THE CONSEQUENCES OF PSEUDOSCIENCE IN SOCIETY AND WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT IT

Friday, 27 September 2024, 5 PM, Minorite Church

Participants: Janja Hojnik, PhD., journalist Petra Lesjak Tušek, and Ema Marguč – a member of the debate club of the II. gimnazija Maribor.

The University of Maribor, in collaboration with the University of Maribor Library, is organizing an event revolving around the influence of pseudoscience, its consequences on society, and the importance of critical thinking. The event is intended primarily for students and high school students, but all are welcome.

First, we will watch a documentary about pseudoscience and its consequences, then we will discuss the manipulation of research publications and ideas that tend to be abused by online sources and social media, as well as the consequences this brings.

When it comes to online communication, one can notice an ever-growing loss of knowledge, the inability of critical thinking, and an increasingly more aggressive vindication of personal opinion as the only acceptable point of view. The goal of communication is no longer progress or social growth, but rather enforcement of one’s own opinion or selling of the product regardless of the price one has to pay (or one that society pays).

The participants of the round table will share their experience with the audience and call attention to what one should be cautious of when searching for or sharing information.