Critical Thinking, for the Rest of Us
Have you ever wondered what critical thinking is, whether it’s important, and whether it would benefit you to learn it? If so, this lecture series is for you, as I’ll be exploring what critical thinking is and why it’s important in a highly engaging (hopefully) and accessible manner. You’ll learn about all kinds of things, including the Socrate method, informal fallacies, and the rudiments of argumentation. Having been created in collaboration with the critical thinking expert Benjamin Moss, this lecture series is sure to leave your mind a bit more dangerous than it was before encountering it.
The Power of Critical Thinking
Welcome to the first lecture in the series Critical Thinking, for the Rest of Us. Here I sketch out the scope, aim, and format of Critical Thinking, for the Rest of Us and introduce critical thinking generally.
If you’d like to purchase Benjamin Moss’s book Critical Thinking: Unleashing the Power of Reason, you can do so here.
Cultivating Curiosity and Open-Mindedness
Welcome to the second lecture in the series Critical Thinking, for the Rest of Us. Here I discuss the intellectual virtues, with special focus on curiosity and open-mindedness.
Cultivating Courage and Humility
Welcome to the third lecture in the series Critical Thinking, for the Rest of Us. Here I discuss the intellectual virtues, with special focus on courage and humility.
An Interview with Benjamin Moss
Welcome to the first interview, with Benjamin Moss, in the series Critical Thinking, for the Rest of Us. Here Ben and I discuss the timeliness of critical thinking in an age of seemingly infinite information. We also discuss the intellectual virtues and the role the emotions play in them.
The Socratic Method, a Timeless Thinking Tool
Welcome to the fourth lecture in the series Critical Thinking, for the Rest of Us. Here I give brief overview of the Socratic method and offer a few cursory ways you can apply it in your life today.
Exploring the Socratic Method
Welcome to the fifth lecture in the series Critical Thinking, for the Rest of Us. Here I dive deep into the four stages of the Socratic method and show how you can apply them in your personal and work life.
Understanding Logic and Argumentation
Welcome to the sixth lecture in the series Critical Thinking, for the Rest of Us. Here I finally address the elephant in the room, logic, by reviewing the structure of arguments and the three types of reasoning that hold it together.
Another Interview with Benjamin Moss
Welcome to the second interview, with Benjamin Moss, in the series Critical Thinking, for the Rest of Us. Here Ben and I discuss Socrates’ life, his method, and his method’s connection to the basics of logic and argumentation.
Understanding Common Fallacies
Welcome to the seventh lecture in the series Critical Thinking, for the Rest of Us. Here I discuss some common fallacies that plague our reasoning—such as the ad hominem fallacy and slippery slope fallacy—and suggest ways to combat them.
Understanding Cognitive Biases
Welcome to the eighth lecture in the series Critical Thinking, for the Rest of Us. Here I discuss some cognitive biases that plague our reasoning—such as confirmation bias and hindsight bias—and suggest ways to combat them.
Overcoming Biases in Decision-Making
Welcome to the ninth lecture in the series Critical Thinking, for the Rest of Us. Here I provide additional methods for overcoming fallacious and biased reasoning.
Yet Another Interview With Benjamin Moss
Welcome to the third interview, with Benjamin Moss, in the series Critical Thinking, for the Rest of Us. Here Ben and I discuss fallacious and biased reasoning, the relationship between the sophists and social media influencers, AI, and more.
Exploring Theories of Truth
Welcome to the tenth lecture in the series Critical Thinking, for the Rest of Us. Here I explore the correspondence, coherence, and pragmatic theories of truth and offer case studies to expand on each.
Mastering Critical Thinking in Science
Welcome to the eleventh lecture in the series Critical Thinking, for the Rest of Us. Here I discuss the relation between the scientific method and critical thinking, offer ways to distinguish science from pseudoscience, and more.
Critical Thinking in Everyday Life
Welcome to the final lecture in the series Critical Thinking, for the Rest of Us. Here I offer critical thinking techniques for combating information overload, discerning misinformation from disinformation, and more.
A Final Interview with Benjamin Moss
Coming September 3.
Welcome to the fourth and final interview, with Benjamin Moss, in the series Critical Thinking, for the Rest of Us. Here Ben and I discuss the relationship between critical thinking and truth, the importance of fallibility in theories of science, the concept of information hygiene, and more in the this, the final installment of the series.
