an online book by David Gurteen
A belief is an idea that we hold as being correct. It is an acceptance that something exists or is true, whether or not there is proof or evidence. For example, a belief that the earth is round or that fairies exist.
A belief is a subjective attitude that something is true or a state of affairs is the case. A subjective attitude is a mental state of having some stance, take, or opinion about something. In epistemology, philosophers use the term "belief" to refer to attitudes about the world which can be either true or false. To believe something is to take it to be true; for instance, to believe that snow is white is comparable to accepting the truth of the proposition "snow is white". However, holding a belief does not require active introspection. For example, few individuals carefully consider whether or not the sun will rise tomorrow, simply assuming that it will. Moreover, beliefs need not be occurrent (e.g. a person actively thinking "snow is white"), but can instead be dispositional (e.g. a person who if asked about the color of snow would assert "snow is white").
There are various ways that contemporary philosophers have tried to describe beliefs, including as representations of ways that the world could be (Jerry Fodor), as dispositions to act as if certain things are true (Roderick Chisholm), as interpretive schemes for making sense of someone's actions (Daniel Dennett and Donald Davidson), or as mental states that fill a particular function (Hilary Putnam). Some have also attempted to offer significant revisions to our notion of belief, including eliminativists about belief who argue that there is no phenomenon in the natural world which corresponds to our folk psychological concept of belief (Paul Churchland) and formal epistemologists who aim to replace our bivalent notion of belief ("either we have a belief or we don't have a belief") with the more permissive, probabilistic notion of credence ("there is an entire spectrum of degrees of belief, not a simple dichotomy between belief and non-belief").
Beliefs are the subject of various important philosophical debates. Notable examples include: "What is the rational way to revise one's beliefs when presented with various sorts of evidence?", "Is the content of our beliefs entirely determined by our mental states, or do the relevant facts have any bearing on our beliefs (e.g. if I believe that I'm holding a glass of water, is the non-mental fact that water is H2O part of the content of that belief)?", "How fine-grained or coarse-grained are our beliefs?", and "Must it be possible for a belief to be expressible in language, or are there non-linguistic beliefs?"
Credit: Wikipedia - beliefsGurteen Knowledge Blog May 3, 2021, 11:37I used to have a good friend. We could talk about absolutely anything and had some incredible conversations. He died a few years ago, and I greatly miss him. What I liked about him, but at the same time, what annoyed me was that he was a contrarian. Whenever I … Continue reading The Value of a Contrarian Thinker They help you question your beliefs
Anyone who values truth should stop worshiping reason. Credit: Jonathan Haidt Comment: Haidt challenges the idea that reason alone leads to truth. Too often, we use it to justify what we already believe. True wisdom comes from integrating reason with humility and a deeper awareness of our biases.Posts where this quotation is embedded Attitudes A tendency … Continue reading Anyone Who Values Truth Should Stop Worshiping Reason Jonathan Haidt (2013)
Close Pop-up All Episodes This is the source material used to create this podcast. Posts where this video is embedded Attitudes A tendency to think, or feel about someone or something in a certain way Avoid Anonymity Anonymity kills the conversation Avoiding Modern-day Colonialism Colonialism: the dominance, control, and exploitation by one group over another Belief Systems Our beliefs … Continue reading Rethinking Our Beliefs Podcast generated by NotebookLM
Gurteen Knowledge Blog March 15, 2021, 09:14As individuals, we know far less than we think we do. Our education system teaches us to accept and memorize so-called facts based on our teachers’ authority. We trust our teachers not to lie to us knowingly. We are not encouraged to question these facts, or at least not too … Continue reading Most of Our Knowledge Is a Delusion We know far less than we think we do
Gurteen Knowledge Blog June 30, 2023, 10:15I sometimes have conversations with people who don’t know much about a topic I’ve studied in depth. However, they still hold strong opinions about it and have a clear narrative to support their viewpoint. We are all susceptible to this phenomenon, but what is its underlying mechanism? We often encounter … Continue reading How We Construct Our Unfounded Beliefs And false narratives
Did you know that it’s actually possible for you to say “I don’t know enough about this to have an opinion”. Credit: Richard Feynman Posts where this quotation is embedded Attitudes A tendency to think, or feel about someone or something in a certain way Avoid Anonymity Anonymity kills the conversation Avoiding Modern-day Colonialism Colonialism: the dominance, control, … Continue reading It’s OK Not to Have an Opinion Richard Feynman
There is only one cause of unhappiness: the false beliefs you have in your head, beliefs so widespread, so commonly held, that it never occurs to you to question them. Credit: Anthony de Mello Posts where this quotation is embedded Attitudes A tendency to think, or feel about someone or something in a certain way Avoid Anonymity … Continue reading There Is Only One Cause of Unhappiness Anthony de Mello
Because so much disagreement remains hidden, our beliefs are not properly shaped by healthy scrutiny and debate. The absence of such argument also leads us to exaggerate the extent to which other people believe the way we do. Credit: Thomas Gilovich Source: How We Know What Isn’t So: The Fallibility of Human Reason in Everyday … Continue reading Our Beliefs Are Not Properly Shaped by Healthy Scrutiny and Debate Thomas Gilovich
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
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)
Gurteen Knowledge Blog October 2, 2023, 14:21In a post for my blook on Conversational Leadership, I explore how our deeply held beliefs rest on remarkably flimsy foundations. Though we argue vociferously over our ideas, we mostly do not understand how they formed and how to question them. I make the point that our confidence in our … Continue reading The Shaky Ground Beneath Our Beliefs Questioning our beliefs
New Discourses convened in October of 2019 in the National Liberal Club of London for a day-long conference titled Speaking Truth to Social Justice. There, Portland State University philosophy professor Peter Boghossian gave a talk about the need to “speak truth in the face of danger,” parrhesia, as the Ancient Greeks called it, as this … Continue reading The Way Forward Peter Boghossian (2019)
Rather than constantly questioning and challenging our beliefs and being willing to think differently about the opportunities that are out there, we withdraw into what we’ve done before. And in a world that’s rapidly changing, that’s a formula for vulnerability. Credit: John Hagel Posts where this quotation is embedded Attitudes A tendency to think, or feel … Continue reading Not Questioning and Challenging Our Beliefs Is a Formula for Vulnerability John Hagel
Your beliefs become your thoughts, Your thoughts become your words, Your words become your actions, Your actions become your habits, Your habits become your values, Your values become your destiny. Credit: Mahatma Gandhi Posts where this quotation is embedded Attitudes A tendency to think, or feel about someone or something in a certain way Avoid Anonymity Anonymity … Continue reading Your Beliefs Become Your Thoughts Mahatma Gandhi
Gurteen Knowledge Blog August 3, 2021, 11:07Occasionally a reader of my knowledge letter takes issue with one of my posts or quotations that reference certain other people or their ideas or even their tone. One or two readers have even stopped subscribing to my knowledge letter at the mere mention of someone’s name. Typically, they “do … Continue reading We Can Learn From Anyone There is always some signal
Gurteen Knowledge Blog October 23, 2023, 19:06Many of our false beliefs seem convincing because they rely on simple, appealing stories. My friend David Creelman recently highlighted to me the tendency we have to readily accept straightforward narratives without verification. In a post in my blook, The Allure of Simple Stories, I explore what drives this habit … Continue reading Resisting Simple Narratives The allure of simple stories
Organizational culture is the attitudes, customs, rituals, values and beliefs shared by the members of an organization that govern their behavior. Organizational culture is emergent. It is the result of the everyday interactions, behaviors, and conversations by the members of an organization. Culture is the way that we do things around here that we all … Continue reading What Is Organizational Culture? Dave Snowden
Street Epistemology is a conversational tool that helps people reflect on the quality of their reasons and the reliability of their methods used to derive their confidence level in their deeply-held beliefs. Credit: Anthony Magnabosco Posts where this quotation is embedded Attitudes A tendency to think, or feel about someone or something in a certain way Avoid … Continue reading What Is Street Epistemology? Anthony Magnabosco
Gurteen Knowledge Blog January 28, 2024, 20:15“Extraordinary claims need extraordinary proof,” a saying often credited to Carl Sagan, highlights a fundamental scientific and critical thinking principle. It means that if someone makes an unlikely or unusual claim, they need solid and convincing evidence to support it. Such claims, which go against what is typically accepted or … Continue reading Extraordinary Claims Need Extraordinary Proof The Carl Sagan Standard
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
Gurteen Knowledge Blog March 2, 2022, 16:19Here is my top tweet for February 2022. What are beliefs? Beliefs are ideas that we hold to be true. However, we have no evidence for many of our most critical beliefs. So why do we hold on to them so tenaciously? buff.ly/3sNt7d8 #KM #KMers #KnowledgeManagement #ConversationalLeadership #belief Knowledge Letter: … Continue reading Tweet of the Month February 2022 February 2022
It takes careful observation, and education, and reflection, and communication with others, just to scratch the surface of your beliefs. Credit: Jordan Peterson Source: X (Twitter)People: Jordan B PetersonJordan B Peterson Clinical psychologist and a professor of psychologyPosts: Jordan B PetersonFreedom of Speech Freedom of speech is not just another valueBooks: Jordan B Peterson12 Rules … Continue reading Scratching the Surface of Your Beliefs Jordan Peterson (2023)
For some of our most important beliefs, we have no evidence at all, except that people we love and trust hold these beliefs. Considering how little we know, the confidence we have in our beliefs is preposterous – and it is also essential. Credit: Daniel Kahneman Posts where this quotation is embedded Attitudes A tendency to … Continue reading For Some of Our Most Important Beliefs, We Have No Evidence at All Daniel Kahneman
video player Why do we believe things that aren’t true? | Philip Fernbach Transcript One Transcript starting at 2:10 to 3:38. (I’ve highlighted some of the text to draw attention to the more pertinent points.) As human beings, false belief is our birthright. It stems from fundamental principles that govern the way our minds work … Continue reading Why Do We Believe Things That Aren’t True? Philip Fernbach (2017)
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 … Continue reading Bertrand Russell’s Ten Commandments for Critical Thinking Bertrand Russell
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
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 … Continue reading Trust Is an Essential Ingredient of Belief Formation Matthew Syed
Community and culture are often confused. They are not the same. Organizational culture is the attitudes, customs, rituals, values, and beliefs shared by the members of an organization that govern their behavior. Every organization has a culture, good or bad, no matter what, but that does not make it a community. Credit: David Gurteen Posts … Continue reading Community and Culture Are Not the Same David Gurteen
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
Gurteen Knowledge Blog December 7, 2022, 15:30LessWrong is an online forum and community dedicated to improving human reasoning and decision-making. We seek to hold true beliefs and to be effective at accomplishing our goals. Each day, we aim to be less wrong about the world than the day before. Credit: LessWrong Like me, you may find … Continue reading Lesswrong: Aiming to Be Less Wrong About the World Than the Day Before Improving human reasoning and decision-making
The confidence people have in their beliefs is not a measure of the quality of evidence but of the coherence of the story that the mind has managed to construct. Credit: Daniel Kahneman People: Daniel KahnemanDaniel Kahneman Psychologist and behavioral economistBooks: Daniel KahnemanBelief Coherence Daniel KahnemanDaniel Kahneman Psychologist and behavioral economistFor Some of Our Most … Continue reading Belief Coherence Daniel Kahneman
Freethinkers are those who are willing to use their minds without prejudice and without fearing to understand things that clash with their own customs, privileges, or beliefs. This state of mind is not common, but it is essential for critical thinking. Credit: Leo Tolstoy Books: Leo TolstoyFreethinkers’ Mindset Leo TolstoyQuotations: Leo TolstoyFreethinkers’ Mindset Leo TolstoyTags: … Continue reading Freethinkers’ Mindset Leo Tolstoy
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, … Continue reading Our Beliefs Are Not Isolated Pieces of Data That We Can Take and Discard at Will Steven Sloman
Gurteen Knowledge Blog May 29, 2024, 09:31Intellectual humility and open-mindedness are vital for constructive dialogue. Polarization and confirmation bias hinder productive conversations on complex issues. Asking How could you or I be wrong about this? promotes self-reflection, critical thinking, and openness to alternative perspectives. Knowledge Letter: Issue: 288 (Subscribe)Tags: beliefs (67) | questions (24) | refutation … Continue reading How Could You or I Be Wrong About This? A crucial question to ask in a conversation
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
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)
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
The Difference Between Sense-making and Meaning-making What Are Beliefs? Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter If we are to create a better world, we need to make better sense of things and improve the decisions we make, especially when it comes to global issues such as climate change, regional and religious conflict, poverty, and … Continue reading Introduction: Knowledge Delusion We delude ourselves about what we know and how we make decisions
Introduction: Practicing Conversational Leadership Three Questions for Meaningful Conversations Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter Many factors, including conversational skills and habits, shape our ability to practice Conversational Leadership effectively. However, the most impactful factor is our mindset. Mindsets Let’s begin by defining a few terms to establish some context. Changing mindsets I have … Continue reading Conversational Leadership Mindset Developing a Conversational Leadership mindset
Oral Public Discourse Storytelling ** Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter 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 its history reveal what society finds meaningful and aims to pass on to future generations. Introduction In … Continue reading Stories and Narratives The subtle differences between stories and narratives
Multipolar Traps or Moloch Traps Relationships ** Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter Colonialism has historically referred to the domination and control of one group or nation over another. However, the language of colonialism has recently been used to describe other forms of control and dominance. Introduction The term “colonialism” and related words, such … Continue reading Avoiding Modern-day Colonialism Colonialism: the dominance, control, and exploitation by one group over another
The DIKW (data, Information, Knowledge, Wisdom) Pyramid Knowledge Only Exists in the Mind Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter There are several ways of attempting to “know something” (acquiring knowledge). Some of them are more reliable than others. There are several “ways of knowing ” or, more strictly, trying to “know something” (acquiring knowledge). … Continue reading Ways of Knowing Ways of acquiring knowledge
Introduction: Knowledge Delusion Three Forms of Reasoning Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter Beliefs are ideas that we hold to be true. However, we have no evidence to support many of them. False beliefs lead us to the wrong conclusions. We need to question and challenge our beliefs continually. What is a belief? Another … Continue reading What Are Beliefs? Ideas that are held to be true but not necessarily supported by any evidence
What Are Beliefs? Belief Systems Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter Making sound conclusions is crucial. Distinguishing between deductive, inductive, and abductive reasoning clarifies how we derive these conclusions. Understanding these reasoning forms enhances logical thinking and decision-making. Forms of Reasoning Reasoning is the process of forming conclusions, judgments, or inferences from facts or … Continue reading Three Forms of Reasoning Understanding deductive, inductive, and abductive logic
Three Forms of Reasoning Attitudes Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter Belief systems shape our understanding of reality. They are interconnected networks of ideas, not always accurate representations of truth. Examining and evolving our beliefs, while challenging, is crucial for personal growth and social progress. A belief system is a network of beliefs that … Continue reading Belief Systems Our beliefs are not isolated pieces of data that we can take and discard at will
Belief Systems What Are Mindsets? Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter An attitude is a tendency to think or feel about someone or something in a certain way. Over time, we tend to form our attitudes from our underlying values and beliefs, but other factors, such as our cultural environment, also influence us. Researchers … Continue reading Attitudes A tendency to think, or feel about someone or something in a certain way
Attitudes Values Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter 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 to change, solve problems, and achieve goals. What are mindsets? Mindsets are the collection of mental attitudes … Continue reading What Are Mindsets? Ways of thinking, mental inclinations, dispositions, or frames of mind
Anecdote Circles Brainstorming Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter 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 helps create a safe environment for discussing even the most difficult topics. What is a conversation covenant? … Continue reading Conversation Covenant Creating a psychologically safer space for difficult conversations
What Are Mindsets? What Are Morals? Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter Values are the basis of personal and collective judgments about what is valuable in life. They influence our decision-making on all sorts of issues, primarily social, environmental, and political ones. Values Acquiring Values Values are established as a result of life experiences … Continue reading Values Values are beliefs we hold that something is good or desirable
Values Knowledge and Information ** Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter Morals are values. They are a set of principles that help us evaluate and distinguish right from wrong, good from bad for ourselves and society. What are morals? Morals are values. They are a set of principles that help us evaluate and distinguish … Continue reading What Are Morals? Principles of right or wrong behaviour
What Are Morals? The Argumentative Theory of Human Reason Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter Knowledge … Knowledge Our mind contains beliefs. We don’t know how these beliefs are stored, but it does not matter for my purposes here. One point to note, though, is that beliefs are not stored in the form of … Continue reading Knowledge and Information ** Knowledge and information are different substances
The Extended Mind Rethinking Our Beliefs Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter Polarization of opinions is becoming more prevalent in today’s society and is creating both unrest at the societal level as well as conflict within small groups with different views. We are polarized across political, religious, moral, and racial divides. We fail to … Continue reading Opinion Polarization We are polarized across political, religious, moral, and racial divides
Opinion Polarization Trust & Belief Formation Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter Our beliefs are deeply rooted and are based on little evidence, yet we argue and fight over them. It is essential that we better understand the nature of our beliefs and how they are formed and learn to question and revise them. … Continue reading Rethinking Our Beliefs It is not easy to change our beliefs
Rethinking Our Beliefs The Allure of Simple Stories Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What we consider to be our personal knowledge is mostly a delusion. Most of the knowledge we think we own resides in other people’s minds. As I explained in the Knowledge Delusion, we each know very little. What we consider … Continue reading Trust & Belief Formation Trust plays a critical role in forming our beliefs
Trust & Belief Formation Our Tribal Nature Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter Many false beliefs feel convincing because they rest upon simple, appealing stories. We tend to readily accept uncomplicated narratives without verification. What drives this habit, and how do we overcome it? Why do we accept simple stories? Several intertwined factors make … Continue reading The Allure of Simple Stories We tend to readily accept uncomplicated narratives without verification
Our Tribal Nature Science Curiosity Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter 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 bias. Recognizing how ideology influences thinking is the first step toward making more objective, evidence-based decisions. The … Continue reading How Beliefs Shape Reasoning How political views influence the way we interpret data
Uncertainty ** What Are Cognitive Biases? Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter Online platforms personalize content based on past behavior, shaping what information we see. This creates filter bubbles and epistemic bubbles, limiting exposure to diverse perspectives. Recognizing these patterns helps break out of intellectual isolation and engage with broader viewpoints. Filter Bubbles A … Continue reading Filter Bubbles, Epistemic Bubbles and Echo Chambers Distort the reality of the world
Cognitive Diversity Turn-taking in Conversation Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter We all have our beliefs. Some held firmly; some held not so tightly. Some true, some false Some we are prepared to change. For others, we are prepared to die. One of my firmly held beliefs is that if we are going to … Continue reading Contra-conversations **
Ask Questions ** Say So, If You Don’t Have an Opinion Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter Converse in good faith: Converse with the intent to be sincere, fair, open, and honest, regardless of the outcome of the interaction. Converse in good faith In human interactions, good faith is the intent to be sincere, … Continue reading Converse in Good Faith Be sincere, fair, open, and honest, regardless of the outcome
Converse in Good Faith Carpe Diem – Seize the Day Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter If we don’t have an opinion, we should say so: In our modern-day culture, it is almost illegal not to have an opinion on an issue, regardless of whether we know anything about it or not. Confident ignorant … Continue reading Say So, If You Don’t Have an Opinion It’s perfectly OK to say ‘Sorry, I don’t know’
Reduce Emailing and Texting ** Tell the Truth Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter Show respect: We often show disrespect for people with whom we disagree. This is damaging to the relationship and society. However, we do not need to respect someone or their ideas to show them respect. The Problem When people disagree … Continue reading Show Respect Failing to respect one another negatively impacts the future for all of us
Speed-conversation Spectrum Street Epistemology Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter We all hold deeply rooted personal beliefs, many of which we have never questioned. Street Epistemology is a conversational technique based on the Socratic method, designed to explore our beliefs and our confidence in them. You can learn more about the method on the … Continue reading Street Epistemology Exploring deeply held beliefs
Street Epistemology Reverse Brainstorming Café Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter 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 framing discussions as debates, it invites participants to reflect on how confident they are in their views … Continue reading Spectrum Street Epistemology
