Critical Thinking Academy: Boost Awareness & Intelligence

Critical Thinking Academy: Boost Awareness & Intelligence

Easily learn the basics of critical thinking.

Every human needs these skills to keep from being cheated or fooled. Learn how to detect logical fallacies used by the best politicians and salesmen.

Course includes several handouts, including several free books, plus the Critical Thinking Checklist. Multiple examples are given of logical fallacies or other failures in critical thinking, so that you will know how to respond. This course can easily be finished in one day with an hour of video and over a hundred pages of handouts.

The course is divided into modules. The first introduces the basics of critical thinking and includes examples. Each subsequent module presents a topic and claims that have been made about that subject. Video lessons take those claims apart, piece by piece, and analyzes them using critical thinking.

Take this course to sharpen your mind for everything you do in life. Critical thinking skills are essential with any of life's important decisions.

• Managing a business,

• Voting,

• Purchases,

• Health,

• Finances,

• Marriage,

• Lifestyle choices, and

• Much, much more...

EXAMPLE OF CRITICAL THINKING:

One of the reviews for this course provides us with a perfect example of logical fallacies in use to argue against taking the course. Let’s examine this student’s comments to see how they stack up when put under the examination of critical thinking.

The student remarked, “It is a pretense to position critical thinking fundamentals to deliver conspiracy theories and climate change denial. I would suggest people google the instructor prior to taking the course.”

Pretense? No, there is no “false show,” here. This course and the discussions in it truly do analyze the arguments on the topics of climate change to achieve a more reasoned critical thinking. The second module (“Logical Fallacies”) adds to this by providing an in-depth look at how critical thinking can become derailed by fallacies like the ones used in the comment. Sadly, some use such attack fallacies to get people not to look at opposing facts. Critical Thinking is all about examining all sides of an issue, rather than ignoring them. Critical Thinking demands that we question everything, including our own beliefs.

The former student said, “...deliver conspiracy theories...” But what is a conspiracy? One of your free books provides evidence from numerous reputable sources that prove that conspiracies are, as the title says, “Dirt Ordinary.” This is no fantasy, or kooky topic. In fact, there are at least 489 new conspiracies starting every second, on average, every day, all year long and every year. Theories are called by scientists, “hypotheses,” and are used to explore the possible causes of observed, factual phenomena. A conspiracy is defined merely as a conversation between 2 or more people for the purpose of doing something unethical or illegal. Criminal selfishness is to the individual what conspiracy is to the group.

The use of the term, “denial,” is a pejorative, ad hominem attack, one of the logical fallacies about which you will learn more in the course.

The former student recommended that, “...people google the instructor prior to taking the course.” Knowledge is always a good thing, and I strongly concur with the former student’s recommendation, but with one very potent caveat: Don’t let anything you find out about any instructor dissuade you from investigating a topic more deeply. Facts are facts, no matter who says them. Judge the facts, not the personalities. Those who put on blinders will miss unique opportunities for discovery. Every viewpoint has value—even yours.

Learn how not to be fooled by marketers, salesmen, politicians, and others.

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What you will learn

• Become aware of logical fallacies when others attempt to use them instead of rigorous facts to argue a position.
• Recognize and overcome our own biases.
• Choose the right tools for investigation.

Rating: 4.1

Level: All Levels

Duration: 2.5 hours

Instructor: Rod Martin, Jr.