Here is a near-intact draft of the slides from my talk at #celt12 earlier today. If you download it, you will find that the native pptx file will have the videos embedded and will have retained the original animations. I'll be blogging about this soon...

4. 28%

5. http://www.gallup.com/poll/19558/Paranormal-Beliefs-Come-SuperNaturally-Some.aspx

6. http://goo.gl/Dkp8F

8. Policy-makers’ reticence towards academic
debate
“Sittin’ on the sidelines...cribbin’ an’ moanin’...”
“...I don’t know how people who engage in that
don’t commit suicide”

9. 2007 General Election
Seats
1st preferences
http://www.ronanlyons.com

10. http://goo.gl/MyPaH

11. Popular right now: The Internet

12. Data: http://www.gapminder.org

13. Hours per day spent on selected
leisure pursuits, by age (2010)
Relaxing/ Computer use
Age-group Reading thinking (for leisure)
15-19 .12 .11 .85
20-24 .16 .28 .65
25-34 .13 .18 .37
35-44 .16 .24 .29
45-54 .24 .25 .19
55-64 .35 .26 .29
65-74 .62 .55 .38
75+ .85 .64 .49
(US) Bureau of Labor Statistics
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/atus.t11.htm

15. @ThreeShipsMedia

22. HTTP://XKCD.COM/386/

24. February 28, 1998

27. BMJ (2011), 8 Jan & 15 Jan

28. “Failed in your duties”
“Acted against the interests 28 January 2010
of your patients”
Lancet paper was
“dishonest”, “irresponsible”,
and “misleading”, in several
respects and overall
Overall finding of “serious
professional misconduct”

29. www.ageofautism.com, 16 February 2010

30. The 10 worst anti-science websites
via skeptoid.com

31. Science vs. Pseudoscience
Differences of principle
Pseudoscience Science
Avoids falsifiability Valorises falsifiability
Vagueness in measurement Accuracy in measurement
Unproven as false = true Unproven as false = unproven
Confirmation bias Emphasis on refutation
Lack of parsimony Prioritization of parsimony
Reversed burden of proof Burden on claimant, not critic

32. Science vs. Pseudoscience
Differences of practice
Pseudoscience Science
Secrecy of data Publication of data
Science by press conference Peer review
Argument “ad hominem” Argument “ad rem”
Anecdotal evidence Empirical evidence
Appeals to holism Appeals to reductionism
Lack of theoretical agreement Acceptance of paradigms
Exaggerated importance of key
Shared endeavour
persons

33. Pseudoscientific features in the MMR-
autism controversy
• Science by press
conference
• Secrecy of data
• Vagueness in
measurement
• Confirmation bias
• Reversed burden of proof
• Exaggerated importance of
key contributors
• Argument “ad hominem”
• Anecdotal evidence

39. THE
END