“To be truly open-minded is to accept the possibility that you may be wrong, and that you are willing to change your position in the face of incontrovertible evidence.” – R. Finley

Most Recent Blog Posts

• How to Spot Fake Medical / Science Claims: Episode #2 – Scientific Studies, Marketing, and Bias - You have all seen it. You are in some online venue in which some controversial topic comes up in science, health, or medicine and invariably, someone will post a link to a “scientific” article supporting their claims. How do you determine what is valid and what is not? Let’s take a look: 1.) Website Links:… Continue reading How to Spot Fake Medical / Science Claims: Episode #2 – Scientific Studies, Marketing, and Bias
• Glyphosate Meme - I posted a new meme that’s making the rounds. Feel free to connect with me on my other social media networks if you also believe that science, critical thinking, evidence, and our planet is worth fighting for. 🙂 ~ Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, AmazingLife.Bio, Instagram, Snapchat ~ F
• Accepted two new teaching positions - I am now teaching at Ultimate Medical Academy full-time in which I will be teaching primarily General Biology. I have also accepted a position at Sonoran Desert Institute in which I will be teaching the Physical Sciences. I am looking forward to my new adventures.
• How to Spot Fake Medical / Science Claims: Episode #1 - Every few weeks, I’m going to post examples of pseudoscience and hyped-up claims to help the public develop the ability to recognize patterns of crap science. So, did you know? Holistic Ali is apparently confused. This is common pseudoscience that you are bound to run into especially among health conscientious groups. We should be passionate… Continue reading How to Spot Fake Medical / Science Claims: Episode #1
• Joining the staff at Valencia College - Hello readers, I have been offered the position of adjunct biology professor with Valencia college. This is an exciting opportunity. I am currently working towards my associate professorship which should be complete by next year. After I earn my doctorate, I will push for full-time opportunities. http://frontdoor.valenciacollege.edu/faculty.cfm?uid=rfinley1

“I am afraid that we are failing ourselves and our collective future. We need a society that encourages rational thought, critical thinking, intellectual honesty, humanism, freethought, scientific thinking, honesty, courage, and the freedom to question. In our schools, we need passionate educators that love their fields and who know how to impart that passion onto others. Teachers passing content knowledge exams and achieving high student test scores will not fix: our unsupported biases, our dichotomous political system, our religious and cultural intolerances, our greed, the celebration and perpetuation of violence, a rising anti-intellectualism, the constant fake news, and our gleeful and purposeful ignorances. To move toward a more enlightened world, we must continue to reach out through civic passion, patience, purposeful listening and understanding, self-reflective honesty, and we must produce truly decent and intelligent citizens for our youth to model. As educators, parents, and concerned citizens, we can begin by placing a foot on the right path, by at least modifying our curriculum in all fields, in ways which help to drive aspects of what we wish our society to eventually become. In time, hopefully we can produce a world that is far better off than where we are now. With conscientious effort, we can avert this idiocratic dark age that we appear to be spiraling into. It begins, with you.” – Reginald V. Finley Sr

What is Critical Thinking?

My favorite video about Critical Thinking by Qualia Soup:

Memberships

Society for Science & The Public |National Center for Science Education | Teacher’s Institute for Evolutionary Science | National Science Teachers Association | American Institute of Biological Sciences | Delta Kappa Pi | Florida Association of Science Teachers