Walk down the High Street, or surf the internet for a while, and there is a fair chance you will encounter someone promoting exciting new beliefs. You may run into a religious person looking to convert you. You might be approached by someone promoting beliefs about psychics, or the healing power of prayer, or astrology, or alternative medicine, or perhaps some elaborate conspiracy about 9/11. With so many seductive, and occasionally even dangerous, belief systems and ideologies trying to draw us into their orbit, how can we best safeguard ourselves and others against what is, in reality, often highly irrational thinking? What are the key warning signs that we are being manipulated or duped? This course explores eight important indicators that we are approaching an 'intellectual black hole'.
Believing the Unbelievable: Cults & Conspiracy Theories, Fake News & Feng Shui
This is an In-person course which requires your attendance to the weekly meetings which take place in Oxford.
Overview
Programme details
Course starts: 21st Jan 2025
Week 1: Intellectual Black Holes and B.S.
Week 2: Appealing to Mystery.
Week 3: 'But it Fits!'
Week 4: 'Going Nuclear' - using Scepticism as a Defence.
Week 5: Semantic Sleight-of-Hand.
Week 6: Anecdotal Evidence.
Week 7: Psychological Manipulation.
Week 8: Appeals to Subjective Experience.
Week 9: Pseudoprofundity.
Week 10: Overview.
Recommended reading
All weekly class students may become borrowing members of the Rewley House Continuing Education Library for the duration of their course. Prospective students whose courses have not yet started are welcome to use the Library for reference. More information can be found on the Library website.
There is a Guide for Weekly Class students which will give you further information.
Certification
To complete the course and receive a certificate, you will be required to attend at least 80% of the classes on the course and pass your final assignment. Upon successful completion, you will receive a link to download a University of Oxford digital certificate. Information on how to access this digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will be able to download your certificate or share it on social media if you choose to do so.
Fees
| Description | Costs |
|---|---|
| Course Fee | £285.00 |
| Take this course for CATS points | £30.00 |
Funding
If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:
Tutor
Dr Stephen Law
Stephen Law is a Departmental Lecturer in Philosophy and Director of the Certificate of Higher Education at OUDCE. His research focuses on the philosophy of mind, language, metaphysics and on philosophy of religion. He also writes many accessible online articles and edits the Royal Institute of Philosophy journal THINK: Philosophy for Everyone.
Course aims
To provide an overview of several key warning signs that we are dealing with a seductive but ultimately irrational belief system.
Course objectives:
The course outlines eight key warning signs of such a seductive if ultimately irrational belief system, and provides many examples and variants. Students are also encouraged to identify their own examples. The course provides in-depth analysis of bad, yet seductive arguments, and explores in some detail how the illusion of rationality can be achieved and maintained.
Teaching methods
Lectures with accompanying slides interspersed with group discussion/seminar work. PDF notes are provided for every lecture. Advance reading is provided. Students will also receive written commentary on submitted assignments.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course students will be expected to:
- identify several key ways in which we can create the illusion that irrational belief systems are in fact reasonable;
- identify examples of belief systems that, while they might appear reasonable, are in fact unreasonable;
- understand some of the key ways in which we can be emotionally manipulated into belief without our realising.
Assessment methods
1.500 word essay.
Coursework is an integral part of all weekly classes and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework in order to benefit fully from the course. Only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work to the required standard.
Students must submit a completed Declaration of Authorship form at the end of term when submitting your final piece of work. CATS points cannot be awarded without the aforementioned form - Declaration of Authorship form
Application
To earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.
Please use the 'Book' or 'Apply' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an Enrolment Form (Word) or Enrolment Form (Pdf)
Level and demands
The Department's Weekly Classes are taught at FHEQ Level 4, i.e. first year undergraduate level, and you will be expected to engage in a significant amount of private study in preparation for the classes. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class.
Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS)
To earn credit (CATS points) you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online. Students who register for CATS points will receive a Record of CATS points on successful completion of their course assessment.
Students who do not register for CATS points during the enrolment process can either register for CATS points prior to the start of their course or retrospectively from the January 1st after the current full academic year has been completed. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.