Understanding paranormal beliefs and conspiracy theories isn’t just about misinformation – this course unpacks the history
Uncommon courses It is a cross series of The Conversation Us highlighting the unconventional methods of teaching.
Course address:
“Investigate the Pqus”
What prompted you to the idea of the course?
My professional work has been done Archeology in Central AmericaBut I was fascinated throughout my life with supernatural concepts. In fact, I thought about studying the UFO (UFO) community to research my doctorate in cultural anthropology.
I finally merged these two interests in my book.Nervous archeology: legend and past science“He studies the reason for the emergence of archaeology a lot in ideas about the mysterious and strange.
The popularity of supernatural ideas – from TV programs and thousands of podcasts to unknown flying objects The first page of the New York Times In Government investigations – He explained that a training course on supernatural culture will be an excellent way for students to taste social science research.
What does the course explore?
The article begins with pre -modern ideas on magic, legend and metaphysics. The narration that “Western” societies about the development of the modern world is that the era of enlightenment gets rid of the supernatural thinking of nature in favor of science. But the historical reality Not so simple.
With the emergence of the flag based on monitoring material evidence in the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries, the global superior view also emerged: theories about an inappropriate or hidden reality behind the worldly world, From the monsters To psychological forces. Some of these ideas have been associated with ancient religious concepts about sacred or strange phenomena, but not divine. Others were new – especially those that indicate the hidden presence of extinct creatures of prehistoric times or missing cities.
In both cases, the main element was the supporters of these ideas They often tried to support their presence With the type of evidence used in science, although their “evidence” was less than scientific standards. In other words, the paranormal contradicts the knowledge and the global view of modernity, but it also tries to use the concepts of modernity to oppose it.
The chapter is studying how this tension led to the production of “operations” of the twentieth century Like the science of riskWhich studies evidence of awareness outside the article, And encryption scienceWho searches on the ends of the earth for organisms related to the legendary past. We also learn About UfolologyWhose supporters gathered alleged contacts with technology and creatures from outside this world since the Cold War, where the Great Earth’s forces filled the sky with secret information High -tech aircraft And satellite ships.
With the conclusion of the chapter, we are studying how “operations” retreated after the Cold War, alongside The Cultural Capital of ScienceWho was the height of his general respect in the mid -twentieth century. Since then, proving the existence of supernatural things for institutional scientists has become less important in supernatural societies than promoting them on a wider scale than the public.
Why is this course related now?
Away from public attention to supernatural topics, the paranormal is intertwined with the social and cultural forces that have increased significantly The role of conspiracy speech In the United States and other places. In essence, both types of beliefs claim that they discovered somewhat of the supposed hidden knowledge.
Moreover, conspiracy theories that are now common in American political discourse are more rooted in supernatural ideas than they were in previous decades. Conspiracy theories about the assassination of John Kennedy or until September 11 were still largely in the material field. People have claimed that the “truth” was covered, but their arguments did not depend on metaphysical ideas. Today, the theories of the major conspiracy include Secret gangsThe mysterious symbols, symbolic words, and demonic powers and Fans outside the planet Earth.
What is the important lesson from the course?
Evidence must be verified on its own, regardless of whether or not it fits your point of view. I repeatedly find that students are having difficulty dealing with evidence without bias, whether this bias is conscious or not: “Knowing” that something should be true, or should be ridiculous.
One person appears to have confessed to his deathbed to falsify the image of the famous Luch Nice Lake, which made the skeptics happier. Another claims that he saw Bigfoot from a close distance, satisfying the believers. Without more evidence, they are both stories: nothing more, nothing less.
The issue is not in equivalence between the greatest concepts. Not all novels are based on a good basis on an equal basis. But students learn how to collect evidence, instead of simply relying on their internal sense of what is reasonable or not.
What will the course prepare students to do?
This course aims to help students identify useful and reliable information about allegations and events, and separate them from non -relevant or inactive sources or sources. The goal is not just a “critical thinking” that aims to combat misleading information, although this is part they should learn. Students practice evidence, but they also develop an approach to analyzing and understanding the phenomena behind it: how factors such as history, culture and power institutions, such as science and government, are also what people trust and what they believe in.
This article was re -published from ConversationAn independent, non -profit news institution that provides you with the facts and analyzes worthy of trust to help you understand our complex world. Posted by: Jeep card,, Miami University
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JEB Card does not work for any company or institution, consults with it, has shares in it, or receives funding from it that may benefit from this article, and has not revealed any related affiliations after their academic appointment.
