historical knowledge.

Концепция ценностей А. Маслоу и возможности ее применения

In the modern information society a man is in the flow of a dynamic life. An avalanche of information falls on him, which has a strong impact on his consciousness. In this situation the question of human values becomes particularly relevant. The relevance of the values’ problem draws attention to the concepts that reveal new aspects in the determination, formation and functioning of values. Regarding it the A. Maslow’s concept of values, built by a researcher in the XX century on the basis of psychology, is of interest. The purpose of the research is to reveal the main provisions of the A. Maslow’s concept of values highlighting the moments of novelty in them, and to show its influence on the certain cultural phenomena, in particular astrology. The analysis of astrology is based on the material of works of D. Rudhyar, the famous philosopher and astrologer. Within the research such methods of humanitarian knowledge as the method of comparison, analysis and synthesis are used. It is need to separately note the method of philosophical hermeneutics, the main elements of which are understanding and interpretation of the text. The study of the A. Maslow’s concept of values and the possibilities of its application in culture allows us to outline the new ways of entering the applied axiology, which is closely related to the inner man. A new determinant of the genesis of values – psychological – is discovered. A. Maslow reveals that the basis of the formation of values is the person’s needs and abilities. It is on their basis the valuable and significant for a person is formed. An attempt is made to move the issue of developing values from a purely descriptive plane to a practical one, eliminating the gap between «what is» and «what should be». It is revealed the usefulness of applying the A. Maslow’s concept of values with the example of astrology, which is not exclusively descriptive but involves an active practical application of it by a person. Moreover, based on that, markers of human interests and his receptivity to various cultural phenomena, in particular, astrology, are identified. The revealed features give a new way of looking at the explanation of the reasons for modern people hobbies and addictions to different non-scientific ways of mastering the world, including astrology. The research seems to be significant for further investigation of the forms and methods of human mastering the world and his interests in various aspects of modern cultural life.

Explicitly Teaching Critical Thinking Skills in a History Course

Critical thinking skills are often assessed via student beliefs in non-scientific ways of thinking, (e.g, pseudoscience). Courses aimed at reducing such beliefs have been studied in the STEM fields with the most successful focusing on skeptical thinking. However, critical thinking is not unique to the sciences; it is crucial in the humanities and to historical thinking and analysis. We investigated the effects of a history course on epistemically unwarranted beliefs in two class sections. Beliefs were measured pre- and post-semester. Beliefs declined for history students compared to a control class and the effect was strongest for the honors section. This study provides evidence that a humanities education engenders critical thinking. Further, there may be individual differences in ability or preparedness in developing such skills, suggesting different foci for critical thinking coursework.

Special Education at the Crossroad: An Identity Crisis and the Need for a Scientific Reconstruction

ABSTRACTSpecial education is losing its identity—its visibility, distinctiveness, budget, and basic functions are all at risk. Special education functions include (a) sorting, categorizing, and labeling students who need it; (b) making the right comparisons; (c) honoring diversity but changing particular differences; (d) managing stigma; (e) making subjective judgments and risking errors; (f) dealing with students’ failures; and (g) adequate financing in addition to maintaining visibility and status and having its own budget and personnel. It cannot exist without these functions, all of which are criticized or on the decline. Special education must also be reconstructed on the basis of sound science, not alternative narratives or nonscientific ways of knowing that do not help students with disabilities learn all they can. The need for a scientific reconstruction and implications for special education’s future are discussed.

Hazards, Climates and Cultures: Reflections on Recent Scholarship and Proposals for Further Research

Writing in 2006 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, James K. Mitchell challenged social science researchers of hazards and disasters to broaden their research agenda. He advocated a move beyond simply applying existing social science insights to contemporary events to reflection on the larger project of the production of knowledge through academic research, the application of that knowledge to public policy, and the role of the social sciences in these endeavors. In particular, he urged consideration of the context-dependent nature of scientific knowledge on hazards, the relationships between scientific and non-scientific ways of understanding and responding to disasters, and the complex and often contradictory ways in which hazards can be framed, interpreted and understood. Ten years on from this challenge, this paper reviews scholarship that has addressed some of these concerns and proposes questions for further research. It argues that while social science research has advanced in some of the directions proposed by Mitchell, the challenge of complex, dynamic and contradictory interpretations of hazards and the implications of the provisional nature of knowledge remain understudied. It also suggests that while recent innovations in the co-production of hazards knowledge are welcome, there may be significant challenges to utilizing these approaches on a wider basis.

The Promise of Solutions from Increasing Diversity in Ways of Knowing: Educational Lessons from Meteorology, Ethnobotany, and Systems Ecology

The number of terms used for historically unrepresented types of knowledge in environmental management is large and growing. The emphasis on these “new” perspectives reflects a shift in how society values different ways of knowing. A primary reason behind this recognition of value is that fresh perspectives offer new problem framings, approaches to solutions, and linkages to other issues. Successes in collaborating across multiple knowledge domains have yielded new medicines, culturally appropriate regulations, and a better understanding of ecological dynamics, among others. These examples show the search for creative solutions cuts across disciplines, each of which has its own priorities, values, ethical practices, and approaches to knowledge creation. This review demonstrates how systems ecology, ethnobotany, and meteorology increase problem solving by legitimizing different ways of knowing. Pioneers in valuing nonscientific ways of knowing, they set the path forward for methods and theory used to inform research questions.

Polanyi and Newman: A Reconsideration

The author’s doctoral dissertation on the theological implications of the epistemologies of John Henry Newman (1801-1890) and Michael Polanyi (1891-1976) operated on the assumption that Polanyi’s work was independent of Newman’s. That assumption was wrong. Polanyi read Newman’s Grammar of Assent twice and took at least five pages of notes on it; he also had a copy of the book in his personal library when he died. He mentioned his reading to a friend, but indicated that he could not quote Newman because to do so would distort Newman’s meaning. The purpose of this essay is to defend the thesis that the similarities between the epistemologies are real and to speculate why diagramming the relationship between the two systems of thought was not a worthwhile project for Polanyi. When I wrote my Ph.D. dissertation, “Illative Sense and Tacit Knowledge: A Comparison of the Theological Implications of the Epistemologies of John Henry Newman and Michael Polanyi,”1 I believed that Michael Polanyi’s work was completely independent of John Henry Newman’s Grammar of Assent: “I cannot find any evidence that Newman’s epistemology in any way influenced Polanyi’s” (Personal Catholicism, xxii). Since that time, I have found evidence that Polanyi had twice read Newman’s Grammar of Assent (hereafter cited as GA). which raises the question of what kind of influence Newman may have had on Polanyi. Some of the evidence of Polanyi’s reading of the Grammar was available when I wrote my dissertation; it is my fault that I did not find it then. The most interesting note did not turn up until 2010, when I did a final survey of the material Bill Scott had collected for Michael Polanyi: Scientist and Philosopher.2 On January 27, 1959, Hugh O’Neill, one of Polanyi’s earliest and best friends from Manchester, invited Polanyi to give a talk on “Scientific and Non-scientific Ways of Thought” to a Newman association. Polanyi regretfully declined the invitation, then, in a postscript, told O’Neill that he had read the Grammar twice: The Athenaeum Pall Mall S.W.I

Non-Scientific Beliefs Among Undergraduate Students

A survey of over 11 000 undergraduate students’ knowledge and attitudes related to science and technology over a 22-year period included statements that probed faith-based beliefs and various aspects of pseudoscience belief and superstition. The results reveal that nonscientific ways of thinking are resistant to formal instruction, changing surprisingly little over the course of a college career that typically includes three science courses. The level of basic science knowledge among undergraduates is only weakly coupled to attitudes towards pseudoscience, and it coexists with attitudes and beliefs that are faith-based. These results provide a challenge for educators who seek to improve the generally low level of science literacy among college graduates and members of the general public.

Bureaucracy, Democracy and Exclusion: Why Indigenous Knowledge Holders Have a Hard Time Being Taken Seriously

This paper explores inherent tensions between two democratic ideals: citizen representation and accountability of the state. Specifically, I argue that the method by which state officials make themselves accountable—through their creation of the appearance of transparency—results in the exclusion of alternative, non-scientific ways of knowing, including those that are gendered, local and indigenous, because these ways of knowing often employ non-standardized methods which are not “transparent” in the same way as science and therefore easily dismissed by state officials as indefensible to citizens’ questioning. I explore this tension by drawing on examples from ethnographic work I completed with two groups of knowledge practitioners, Kwakwaka’wakw First Nations (Native American) traditional marine harvesters and government biologists, both of whom work with clams.

PS1-32: Doctor's Role in Their Patient's Healing: Practices of the Highest Performing Physicians by Patient Survey

Background: The MD Patient Communication Study aims were to improve the best practice communication behaviors of physicians during outpatient clinic visits and to collect physician perspectives of communication behaviors. Researchers have consistently found the top predictors of overall patient satisfaction are quality of the physician-patient relationship and contributing communications. There is limited understanding however, of the range of specific behaviors in the interaction associated with positive and negative patient perceptions and reactions. Methods: In phase 1, we conducted a naturalistic, observational study of 55 Kaiser Permanente Primary Care physician-patient visits using videotape recordings, and incorporating patient and physician reactions to the tape. The physicians, who practiced in Los Angeles and Honolulu, spanned the three strata of high, medium, and low historical patient satisfaction scores. In phase 2, a standardized six-question set was posed in semi-structured, 60-minute interviews to 77 of the highest-performing physicians on this patient survey, including 20 of the highest performers (top 5%) from the LA and Honolulu groups and 42 and 15, respectively, of the highest performing physicians in Portland and Oakland. These interviews were audio taped with permission, transcribed and coded for patterns. Results: This abstract addresses the 4th question: What role do you feel you play in your patients’ healing? Do you think you, as a doctor, contribute to your patients’ healing through non-technical, non-physical, or non-scientific ways? All physicians agreed but varied in their role. Representative quotes: Giving people the confidence to go through something. People feel better coming in and seeing/talking to you. People realizing they have the power to heal themselves their involvement is essential. Our relationship: Interpersonal connection is so powerful. The art of medicine is the art of healing. These narratives provide deep, coherent learning about physicians’ role in healing: relationship, education, empowerment, emotion, personal connection, hope. Conclusions: With primary care in crisis nationally, and specialists increasingly procedure-focused, understanding physicians’ role in patients’ healing, especially as it creates high patient satisfaction, is of great importance to sustaining the highest quality medical care and service.

Comparative Epistemology: Contours of a Research Program

This article addresses the question whether and how literary documents can be used to further our understanding of a number of key issues on the agenda of the philosophy of biology such as "complexity" and "reductionism". Kant already granted a certain respectability to aesthetical experiences of nature in his third Critique. Subsequently, the philosophical movement known as phenomenology often used literary sources and literary techniques to criticize and question mainstream laboratory science. The article discusses a number of literary documents, from Moby-Dick to Jurassic Park, that explicitly stage a confrontation between scientific and non-scientific ways of experiencing and understanding the natural world. Special attention is given to the work of Michael Crichton. Its relevance for the philosophy of biology is pointed out.

Criminal Investigations and Spiritual Quests: The X-Files as an Example of Hegemonic Concordance in a Mass-Mediated Society

Disillusioned by science's betrayal of its promise of unlimited progress and dissatisfied with the world it helped create, many Westerners have spurned science and turned to nonscientific ways of knowing. The X-Files, a television series broadcast on the Fox network, is a site where the tension between Western science and nonscientific ways of knowing is dramatically depicted. The present study explores this tension using Condit's model of hegemony in a mass-mediated society. Although the X-Files appears to challenge science's privileged position within Western culture as the sanctioned means of developing an understanding of and control over natural phenomena, this study suggests that the series actually reaffirms the dominance of science while acknowledging the presence of alternative ways of knowing, thus serving as an example of the kind of accommodation that Condit says makes hegemonic concordance possible.

The Search for Useful Methodologies in Occupational Science

Debate currently exists on the soundness of various research methodologies in the social sciences. In the present paper, this question is addressed in relation to the emerging discipline of occupational science. First, the discipline of occupational science is defined. Next, two competing methodologies--Paradigm 1, Positivistic, and Paradigm 2, Naturalistic--are contrasted. The criteria of genuineness and trustworthiness are proposed as crucial for the evaluation of the soundness of available research methodologies for the extension of occupational science. Next, exemplars of research methodologies that meet these criteria are described. In the conclusion, the role that nonscientific ways of knowing, such as art and literature, may play in the understanding of human occupation is discussed.