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    1. How would you go about teaching (or learning) critical thinking?

      I’m interested in everyday applications like noticing bias in commercial media as well as word-of-mouth and social media. Are there any principles or methods you know of that you’d consider...

      I’m interested in everyday applications like noticing bias in commercial media as well as word-of-mouth and social media. Are there any principles or methods you know of that you’d consider especially important?

      I’m also interested in any recommendations for online training.





      Edit: Wow! Since there are some great suggestions in the comments, I'd like to summarise them here:

      • Primary sources and secondary sources (fefellama)
      • Engagement (BeanBurrito)
      • Under The Influence by Terry O'Reilly [podcast] (chocobean)
      • Influence, marketing, motivation, bias, dark patterns, corruption, phrasing and choice of words (chocobean)
      • Multiple sources. Verbalise your thought process / question yourself (hobofarmer)
      • Advanced Placement English. Ethos, pathos, logos (Wisix)
      • Learning how to hold and study concepts without internalizing them. Not becoming emotionally dependent on “being right”. (bet)
      • Flaws in perception and processing. The Scout Mindset by Julia Galef: "the motivation to see things as they are, not as you wish they were" (Landhund)
      • Fact checking, exercises such as mock trials (chizcurl)
      • Not assuming that critical thinking transfers across domains (daywalker)
      • Falsifiability, scientific psychology, psychological bias, cognition / emotion / behaviour (daywalker)
      • 'Very Short Introductions' series by Oxford Press (daywalker)
      • Many ways to conceptualise "critical thinking". Appreciating the humanity of other people. (mieum)
      • Self reflection and acknowledgement of diversity (mieum)
      • The Unpersuadables: Adventures with the Enemies of Science [book] (gaywallet)
      • Being Wrong: Adventures on the Margin of Error [book] (boxer_dogs_dance)
      • Be curious and ask questions (Markpelly)
      • Empathy facilitates understanding and tempers reactivity (Aerrol)
      • Nobel disease or Nobelitis (saturnV)
      35 votes
    2. Has there ever been a time before where so much social change was occuring in quick succession of each other?

      I am not really someone who is well-versed in history, I never paid attention in high school, I couldn't wait to GTFO. I know what I know based solely on podcasts/debates/lectures I find on...

      I am not really someone who is well-versed in history, I never paid attention in high school, I couldn't wait to GTFO. I know what I know based solely on podcasts/debates/lectures I find on YouTube and what Hollywood brings to my attention.

      from my own knowledge, periods of social change (at least in North America):

      • the civil rights movement
      • women's suffrage movement
      • civil war (given it was fought to a great deal to end slavery)

      when it comes to social changes in history that is not based in North America, I know of only the broad strokes and none of the specifics, like I know the arrival of the printing press lead to a great deal of struggle in the same way that the arrival of social media has created a struggle, just the balance of power has changed.

      I also know that France went through a French Revolution that played a big part of its current political landscape and its secular status quo.

      However, something I have found interesting is that within the span of <10 years, we are experiencing a reckoning on several different fronts:

      • MeToo movement have rise to a long-needed discussion of sexual harassment and just a general gender reckoning in other ways too
      • the murder of George Floyd and subsequent protests gave rise to a global awareness that race-related issues
      • the Hamas attack on Israel has certainly pushed the discussion of Israel-Palestine to the forefront. Before the attack, I could not tell you the difference between Erdoğan and Netanyahu. That's obviously no longer the case.

      But it makes me wonder if this is unprecedented in human history that so many different issues of social change are being pushed to the forefront in very quick succession of each other or this is a repeat, that it's common for a civilization that experiences one changing in the social norm, to start experiencing other social changes cause they are always in the mindset or something?

      10 votes