https://www.ted.com/talks/steven_johnson_tours_the_ghost_map
· According to the "Answering the Three Questions" video, in what way was the "miasmas" (bad smells) explanation inconsistent?
· How was Dr. Snow able to test his proposed explanation?
· Explain how Dr. Snow was able to demonstrate that he wasn't confusing correlation with causation.
· Good explanations are often simple, yet they can explain a lot. Explain how the story of Dr. Snow's "ghost map" drawing demonstrates this.
· Steven Johnson argues that the story of the cholera epidemic and Dr. Snow's map is "fundamentally optimistic." Explain whether or not you agree and why.
https://youtu.be/KoyDmwNwIKQ
· One of the nurses says, "I'm a nurse, and I know this for a fact." Explain how this comment could be used to illustrate the fallacy of unqualified authority.
· Point 5 in the Baloney Detection Kit asks whether anyone has tried to disprove this claim. What does the video suggest regarding this point?
· Point 6 in the Baloney Detection Kit asks where the preponderance of evidence seems to point. While this video depicts conflicting claims, it suggests that most of the evidence supports which side?
· In the flashback to the 1984 news report, the newscaster references a study conducted by a Florida researcher that demonstrated that more murders were committed during a full moon; Shermer then reveals that the study proved to be flawed. Using one of the elements of good vs. bad science detailed above, offer a theory as to what might have gone wrong in this scientific study.