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• Zara Akhtar
• Camilla Hagevik, Diana Omemehin, Jeremy Jesudasan
• April 3rd - April 12th
• AOK Badge: Human Sciences
• Averages

Journal 4/5/17

We just finished watching a video about the scientific method, and I think it was really interesting how he mentioned the difference between science and philosophy. Even though we think that they are two different things, we can sometimes get them confused and mix them up. This is because we have never really drawn a line between the two. He used an example such as the Big Bang, and how there has always been an ongoing debate between religious and scientific scholars about the origins of the universe. Religious scholars claim that God created it, while scientific scholars credit theories such as the Big Bang. But, they both are ideas of philosophy and not science since the origin of the universe cannot actually be proven. The idea of the Big Bang and evolution is not observable, and there is no hard, compelling piece of evidence that proves either side. I think that his main point was that we should not automatically believe everything we are told just because we deem it “science,” as it can be wrong. We should question what we know and try to further our knowledge, and in doing so make new discoveries and learn about ourselves.

Journal 4/11/17

What did you learn today?

Today we looked at different elective readings and discussed them in our groups. I looked at the elective reading that talked about the SAT and how reliable it is in predicting success in college. There was a researcher who conducted a study that looked at a large number of universities that were test-optional, meaning that they did not require students to submit their test scores when they applied. In the beginning of the article, they discussed the massive amount of pressure that is on high school students to do well on the SAT/ACT. Many colleges immediately eliminate students from the pool who don’t have the required score, and don’t even look at the rest of their application. This can discourage students, and many won’t even apply to colleges which have a higher SAT score average. But, the study showed that there was virtually no difference between those who submitted scores and those who didn’t (the difference was extremely small and therefore negligible). It talked about how grades were a much better predictor of a student’s success in college. I think that this article was very interesting, as we are at the age where we have pressure to do well on the SAT/ACT. It just gives me perspective on how important the SAT actually is, and how I shouldn’t get discouraged by a bad score.

Three Knowledge Questions I encountered:

• How reliable is observation in the human sciences?
• Must science change over time? Why?
• How much certainty can be achieved in the human sciences?

Elective Reading

Anya Kamenetz -“Standards, Grades And Tests Are Wildly Outdated, Argues 'End Of Average

There was a researcher who conducted a study that looked at a large number of universities that were test-optional, meaning that they did not require students to submit their test scores when they applied. In the beginning of the article, they discussed the massive amount of pressure that is on high school students to do well on the SAT/ACT. Many colleges immediately eliminate students from the pool who don’t have the required score, and don’t even look at the rest of their application. This can discourage students, and many won’t even apply to colleges which have a higher SAT score average. But, the study showed that there was virtually no difference between those who submitted scores and those who didn’t (the difference was extremely small and therefore negligible). It talked about how grades were a much better predictor of a student’s success in college. I think that this article was very interesting, as we are at the age where we have pressure to do well on the SAT/ACT. It just gives me perspective on how important the SAT actually is, and how I shouldn’t get discouraged by a bad score.

Extension Proposal

Ted Talk by Sam Harris: Science Can Answer Moral Questions

https://www.ted.com/talks/sam_harris_science_can_show_what_s_right

Questions of good and evil, right and wrong are commonly thought unanswerable by science. But Sam Harris argues that science can — and should — be an authority on moral issues, shaping human values and setting out what constitutes a good life.

Badge Project Presentation Paragraph

How much certainty can be achieved in the human sciences?

It is difficult for one to achieve complete certainty in the human sciences because each person is unique and different. For example, in the 1940’s, when the Air Force designed cockpits based on the average measurements of the pilots, there were an unacceptable number of crashes. When they went back and measured thousands of pilots, across 10 body dimensions, they found that zero even came close to the “average” on all 10. So they concluded that they had to redesign the seats and so forth to be adjustable to each person. In this case, they used average measurements of the pilots to make the cockpits safe, but in trusting this average failed to do their job. Body size is a concrete example of what Anya Kamenetz calls “jaggedness.” There is no average body size, and by focusing the norm, one ignores the notion that each individual is unique, which is why a knower cannot achieve complete certainty in the human sciences. There are little to no theories or facts about human behaviour that can be applied to every person, leaving a grey area of variability. Overall, because each person is unique and different, it is difficult to achieve complete certainty in the human sciences.