Junk Science Judo
A Short Course
Course Topics
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Course based on "Junk Science Judo" by Steve Milloy © 2001 Cato Institute. All rights reserved.
Junk Science Judo: Catching Cheaters
Science is the time-honored, systematic method of accruing knowledge about our world. The process of science is simple, it doesn't require an Einstein-like intellect. Best of all, the process of science never changes. So, you don't have to worry that what you learn today will be obsolete tomorrow.
Junksters typically try to sell you on the notion that some consumer product, everyday activity, or condition in the environment causes harm to your health. They try to establish cause-and-effect relationships, such as cell phones causing brain cancer, caffeine causing birth defects, or air pollution causing premature death. Junk Science Judo, therefore, deals mostly with causation issues.
Like any game, science has rules. Playing outside those rules is called cheating. Catching cheaters is what Junk Science Judo is all about.
