Teaching Critical Thinking Alone Is Not a Solution to Helping People Question Their Beliefs David Gurteen

Teaching critical thinking alone is not a solution to helping people question their beliefs, it simply helps them to better post rationalize their beliefs. Credit: David Gurteen People: David GurteenDavid Gurteen Keynote speaker, writer and conversational facilitatorBooks: David GurteenA Conversation Architect Designs Strategic Conversations David GurteenAPM Conference: Conversational Leadership David Gurteen (2016)Being Truthful Versus Telling … Continue reading Teaching Critical Thinking Alone Is Not a Solution to Helping People Question Their Beliefs David Gurteen

Enlightenment 2.0: Restoring Sanity to Our Politics, Our Economy, and Our Lives by Joseph Heath (2014)

In the book Enlightenment 2.0,  Joseph Heath outlines a program for a second Enlightenment. The answer, he argues, lies in a new “slow politics.” It takes as its point of departure recent psychological and philosophical research that identifies the social and environmental preconditions for the exercise of rational thought. It is impossible to restore sanity … Continue reading Enlightenment 2.0: Restoring Sanity to Our Politics, Our Economy, and Our Lives by Joseph Heath (2014)

Connecting Beliefs and Evidence David T. Moore

Thinking — or reasoning — involves objectively connecting present beliefs with evidence in order to believe something else. Credit: David T. Moore Comment: True reasoning requires a willingness to adjust our beliefs when faced with compelling evidence, a critical skill in both decision-making and leadership.Books: David T. MooreConnecting Beliefs and Evidence David T. MooreQuotations: David … Continue reading Connecting Beliefs and Evidence David T. Moore

Peter Boghossian American philosopher

Peter Boghossian is an American philosopher and an assistant professor of philosophy at Portland State University. WebsitePeter BoghossianWikipediaPeter BoghossianTwitter@peterboghossianYouTubePeter BoghossianGooglePeter Boghossian Twitter Tweets by Peter Boghossian Posts: Peter BoghossianImpossible Conversations Navigating conversations across ideological dividesBooks: Peter BoghossianHow to Have Impossible Conversations: A Very Practical Guide by Peter Boghossian and James Lindsay (2019)Impossible Conversations Peter Boghossian … Continue reading Peter Boghossian American philosopher

Perils of Absolute Certainty Peter Boghossian

Few things are more dangerous than people who think they’re in possession of absolute truth. Credit: Peter Boghossian People: Peter BoghossianPeter Boghossian American philosopherPosts: Peter BoghossianImpossible Conversations Navigating conversations across ideological dividesBooks: Peter BoghossianHow to Have Impossible Conversations: A Very Practical Guide by Peter Boghossian and James Lindsay (2019)Impossible Conversations Peter Boghossian (2019)Impossible Conversations Navigating … Continue reading Perils of Absolute Certainty Peter Boghossian

Bertrand Russell’s Ten Commandments for Critical Thinking Bertrand Russell

Perhaps the essence of the Liberal outlook could be summed up in a new decalogue, not intended to replace the old one but only to supplement it. The Ten Commandments that, as a teacher, I should wish to promulgate, might be set forth as follows: Do not feel absolutely certain of anything. Do not think it worthwhile to produce belief by concealing … | Bertrand Russell Continue reading Bertrand Russell’s Ten Commandments for Critical Thinking Bertrand Russell

Steven Sloman Professor of Cognitive, Linguistic and Psychological Sciences

Steven Sloman is a Professor of Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences at Brown University. Steven studies how people think: how we reason, make decisions and form attitudes and beliefs. WebsiteSloman LabYouTubeSteven SlomanGoogleSteven SlomanPosts: Steven SlomanThe Knowledge Delusion We know far less than we think we doBooks: Steven SlomanOur Beliefs Are Not Isolated Pieces of Data … Continue reading Steven Sloman Professor of Cognitive, Linguistic and Psychological Sciences

The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion Jonathan Haidt (2013)

In this book, The Righteous Mind, Jonathan Haidt shows how moral judgments arise not from reason but from gut feelings. He shows why liberals, conservatives, and libertarians have such different intuitions about right and wrong, and he shows why each side is actually right about many of its central concerns. Credit: Amazon The Righteous Mind … Continue reading The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion Jonathan Haidt (2013)

Trust Is an Essential Ingredient of Belief Formation Matthew Syed

Perhaps the clinching point is that trust is an essential ingredient of belief formation. Why? Because we don’t have the time to check the evidence for everything, so we have to take some things at face value. We trust doctors, chemists, and teachers. Even experts trust other experts, taking their data and outputs as inputs for their own … | Matthew Syed Continue reading Trust Is an Essential Ingredient of Belief Formation Matthew Syed

Our Beliefs Are Not Isolated Pieces of Data That We Can Take and Discard at Will Steven Sloman

Our beliefs are not isolated pieces of data that we can take and discard at will. Instead, beliefs are deeply intertwined with other beliefs, shared cultural values, and our identities. To discard a belief means discarding a whole host of other beliefs, forsaking our communities, going against those we trust and love, and in short, challenging our … | Steven Sloman Continue reading Our Beliefs Are Not Isolated Pieces of Data That We Can Take and Discard at Will Steven Sloman

Matthew Syed Journalist, author and broadcaster

Matthew Syed is a journalist, author, and broadcaster. Pursuing Cognitive Diversity | Matthew Syed WebsiteMatthew SyedWikipediaMatthew SyedTwitter@matthewsyedYouTubeMatthew SyedGoogleMatthew Syed Twitter Tweets by Matthew Syed Books: Matthew SyedMatthew Syed Journalist, author and broadcasterRebel Ideas: the Power of Diverse Thinking Matthew Syed (2019)Trust Is an Essential Ingredient of Belief Formation Matthew Syed Quotations: Matthew SyedTrust Is an … Continue reading Matthew Syed Journalist, author and broadcaster

Introduction: Knowledge Delusion We delude ourselves about what we know and how we make decisions

The Difference Between Sense-making and Meaning-making What Are Beliefs? Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close If we are to create a better world, we need to make better sense of things and improve the decisions we make, … Continue reading Introduction: Knowledge Delusion We delude ourselves about what we know and how we make decisions

Conversational Leadership Mindset Developing a Conversational Leadership mindset

Introduction: Practicing Conversational Leadership Three Questions for Meaningful Conversations Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close Many factors, including conversational skills and habits, shape our ability to practice Conversational Leadership effectively. However, the most impactful factor is our … Continue reading Conversational Leadership Mindset Developing a Conversational Leadership mindset

Stories and Narratives The subtle differences between stories and narratives

Oral Public Discourse Storytelling ** Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close Narratives shape our understanding of the world and reinforce shared identities and values within a society. In contrast, the stories a culture tells about itself and … Continue reading Stories and Narratives The subtle differences between stories and narratives

Avoiding Modern-day Colonialism Colonialism: the dominance, control, and exploitation by one group over another

Multipolar Traps or Moloch Traps Relationships ** Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close Colonialism has historically referred to the domination and control of one group or nation over another. However, the language of colonialism has recently been … Continue reading Avoiding Modern-day Colonialism Colonialism: the dominance, control, and exploitation by one group over another

What Are Mindsets? Ways of thinking, mental inclinations, dispositions, or frames of mind

Attitudes Values Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close Mindsets are our mental attitudes or approaches to a particular situation or task. They are shaped by our beliefs, values, and experiences and can impact our ability to adapt … Continue reading What Are Mindsets? Ways of thinking, mental inclinations, dispositions, or frames of mind

Conversation Covenant Creating a psychologically safer space for difficult conversations

Anecdote Circles Brainstorming Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close In challenging conversations, differing viewpoints can lead to tension and misunderstandings. A conversation covenant offers a structured approach to ensure respectful, constructive dialogue. By establishing agreed-upon guidelines, it … Continue reading Conversation Covenant Creating a psychologically safer space for difficult conversations

Knowledge and Information ** Knowledge and information are different substances

What Are Morals? The Argumentative Theory of Human Reason Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close Knowledge … Knowledge Our mind contains beliefs. We don’t know how these beliefs are stored, but it does not matter for my … Continue reading Knowledge and Information ** Knowledge and information are different substances

The Allure of Simple Stories We tend to readily accept uncomplicated narratives without verification

Trust & Belief Formation Our Tribal Nature Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close Many false beliefs feel convincing because they rest upon simple, appealing stories. We tend to readily accept uncomplicated narratives without verification. What drives this … Continue reading The Allure of Simple Stories We tend to readily accept uncomplicated narratives without verification

How Beliefs Shape Reasoning How political views influence the way we interpret data

Our Tribal Nature Science Curiosity Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close Political beliefs shape more than opinions—they can distort how we interpret facts. Research shows that even those skilled in numerical reasoning are not immune to this … Continue reading How Beliefs Shape Reasoning How political views influence the way we interpret data

Say So, If You Don’t Have an Opinion It's perfectly OK to say ‘Sorry, I don’t know’

Converse in Good Faith Carpe Diem – Seize the Day Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close If we don’t have an opinion, we should say so: In our modern-day culture, it is almost illegal not to have … Continue reading Say So, If You Don’t Have an Opinion It’s perfectly OK to say ‘Sorry, I don’t know’

Spectrum Street Epistemology

Street Epistemology Reverse Brainstorming Café Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close Spectrum Street Epistemology is a variation of Street Epistemology that encourages people to explore their beliefs along a spectrum rather than as fixed positions. Instead of … Continue reading Spectrum Street Epistemology