Jupiter, Venus, Comets &Velikovsky
A Science Classroom Activity To Teach Students Critical Thinking
For the Teacher
On the surface, this activity is about astronomy, but it is designed primarily to develop critical thinking skills. Hence it can be used in any science (or other subject) class where critical thinking skills are important. The intent is that students will apply the critical thinking skills they learn in this activity to the wide barrage of information they will encounter in their daily lives. Using a historical example that students are probably not familiar with removes the problem of preconceived notions and allows the teacher to concentrate on developing critical thinking skills.
The activity is designed to be easily adaptable to various situations. For example, adjust the sophistication of expected answers to the students' grade level. Students can do the research on the internet, in the textbook, or in the library. The activity can be assigned individually or in small groups. Feel free to make whatever modifications fit your situation.
Central Skill
Critically evaluating arguments that purport to prove or disprove some scientific point, to learn to distinguish between good and bad science.
Introduction
Pseudoscience, a generic term that has been applied to very bad science, is also called voodoo science or pathological science. There are way too many examples from astronomy and other sciences. Often the ideas don't go away; they reincarnate in slightly different form. Examples include astrology, magnetic healing, scientific creationism, UFOs, crop circles, etc. Students need to develop skills to distinguish between good and bad science.
Velikovsy, Comets, Jupiter, and Venus
In the 1960s and 1970s Velikovsky's book Worlds in Collision was quite popular. The first half was about Venus. Velikovsky argued that Jupiter spit out a comet. It passed by Earth causing all the Biblical plagues including stopping Earth's rotation and tilting its axis briefly. Finally the comet moved on and became the planet Venus. Few, if any, scientists took this work seriously.
Students should research comets, Venus, and Jupiter. Then they should write a few paragraphs commenting on the probability of this scenario based on what they learned about these objects. Make sure they compare the mass and size of comets to planets. They should also comment on the probability of a passing comet stopping Earth's rotation, tilting its axis, and causing biblical plagues. What mechanism could cause all these effects?
Commentary
The second half of this book is about Mars. You could also do a similar activity on the part about Mars.
Carl Sagan, a well known astronomer, spent a great deal of time and effort debunking Velikovsky's work. Educators should strive to give their students the critical thinking skills and knowledge base needed to debunk future similar ideas themselves. Rather than acting as an authority telling students an idea is wrong, teach them to critically evaluate the idea themselves.
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