Think It Through: the Clearer Thinking Podcast

Send us a textApril confesses to being a "big ol' nerd" while discussing three sneaky fallacies that sidestep evidence and shut down discourse.Episode 41 Show Notes:It's a study guide about the No True Scotsman fallacy! Hey, they're good for adults too: https://studylatam.com/no-true-scotsman-fallacy-in-philosophy/Another good article about No True Scotsman: https://practicalpie.com/no-true-scotsman/Rational Wiki is always a good go-to for fallacies: https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/No_True_ScotsmanWhat's cognitive ease? Here you go: learning-mind.com/cognitive-ease/Great article on the illusory truth effect: https://thedecisionlab.com/biases/illusory-truth-effectPatrick Stokes' article in The Conversation on why he's so tough on his philosophy students: https://theconversation.com/no-youre-not-entitled-to-your-opinion-9978Stephen Rainey's blog that discusses the concept of our "entitlement" to opinions: https://blog.practicalethics.ox.ac.uk/2019/03/entitlement/*I have begun using ChatGPT to organize and outline my episodes--it does a great job clarifying my ideas. I still do the writing, though, so I can't say it saves a lot of time!

Send us a textIn this episode, April talks about why good data (current, accurate, and trustworthy) is so important to good thinking. She is perturbed about the current administration's deliberate attempts to delete, change, or hide critical government data. However, she is also hopeful that the many efforts to protect and preserve this data will be successful.Episode 40 Show Notes--just citations because my explanations took up too much data... https://www.getrightdata.com/blog/why-quality-matters-the-10-biggest-data-quality-disastershttps://www.smorescience.com/data-driven-life-how-information-shapes-our-daily-decisionsexamples-of-data-in-everyday-life/ https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/airline-news/2025/05/06/newark-airport-radio-radar-failures/83471323007/ https://abcnews.go.com/Health/white-house-covid-web-page-page-supporting-lab/story?id=120956514 https://insideclimatenews.org/news/31012025/trump-administration-war-on-science/https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-book/climate-change-transparency-project-foia/2025-02-06/disappearing-data-trump?utm_source=chatgpt.com https://www.rheumatologyadvisor.com/news/key-cdc-health-websites-vanish-following-trump-orders/?utm_source=chatgpt.comhttps://www.cidrap.umn.edu/public-health/removal-pages-cdc-website-brings-confusion-dismay?utm_source=chatgpt.comhttps://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/02/06/nx-s1-5288113/cdc-website-health-data-trumphttps://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/20/trump-missing-murdered-indigenous-peoples-report-removed?utm_source=chatgpt.comhttps://www.newyorker.com/news/the-lede/the-data-hoarders-resisting-trumps-purgehttps://libguides.umn.edu/c.php?g=1449575&p=10778647https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Government_watchdog_groups_in_the_United_Stateshttps://journalistsresource.org/home/researchers-rush-to-preserve-federal-health-databases-before-they-disappear-from-government-websites/

Send us a textIn this episode, April attempts to unpack the complicated topic of propaganda, a form of persuasion used by corporations, advertisers, pundits, influencers, and political personalities. These days, it's important for critical thinkers to understand that there should be a delineation between propaganda and the kind of rhetoric used in democratic governance, to recognize propaganda and to avoid being influenced by it. If this sounds important--well, it is.Episode 39 Show Noteshttps://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/propaganda--this references the origins of the word propaganda and its original link to religious proselytizinghttps://www.thoughtco.com/propaganda-definition-1691544--Dr. Richard Nordquist's excellent ThoughtCo article about the difference between rhetoric and propagandahttps://researchguides.uoregon.edu/medialiteracy/propaganda --University of Oregon's Media Literary Research guide's deep dive into propaganda has some great information about how to determine if something is propagandahttps://researchguides.uoregon.edu/medialiteracy/propaganda --the Naab Research Center gives examples of positive uses of propagandaEmotional Campaigning in Politics: Being Moved and Anger …--a pdf of Gruning and Schubert's article about the use of emotion in political campaignshttps://www.yourdictionary.com/articles/glittering-generalities--YourDictionary.com has a great article with examples of glittering generalitieshttps://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Loaded_language--the list of "snarl" words is at the bottom of this wiki page devoted to loaded languagehttps://www.allsides.com/sites/default/files/AllSidesMediaBiasChart-Version2.jpg--an updated version of the AllSides Media Bias charthttps://mediabiasfactcheck.com/--a great source for checking the bias of any news source, as well as whether it has failed any fact checkshttps://disinformation-nation.org/combat-propaganda/--great article about ways to combat propagandahttps://www.shortform.com/summary/thinking-fast-and-slow-summary-daniel-kahneman?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=531475976&msclkid=704335b2e9371134f6f7526e8cdafb8c--a long web address leading to a short summary of Daniel Kahneman's book Thinking Fast and Slowhttps://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/think-act-be/202003/can-you-be-abundantly-cautious-and-fearless--while this article was written about the Covid pandemic, the ideas in it still resonatehttps://www.neuroandcounselingcenter.com/single-post/informed-protect-peace--good ideas from certified mental health counselor Amanda Levison, about how to keep your cool and not get overwhelmed w

Send us a textIn this episode April explains some very common relevance fallacies--Straw Man, Begging the Question, and Two Wrongs Make a Right. Let's all try not to commit these fallacies, okay?Episode 38 Show Notes:https://philosophyterms.com/fallacy-of-relevance/#google_vignette--a handy reference website that gives basic explanations of terms related to philosophy as well as short biographies of many famous philosophers.https://www.historyextra.com/period/georgian/why-we-say-phrase-red-herring-hunting-origins/--a fun discussion of "red herrings" from the official website for the BBC History Magazinehttps://www.etymonline.com/word/straw%20man--want to know the origin of a word or common phrase? This is the website for you.https://www.rand.org/pubs/commentary/2023/10/protecting-free-speech-compels-some-form-of-social.html--a great article about why social media needs some kind of regulation.https://effectiviology.com/begging-the-question/--this website always has clear, concise definitions and examples of fallacies.https://helpfulprofessor.com/straw-man-fallacy-examples/--legit professors help you with your homework by answering almost any academic question you might have.https://www.britannica.com/topic/whataboutism--hey it's an encyclopedia so...https://human.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Philosophy/Introduction_to_Logic_and_Critical_Thinking_2e_(van_Cleave)/04%3A_Informal_Fallacies/4.03%3A_Fallacies_of_Relevance--this is an entire OER (Open Educational Resource) philosophy textbook, so anyone can access and read it.

Send us a textIn this episode, April drags herself out of bed while recovering from a wicked case of Influenza A (you might notice her somewhat gravelly vocal quality) to record this episode about an important and timely topic--the language of demagoguery. While we tend to think of it as something politicians and other powerful people use, she discovers to her dismay that we are all capable of being "nascent demagogues" and using this rhetorical technique in our everyday discussions about politics. Hey, let's try not to do that, okay?Episode 37 Show Noteshttps://gordoncstewart.com/2023/12/05/the-language-of-demagoguery-2/Social commentator and blogger Gordon Stewart discusses how language is used for social manipulation, referencing Senator Newt Gingrich.https://feps-europe.eu/powerless-arguments-demagogue-and-populist-language/Robert Feustel is a researcher at Friedrich Schiller University, and this article discusses the difficulty of arguing with someone using demagogic language.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02773945.2019.1610636Skinnell and Murphy's excellent article on the pervasiveness of the language of demagoguery.https://www.mediaethicsmagazine.com/index.php/browse-back-issues/209-spring-2017-vol-29-no-2/3999195-media-rhetoric-and-the-demagoguery-of-the-eliteGood article by rhetorician Patricia Roberts-Miller of the University of Texas at Austin, who also wrote the book Demagoguery and Democracy.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00963402.2024.2388461#abstractI didn't really reference this excellent treatise about the way that demagogues destroy democracy by John Keane, but I highly recommend that you read it anyway.https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/en/publications/demagoguery-technology-and-cognition-addressing-the-threats-to-deStephen Lewandowsky's paper on demagoguery and how it threatens democracy.https://www.historyhit.com/culture/anti-jewish-propaganda-in-nazi-germany/Some examples of how the Nazis used anti-Jewish propaganda to influence German citizens.https://brainapps.io/blog/2025/01/stand-up-against-demagogy-protect/This article contains some very helpful tips about how to recognize and stand up to demagogic rhetoric.

In this episode, April reveals that her husband is a rain god. Well, he's not, but he thinks he is. She discusses this uniquely human thing we do called magical thinking.Episode 36 Show Notes (oooh, so many sources!)Good basic explanation of magical thinking:https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/magical-thinkingWait, here's another one:https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/magical-thinkingHow is magical thinking a cognitive distortion? https://www.goodrx.com/health-topic/mental-health/magical-thinking-effects-cognitive-distortionAmanda Montell's awesome book:https://www.amazon.com/Age-Magical-Overthinking-Modern-Irrationality/dp/1668007975Scientific American articles on the topic:https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-come-some-people-believe-in-the-paranormal/https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-can-you-fight-conspiracy-theories/Do dead people pinch us while we sleep? Probably not:https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/theory-and-praxis/202310/the-benefits-and-consequences-of-magical-thinkingHealthline's article:https://www.healthline.com/health/magical-thinking#:~:text=Magical%20thinking%20involves%20the%20belief%20that%20you%20can,something%20that%20has%20no%20bearing%20on%20the%20circumstances.Matthew Hutson and the positive side of magical thinking:https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12933497-the-7-laws-of-magical-thinkingHow magical thinking and OCD are connected:https://www.verywellhealth.com/magical-thinking-ocd-5220558Salon.com articles on the topic:https://www.salon.com/2018/09/10/a-neuroscientist-explains-how-religious-fundamentalism-hijacks-the-brain_partner/https://www.salon.com/2024/04/09/from-conspiracy-theories-to-manifesting-how-to-navigate-the-age-of-magical-overthinking/How to Talk to Conspiracy Theorists:https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/critical-thinking-pseudoscience/zen-and-art-talking-conspiracy-theoristsInterview with Eric Oliver:https://news.uchicago.edu/podcasts/big-brains/science-conspiracy-theories-and-political-polarization-eric-oliverMick West is awesome. Links for his book and his webpage, Metabunk:https://www.amazon.com/Escaping-Rabbit-Hole-Conspiracy-Theories-ebook/dp/B077YS5G2N

In this episode, April discusses an unfair and unethical debate tactic used by many politicians, conspiracy theorists, and anyone else who insists on "winning" arguments. She also revisits Brandolini's Law, which means she gets to say "bullshit" more than a few times.Episode 35 Show Noteshttps://www.logicallyfallacious.com/logicalfallacies/gish-gallop.htmlA good basic description of the Gish Gallop.https://effectiviology.com/gish-gallop/Itamar Schatz's website, Effectiviology, is one of my go-to places for everything fallacy-related. “On the Trail With RFK Jr." On the Media. Podcast. June 30, 2023. Um, not sure how to link to this, but you can certainly search for it on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen. RFK Jr. is well-known for using the Gish Gallop in his speeches and interviews.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=murvOaHB66AWanna see some really fast talkers? These student debaters can speak at 500 words per minute, which is twice as fast as Congressman Jim Jordan. But unlike him, they have to make sense and provide evidence for their claims.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-FGKxaCdS0I took Congressman Jordan's Gish Gallop example from this succinct YouTube video about how to counter the Gish Gallop technique.https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/02/11/readout-of-president-bidens-video-call-with-transatlantic-leaders/https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/02/17/readout-of-president-bidens-call-with-president-zelenskyy-of-ukraine-13/Here are two readouts of diplomatic calls President Biden has made.https://qz.com/905252/donald-trumps-lies-are-all-part-of-a-debate-tactic-called-the-gish-gallopCarl Alvioni's excellent article on Gish Gallops.Everything below has to do with the Trump-Ukraine call:https://www.politico.com/news/2019/09/25/donald-trump-ukraine-call-analysis-000039https://www.npr.org/2019/10/12/768935251/trump-ukraine-and-the-path-to-the-impeachment-inquiry-a-timelinehttps://www.politico.com/news/2022/10/14/pelosi-trump-impeachment-ukraine-00061649https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-ukraine-transcript-moved_n_5dba4ec5e4b0bb1ea37476e5https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/27/us/politics/nsc-ukraine-call.htmlhttps://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/white-house-lawyer-moved-transcript-of-trump-call-to-classified-server-after-ukraine-adviser-raised-alarms/2019/10/30/ba0fbdb6-fb4e-11e9-8190-6be4deb56e01_story.html

In this episode, April warns people that they might need a break while listening; but in the end, it's surprisingly positive. Just like her!!!Episode 34 Show Noteshttps://www.webmd.com/mental-health/what-to-know-existential-dreadGood discussion of the basics of existentialism, existential dread, why existential crises occur and how to handle them.https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220929-the-unsettling-power-of-existential-dreadDavid Robson's article explains how existential dread changes the way we think, reporting on the upswing in conspiracy theories after distressing events that trigger existential dread.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Denial_of_DeathYep, I'm citing Wikipedia here, but it's a decent discussion of Ernest Becker's groundbreaking work.https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jul/31/the-worm-at-the-core-on-the-role-of-death-in-life-solomon-greenberg-pyszczynski-reviewExcellent review of Solomon, Greenberg, and Psyzczynski's seminal work about terror management theory.https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.595990/fullGreat article about how many individuals used creative expression to alleviate their distress during the Covid-19 pandemic.https://www.un.org/africarenewal/web-features/i-was-tested-limit-%E2%80%94-rwanda-genocide-survivorThe harrowing story of a Rwanda genocide survivor.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7498956/The original researchers of terror management theory apply their understanding of it to the Covid-19 pandemic.https://mymodernmet.com/what-are-the-lascaux-cave-paintings/Take a look at these beautiful cave paintings--that's how you live forever, people! Do something amazing.

To kick off a new year, April looks at the impact that the emotion of gratitude can have on our mental, emotional, and even physical health. The message here is--the better you feel about yourself and the world around you, the better your cognitive processes will be.Episode 33 Show NotesThe Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy's article on gratitude is, um, kinda deep and intense (and hard to read), but then, it IS the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, so...https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/gratitude/What gratitude is, and some ways to show it:https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/your-wise-brain/202102/how-show-gratitudeLinkedIn article about gratitude in the workplace:https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/power-thank-you-how-engage-your-company-gratitude-/Glenn Fox on gratitude:https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/what_can_the_brain_reveal_about_gratitudeA.J. Jacob's wonderful gratitude journey:https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/brainstorm/201811/adventures-in-gratitudeI reference Kendra Cherry a lot, because her articles are always spot on:https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-gratitude-5206817#History%20of%20GratitudeRobert Emmons discusses gratitude: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/gratitude/definitionInteresting article about how gratitude evolved:https://grateful.org/resource/the-evolution-of-gratitude/How practicing gratitude affects the brain:https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_gratitude_changes_you_and_your_brainAnother great article about neuroscience and gratitude:https://positivepsychology.com/neuroscience-of-gratitude/This article focuses on the importance of gratitude in our lives:https://positivepsychology.com/gratitude-appreciation/#:~:text=Many%20of%20us%20express%20gratitude%20by,emotion%20that%20serves%20a%20biological%20purpose.&text=Many%20of%20us%20express,serves%20a%20biological%20purpose.&text=us%20express%20gratitude%20by,emotion%20that%20serves%20a

In this episode, April admits that she doesn't always calmly and rationally think things through; but hey, neither do you. Why? Heuristics, that's why. She discusses these handy, if sometimes problematic, mental shortcuts that help get us through the day without our brains literally exploding. And by literally, I mean figuratively; but literally sounds better, plus it makes a great mental image--KABOOM!!!Episode 32 Show Notes:I've recommended Daniel Kahneman's book before, and I'll probably do it again:https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11468377-thinking-fast-and-slowInteresting article about the history and origins of heuristics: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-a-heuristic-2795235A basic discussion of heuristics:https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/heuristicsDr. Weinberger's blog explaining our unconscious mind: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-unconscious/202001/how-the-unconscious-worksAn easy to read but fairly comprehensive article discussing many aspects of heuristics, including the different types of heuristics and when our brain is likely to use them: https://www.simplypsychology.org/what-is-a-heuristic.htmlYou're probably aware that some of these jobs are dangerous, but others may surprise you with their position on this list: https://www.ishn.com/articles/112748-top-25-most-dangerous-jobs-in-the-united-statesThe Decision Lab's article goes into some detail about how our brains use heuristics:https://thedecisionlab.com/insights/society/tdl-perspectives-what-are-heuristicsOver-reliance on heuristics can lead to stereotyping in the workplace: https://www.engagetu.com/2020/01/28/heuristics-and-workplace-bias/Kendra Cherry's excellent article about decision making: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-affect-heuristic-2795028#:~:text=The%20affect%20heuristic%20is%20a%20type%20of%20mental,role%20in%20the%20choices%20and%20decisions%20you%20make

In this episode, April realizes that the difference between science and pseudoscience isn't a distinct line, it's more of a continuum. Nevertheless, science remains scientific, while pseudoscience is, well, not so much.Episode 31 Show Notes:Here's the Science Council's definition of science:https://sciencecouncil.org/about-science/our-definition-of-science/ Great discussion of the topic by Lillienfeld, Lynn, and Amaratti:https://scottlilienfeld.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/lilienfeld2015-5.pdfAn extensive discussion of the differences from the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy:https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/pseudo-science/Mario Bunge's article on "cognitive fields:"https://cursosist2010.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/bungepseureduc.pdfGreat article from the Boston Review about Karl Popper and the pros and cons of falsification:https://www.bostonreview.net/articles/michael-d-gordin-fate-falsification/Newsweek article about "Behind the Curve:"https://www.newsweek.com/behind-curve-netflix-ending-light-experiment-mark-sargent-documentary-movie-1343362Good article that explains "bad" science:https://www.digitaljournal.com/tech-science/why-some-science-is-actually-bad-science/article/455538ThoughtCo's article about "hard" and "soft" science:https://www.thoughtco.com/hard-vs-soft-science-3975989Well, yeah, bad and fraudulent science is a problem:https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/aug/09/scientific-misconduct-retraction-watchFun and interesting (but ultimately serious) webpage with lots of great information about pseudoscience by Dr. Rory Koker:https://web2.ph.utexas.edu/~coker2/index.files/distinguish.htmEmily Willingham's Forbes artlcle about commercial pseudoscientific claims:https://www.forbes.com/sites/emilywillingham/2012/11/08/10-questions-to-distinguish-real-from-fake-science/?sh=156ddfb6146c

In this short episode,  April discusses how grief affects our brains--hers in particular, because she just lost one of her best friends and it hurts. So this might be more for her than for you, but you should listen anyway.The good news is that she'll be ok. Eventually...Episode 30 Show NotesGreat article from the Today Show website about how our mind deals with death:https://www.today.com/health/mind-body/grief-changes-brain-rcna13613Two excellent NPR articles that reference works and interviews with grief specialist Mary Frances O'Connor:https://www.npr.org/2021/11/04/1052498852/what-happens-in-the-brain-when-we-grievehttps://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/12/20/1056741090/grief-loss-holiday-brain-healingDr Lisa Shulman discusses brain neuroplasticity and dealing with loss:https://www.americanbrainfoundation.org/how-tragedy-affects-the-brain/#:~:text=Grief%20and%20loss%20affect%20the%20brain%20and%20body,lead%20to%20cognitive%20effects%2C%20such%20as%20brain%20fogPsych Central article about how grief affects your physical and mental health:https://psychcentral.com/lib/your-health-and-grief

In this episode, April talks to Dr. Eunette Gentry about the public's lack of trust in the press and why we should have more faith in journalists and reporters. It's about codes of ethics, people! Episode 29 Show NotesThis Gallup poll shows the low percentage of trust that the public has in the media: https://news.gallup.com/poll/394817/media-confidence-ratings-record-lows.aspxHere's the article about the press as the "Fourth Estate:" https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-the-fourth-estate-3368058Marianne Jennings' great article on journalistic ethics: https://imprimis.hillsdale.edu/the-evolutionand-devolutionof-journalistic-ethics/The First Amendment Encyclopedia's article on "yellow journalism:" https://mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/1253/yellow-journalismAiden White's article on the origins of ethical journalism: https://ethicaljournalismnetwork.org/journalism-ethicsThis fascinating webpage is the Public Affairs page of the US Diplomatic Mission to Germany, and goes into the history of media ethics in the US: https://usa.usembassy.de/media-ethics.htm#:~:text=%E2%80%A2%20Yahoo%20-%20Media%20Ethics%20and%20Accountability%20The,accelerating%20the%20U.S.%20exit%20from%20an%20unpopular%20warThe Associated Press Managing Editors Code of Ethics: http://www.columbia.edu/itc/journalism/j6075/edit/ethiccodes/APME.html#:~:text=Associated%20Press%20Managing%20Editors%20CODE%20OF%20ETHICS%20This,or%20who%20influence%2C%20news%20coverage%20and%20editorial%20policy.The Society of Professional Journalist's Code of Ethics: https://www.spj.org/pdf/spj-code-of-ethics.pdfEthics codes from many journalistic sources can be found here: https://www.ndsu.edu/pubweb/~rcollins/431ethics/codes.htm#:~:text=Professional%20Codes%20of%20Ethics%20American%20Society%20of%20Newspaper,and%20renamed%20%22Statement%20of%20Principles%22%20in%201975.%20PREAMBLE.The Philippe Perebinossoff Ethics Rubric: EVALUATE --The ethical situation needs to be examined in a number of different ways, not just from a single perspective. TRUTH --Make sure you have a clear definition of the facts as well as a definition that can be agreed upon by others. HARM--Consider what harm is likely to ensue from a given action. Real-world situations are involved, and media rumors can ruin lives. INVESTIGATION--Investigation involves going beyond a cursory review, and digging deep to gather the necessary information.CODE OF ETHICS--Codes provide valuable guidelines that can facilitate ethical decision making. SITUATIONAL ETHICS--Approach issues on a case-by-case basis that allows you to adjust ethical beliefs to meet a particular situation.

In this episode, April explains linguistic ambiguity, equivocation, and the equivocation fallacy. She also tells some really bad jokes. Episode 28 Show Notes:Moore, Brooke and Parker, Richard. Critical Thinking. McGraw Hill. 2017.This is current textbook I use to teach my Critical Reasoning class. Much of what I say here about the types of linguistic ambiguity is taken from this excellent text. ThoughtCo is a reference site that focuses on educational content. Their articles are written by highly qualified educators and experienced instructors.https://www.thoughtco.com/polysemy-words-and-meanings-1691642How many words are there in the English language? This article will tell you:https://englishlive.ef.com/blog/language-lab/many-words-english-language/This WhatIs.com article discusses how linguistic ambiguity makes it difficult for artificial intelligence (and of course people) to decode language:https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/linguistic-ambiguity#:~:text=Linguistic%20ambiguity%20is%20a%20quality%20of%20language%20that,program%20to%20reliably%20decode%20without%20some%20additional%20informationHere's a good discussion of the expectancy violation and humor:https://thecriticalcomic.com/incongruity-theory/#:~:text=Expectancy%20Violations%20Aristotle%20also%20thought%20humor%20occurred%20with,disappointed%20expectation%20makes%20us%20laugh.%E2%80%9D%20%28ch.%2063%3B%20Morreal%29Was that really the world's funniest joke? According to this guy, it is:https://www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2014/03/07/287250640/what-is-the-funniest-joke-in-the-worldDr. Itamar Schatz gives a detailed description of equivocation with excellent examples. You should definitely read this:https://effectiviology.com/equivocation/Another good explanation  of the equivocation falllacy:https://examples.yourdictionary.com/equivocation-fallacy-examples.htmlWhat speech is considered "unprotected?" Here you go:https://legalknowledgebase.com/what-speech-is-illegal-in-the-usNo, of COURSE we don't "torture." Except we do (or did, anyway):https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna9956644

In this episode, April discusses the concept of intellectual humility, which is something that people could use more of (and by "people," she means herself).Episode 27 Show Notes (so many really good sources!!!):Here's Ed Kang's article from the website YouEQ: https://www.you-eq.com/news-events/emotional-intelligence-skills-intellectual-humility#:~:text=According%20to%20Pepperdine%20University%2C%20there%20are%20four%20dimensions,intellect%204%20Willingness%20to%20revise%20one%E2%80%99s%20own%20viewpointAnother good article from the John Templeton Foundation website (there's also a great YouTube video there called "The Joy of Being Wrong"): https://www.templeton.org/discoveries/intellectual-humilityBrian Resnick's Vox article, from which I gleaned a LOT of information:https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2019/1/4/17989224/intellectual-humility-explained-psychology-replicationThis is a great, in-depth discussion of intellectual humility by Shane Snow: https://www.shanesnow.com/articles/intellectual-humility#intellectual-humility-introWhile this author and I are on different sides of some important issues, she speaks a lot of truth, and I have great respect for her:https://aleteia.org/2017/08/05/even-if-we-disagree-i-respect-you/Kate Horowitz on the connection between overconfidence and lack of intellectual growth: https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/76773/overconfidence-can-stunt-your-intellectual-growth-study-says#:~:text=Being%20overconfident%20is%20a%20barrier%20to%20intellectual%20growth%2C,they%20do%20and%20what%20they%20do%20not%20know.%22How acknowledging our intellectual limitations leads to knowledge:https://www.konsyse.com/articles/what-is-intellectual-humility-why-is-it-important/Gregg Enriquez's discussion of ego: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/theory-knowledge/202105/what-is-the-egoElizabeth Svoboda on why changing our minds is so difficult: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/why_is_it_so_hard_to_change_peoples_mindsMatthew Buckley discusses ways to talk to people with whom you disagree: https://www.psychreg.org/respect-other-peoples-opinion/

April discusses the importance of questions and the difference between questions designed to gain knowledge and questions used to manipulate. Plus she says the word "bullshit" several times so she has to label this episode "explicit." Oh well. Show Notes:Kids and questions: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/curious-children-questions-parenting-mum-dad-google-answers-inquisitive-argos-toddlers-chad-valley-tots-town-a8089821.htmlhttps://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/importance-kids-asking-questions/ Guy who used his dead mom's ballot to vote for Trump:https://news.yahoo.com/officials-finally-found-case-dead-225210492.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmluZy5jb20v&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAM0A4VXI1H4LuNUipKSSuf7V_DVFGlNRgL8-pd1LeyPDhkaqX5KS_lr7OOo4ME78IKjwhXfzxYe2A__xUp9j8X-uxHFcMs_LFIs5U19hXhpDcuIXFePv7ivYp5ooE5T8ZLiaV24pO5wsozTmnpB8fSHv3s_qlM_i0ECwTu_vt7ekMore examples of people who AREN'T Democrats using their dead relatives to vote for their favorite politicians:https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/another-gop-voter-caught-casting-ballot-dead-relative-n1276965Still more examples, debunking Fox news pundits who used them as "evidence" that the election was stolen:https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/10/25/trump-team-fox-news-alleged-dead-voters-most-cases-were-either-debunked-or-actually-involved-republicans/Randy Rainbow is awesome: https://www.randyrainbow.com/A description of the way that “just asking questions” actually shifts the burden of proof: https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Just_asking_questionsFinally, I return to a discussion of Brandolini's law: http://ordrespontane.blogspot.com/2014/07/brandolinis-law.htmlFrank Sesno's book: https://www.amazon.com/Ask-More-Questions-Uncover-Solutions/dp/0814436714/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8The five legitimate questions to ask to determine if something is bullshit: https://www.fastcompany.com/3068589/how-to-fine-tune-your-bullshit-detectorLiving Room Conversations stuff:https://209859-635214-1-raikfcquaxqncofqfm.stackpathdns.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/NEW-Immigration.pdfhttps://livingroomconversations.org/

Yes, she's back!!! In this episode, April discusses "algorithm literacy" as a critical part of overall media literacy. It's important to understand that algorithms, while they are a necessary and useful part of the online universe, also play a big role in online polarization and the normalization of  extreme viewpoints.  The more you know about them, the more effectively you can control what you see online. Episode 25 Show Notes:Here's the article discussing the results of the study by Project Information Literacy:https://www.edsurge.com/news/2020-01-16-report-colleges-must-teach-algorithm-literacy-to-help-students-navigate-internetPew Research Center's discussion of the need for algorithm literacy:https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2017/02/08/theme-7-the-need-grows-for-algorithmic-literacy-transparency-and-oversight/The Algorithm and Data Literacy Project, a great source for kids to learn about algorithms (you'll find the YouTube video I mentioned in the podcast here):https://algorithmliteracy.org/A LibGuides page from the University of Singapore's website on the topic of algorithm literacy: https://libguides.nus.edu.sg/digitalliteracy/algorithmPaper by Harvard professors  Cetina Presuel and Martinez Sierra on the problems caused by social media platforms' reluctance to see themselves as news publishers and distributors:http://www.scielo.org.pe/pdf/rcudep/v18n2/2227-1465-rcudep-18-02-261.pdfPBS Nova investigates the spread of radical extremism on social media through algorithms:https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/radical-ideas-social-media-algorithms/Troubling information about the ways that Russian troll farms used Facebook algorithms to spread disinformation before the 2020 election:https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/09/16/1035851/facebook-troll-farms-report-us-2020-election/Financial Times op-ed advocating for more accountability of social media algorithms:https://www.ft.com/content/39d69f80-5266-4e22-965f-efbc19d2e776Some helpful articles with tips and tricks about how individuals can limit the influence of algorithms:From Mashable: https://mashable.com/article/how-to-avoid-algorithms-facebook-youtube-twitter-instagramFrom LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-reduce-effect-algorithms-your-behavior-worldview-guide-mikko/From BBC: https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-38769996

Okay look, I have to post this now and then go catch a plane. I promise I will put all the sources I used for this episode here next week. But I have a half-marathon to do...see ya later!!!

In this episode, April can't decide whether to pronounce "deductive" as "DEE-duk-tiv" or "de-DUK-tive," so she just switches back and forth between them to see if anyone notices. Episode 23 Show Notes:Why Sherlock Holmes is more an inductive than a deductive kind of guy:https://medium.com/@daniellekkincaid/the-sherlock-holmes-conundrum-or-the-difference-between-deductive-and-inductive-reasoning-ec1eb2686112http://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/5306/1/Holmes.pdf Some good basic information about deductive reasoning:https://www.criticalthinking.com/articles/induction-vs.-deductionhttp://www2.fairmontstate.edu/users/ffidura/cogpsy/cpthnkng.htmlhttps://www.livescience.com/21569-deduction-vs-induction.htmlhttps://examples.yourdictionary.com/deductive-reasoning-examples.htmlJesse Martin's LinkedIn blogpost about the importance of deductive reasoning:https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/science-learning-deductive-reasoning-jesse-martinMy evidence (for the example syllogism) that Japanese has a homogeneous population and everyone there speaks Japanese:https://www.studycountry.com/guide/JP-language.htm#:~:text=Ethnically%2C%20culturally%20and%20linguistically%2C%20Japan,Japanese%20as%20their%20first%20language.My support for the claim (in my other example) that not all people who are in favor of public health options are socialists:https://morningconsult.com/2021/03/24/medicare-for-all-public-option-polling/ Job websites recognize the necessity for good deductive reasoning skills in the workplace:https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/improve-deductive-reasoning-skillshttps://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/deductive-skillshttps://www.glassdoor.com/blog/guide/deductive-reasoning/ The research that shows most of us can do deductive reasoning:https://digest.bps.org.uk/2008/12/11/sudoku-puzzles-show-were-all-capable-of-deductive-reasoning/ What's going on in your brain when you do puzzles? Read these:https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/brain-workout/200904/puzzles-and-the-brainhttps://www.rd.com/article/what-happens-to-your-brain-when-do-a-puzzle/ Some fun/frustrating logic puzzles:https://parade.com/970343/parade/logic-puzzles/https://www.rd.com/articl

In this episode April discusses the hasty generalization fallacy, the weak analogy fallacy, and the mistaken appeal to authority. Can you tell she really likes to talk about fallacies? Episode 22 Show Notes:A brief description of deductive and inductive reasoning, in case you wondered:https://www.livescience.com/21569-deduction-vs-induction.htmlSome good examples of hasty generalization fallacies:https://www.bettercognitions.com/articles/hasty-generalization-fallacy-examples/I don't know about the "Captain Bligh" reference, but this Time article does explain what happened to Captain Holly Graf:http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1969602,00.htmlThis "Cranky Uncle" is actually a research fellow in climate science at the Climate Change Communication Research Hub at Monash University in Australia. I got a couple of good examples of bad arguments from this page.https://crankyuncle.com/critical-thinking-about-covid-false-analogies-about-cupcakes-and-obesity/A good source for an explanation of bad arguments:https://www.logicallyfallacious.com/logicalfallacies/searchThe Vicks 44 commercial with a very hot fake doctor:https://youtu.be/ts0XG6qDIcoThe article with a pretty good analogical argument for universal healthcare in the US:https://www.commonwealthfund.org/blog/2019/universal-health-coverage-eight-countries?gclid=Cj0KCQjw8eOLBhC1ARIsAOzx5cG8JkvppAGHwJ6fvyGgP8W3i9Il6DTEbsvoAh5EHgWlxVr91h9Yk7QaAg7yEALw_wcBA good explanation of when you should rely on experts:https://fallacyinlogic.com/appeal-to-authority-fallacy/Pew Research data about how many scientists agree on evolution:https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/02/11/darwin-day/A careful reading of this will help you understand the division over how many scientists think global warming is a thing:https://www.climate.gov/news-features/climate-qa/isnt-there-lot-disagreement-among-climate-scientists-about-global-warming AMA's data showing the vast majority of physicians are vaccinated against Covid:https://www.ama-assn.org/press-center/press-releases/ama-survey-shows-over-96-doctors-fully-vaccinated-against-covid-19The Forbes article discussing the controversy surrounding the actual percentage of climate scientist who agree that climate change is largely caused by humans:https://www.forbes.com/sites/uhenergy/2016/12/14/fact-checking-the-97-consensus-on-anthropogenic-climate-change/?sh=3b6d352a1157

In this episode, April discusses the false dilemma fallacy, in which a person attempts to persuade to you to choose between a limited number of options when there are actually more options available. Episode 21 Show Notes:Here's a great definition and discussion of the false dilemma fallacy:https://examples.yourdictionary.com/false-dilemma-fallacy-examples.htmlAnother good explanation of this fallacy:https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/black-or-whiteI admit to taking an example or two from this very good article about this fallacy:https://www.developgoodhabits.com/either-or-fallacy/This article talks about Dan Price, who lowered his own salary in order to raise the salaries of his employee (thus refuting the idea that prices must be raised to pay for wage increases):https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/369908A very detailed discussion of the ways that politicians have used the false dilemma fallacy to frame the Covid-19 debate:https://www.boisestate.edu/bluereview/covid-19-donald-trump-and-the-false-dilemma-fallacy/An interesting opinion piece about the dangers of the false dilemma fallacy from the Deseret News (it's a Mormon-based newspaper, so don't be surprised by the religious references) by Sharlee Glenn, a Mormon writer who founded the nonprofit Mormon Women For Ethical Government:https://www.deseret.com/opinion/2020/5/15/21258954/covid-19-pandemic-false-dichotomy-paradox-politics-equilibriumThese two journal articles show the rates of Covid in areas without mask mandates: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0249891https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2781283

It's almost time for new episodes--stay tuned!

In this episode, April discusses the importance of experts in society and why it's so hard for some people to trust them. And, as promised, she put lots of articles in the show notes below, because she wants you to trust her. Episode 20 Show NotesFor science information that's both educational and entertaining, subscribe to Phil Plait's astronomy blog:https://www.syfy.com/tags/bad-astronomyDaniel Newman's article about expertise is focused more towards marketing, but still applies:https://www.forbes.com/sites/danielnewman/2014/04/22/experts-may-have-influence-but-what-makes-an-expert/?sh=6a6f846212c8Here's the NPR article about Idaho lawmakers calling their public health officials elitists:https://www.boisestatepublicradio.org/politics-government/2020-08-10/idaho-lawmaker-listening-to-experts-is-an-elitist-approach-to-coronavirus-restrictionsA great article from the Christian Science Monitor about our worsening anti-intellectualism and distrust of experts:https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2018/0827/Who-made-you-an-expert-Is-America-s-distrust-of-elites-becoming-more-toxicJacques Peretti's excellent discussion of how "elite" became a bad word:https://qz.com/1237582/how-elite-became-a-bad-word/Some articles discussing the factors that play a role in whether/how much individuals trust science:https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/02/do-you-trust-science-these-five-factors-play-big-rolehttps://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/02/12/key-findings-about-americans-confidence-in-science-and-their-views-on-scientists-role-in-society/Gleb Tsipursky's article about distrust in science:https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/dis-trust-in-science/Fascinating paper about anti-intellectualism in America:https://journals.sagepub.com/eprint/zQnndNgGgDkpWwavHMnA/fullArticles about the Dunning Kruger effect and covid conspiracy theories: https://europepmc.org/article/MED/29966822https://www.sciencedirect.com/sdfe/pdf/download/eid/1-s2.0-S0277953618303964/first-page-pdfA really good paper (that I didn't have time to discuss) outlining some ways that public health experts might get more people to trust them:https://kiej.georgetown.edu/trust-experts-and-covid-19-special-issue/Maria Baghramian's blog post about expertise:https://jerichochambers.com/trust-in-experts-why-and-why-not/Tom Nichols on expertise and why it's important:https://www.polit

In this episode, April explains what skepticism is (and what it is NOT). She also discusses its importance in the scientific method, and shows how it can help you "trust the science." She also confesses that she is one of those annoying people who looks up stuff on Google to prove their spouses wrong.Episode 19 Show Notes:Richard Popkin's Britannica article on skepticism:https://www.britannica.com/topic/skepticismA great discussion explaining why scientists must also be skeptics:http://www.ces.fau.edu/nasa/introduction/scientific-inquiry/why-must-scientists-be-skeptics.phpAn excellent discussion of skepticism by Skeptoid podcast host Brian Dunning (and btw if you're not already listening to Skeptoid, you should!):https://skeptoid.com/skeptic.phpA short history of skepticism from the Stanford University website:https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/skepticism-ancient/How do researchers conduct literature reviews to find out what is known (and unknown) about a topic? Here, read this:https://impact.griffith.edu.au/known_and_unknown/Here's the blog of one of those really good science writer/journalists explaining skepticism and science:https://sciencebasedlife.wordpress.com/2010/09/18/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-skeptic/These are the science websites I mentioned in the episode:https://www.scientificamerican.com/https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/https://www.aaas.org/The top scientists on Twitter:https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2014/09/top-50-science-stars-twitterA couple of good articles I didn't reference in the podcast but are definitely relevant to the topic:https://orbitermag.com/how-to-be-a-true-skeptic/https://fishthinkers.wordpress.com/2017/03/29/5-free-ways-around-the-great-paywall-of-academia/

Over the next two episodes, April explains the connection between trust and critical thinking. In Part I, she discusses the importance of interpersonal trust, why it's so necessary, what can go wrong when we trust, and ways to avoid putting our trust in the wrong people. And she uses both "who do you trust (because it just seems right)" and "whom do you trust (because it's probably grammatically correct)" in the episode. Hey, she's not an English teacher, okay? Episode 18 Show NotesDr. Paul Thagard's definition of trust:https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/hot-thought/201810/what-is-trustAn explanation of semantic pointers:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/332837961_The_Semantic_Pointer_Theory_of_Emotion_Integrating_Physiology_Appraisal_and_ConstructionI'm going to guess that about 80% of the posts here are legit (so take what you read with a grain of salt). Anyway, if even half of them are true, it's still a tragedy:https://www.reddit.com/r/QAnonCasualties/Just a few of Bernie Madoff's more famous victims:https://www.biography.com/news/bernie-madoff-famous-victimsResearch that shows we trust people who think like we do, and distrust those who don't:https://bigthink.com/scotty-hendricks/the-mere-liking-effect-why-you-trust-people-who-are-like-youWe also think the people who look like us are more trustworthy:https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131107094406.htm#:~:text=When%20a%20person%20is%20deemed,according%20to%20a%20new%20study.&text=FULL%20STORY-,When%20a%20person%20is%20deemed%20trustworthy%2C%20we%20perceive%20that%20person's,study%20published%20in%20Psychological%20ScienceMarsh and Brigg's research on trust and forgiveness:https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-84800-356-9_2Author, consultant, and business founder Charles Green gives some advice about determining whom to trust:https://www.forbes.com/sites/trustedadvisor/2012/01/03/how-can-you-know-whom-to-trust/?sh=1decb7ca141e Psychologist Melanie Greenburg also has some good advice about trusting people:https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-mindful-self-express/201411/5-ways-decide-who-you-can-trust

In this episode, April outs herself as an optimist and spends a little over 12 minutes justifying her attitude.Episode 17 Show Notes:The American Psychological Association definiton of optimism: https://dictionary.apa.org/optimismOxford Language Dictionary definition of optimism: https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/optimismPsychology Today's article on optimism: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/optimismProfessor Brian Martin's blog post about the value of optimism: https://documents.uow.edu.au/~bmartin/pubs/comments/0701optimism.htmlA good description of the optimism bias: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-optimism-bias-2795031Oingo Boingo's 1983 hit that epitomizes the optimism bias: https://youtu.be/qpjHW4mr6qoA rather long but interesting academic read about the optimism bias: https://taylorlab.psych.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/11/2002_When-Predictions-Fail.pdfSome good information about the optimism bias in the Covid1-9 pandemic:https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ana.26001https://www.pcma.org/optimism-bias-downside-positive-thinking-during-covid-19/Books by Suzanne Segerstrom: https://www.amazon.com/Suzanne-C.-Segerstrom/e/B001JP4MKY%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_shareShawn Anchor and "irrational optimism:" https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-happiness-advantage/201103/are-you-irrational-optimistA transcript of Matt Ridley discussing his book at the 7th Annual Hayek Lecture at New York's Manhattan Institute: https://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/rational-optimist-how-prosperity-evolves-8316.htmlMore good Matt Ridley stuff: https://reason.com/2020/05/03/what-its-like-to-be-a-rational-optimist-in-a-pandemic/Stephanie Caine's beautiful blog post about logical optimism: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/logical-optimism-stephanie-caines/?articleId=6649370011909660675I didn't mention this in the podcast but it's a good read: https://medium.com/swlh/the-rational-case-for-optimism-6bc9a4dcbbc2More potential evidence that being an optimist is good for business: https://hbr.org/2019/03/the-financial-upside-of-being-an-optimist

In this episode, April talks with Ed Dentzel, host of the Unfound Podcast, which focuses on missing person cases with the stated goal of turning up new information that might lead to a resolution of the case. Ed discusses how he approaches each case, using research, interview skills, and good logic and reasoning to uncover information and present it to his listeners in a straightforward manner with little or no speculation or conjecture. If you've ever wondered what it takes to put together a true-crime podcast, this is a must-listen! Episode 16 Show Notes:Here's the Unfound Podcast website:https://unfoundpodcast.podomatic.com/According to NAMUS (which Ed references in the episode), the vast majority of missing person cases are resolved:https://www.npr.org/2013/05/07/182000622/majority-of-missing-persons-cases-are-resolvedThe NCIC (National Crime Information Center) reports that as of Dec. 31, 2019, there were 87,500 active missing person cases:https://www.fbi.gov/services/cjis/cjis-link/fbi-releases-2019-missing-person-statisticsHere's a helpful document if you suspect that a person is missing:https://www.muni.org/Departments/police/Documents/checklists_for_missing_persons.pdfNew Jersey State Police's protocol for missing persons:https://www.njsp.org/divorg/invest/pdf/mpi-best-practices-protocol.pdfSome news articles relevant to the Thomas Brown case (this whole thing is really interesting, I'll be looking for the conclusion of the grand jury):https://abc7amarillo.com/news/local/new-details-released-in-canadian-teens-death#:~:text=A%20private%20investigator%20released%20new,remains%20were%20found%20in%20Januaryhttps://www.newschannel10.com/2019/11/12/hemphill-county-sheriff-nathan-lewis-resigns/https://abc7amarillo.com/news/local/hemphill-county-deputy-let-go-following-letter-addressing-credibility-from-county-attorneyNate Silver! That's the 538 Podcast guy, and here's his book:https://www.amazon.com/Signal-Noise-Many-Predictions-Fail-but/dp/0143125087A good explanation of the "Peltzman Effect:"https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/Peltzman-EffectTad DiBiase's book about no-body homicide cases:https://www.routledge.com/No-Body-Homicide-Cases-A-Practical-Guide-to-Investigating-Prosecuting/DiBiase/p/book/9781482260069

In this episode, April talks about inconsistency. While logical inconsistency is always wrong (it's known as the fallacy of inconsistency), personal inconsistency is a little more complicated. When people say one thing and then later do or say another thing, we tend to think that's a bad thing (and we are certainly right, at least sometimes). But, because consistency is so important, do we run the risk of being labeled a hypocritical flip-flopper if we should happen to come to a different conclusion than we came to previously? When is saying something different than you said before hypocrisy, and when is it justified? Episode 15 Show NotesA transcript of the NPR program referenced in the episode:https://www.npr.org/2012/03/05/147980266/our-brains-betrayed-by-political-inconsistencyAn explanation of logical inconsistency:https://www.logicallyfallacious.com/logicalfallacies/InconsistencySome examples of the fallacy of inconsistency:https://www.txstate.edu/philosophy/resources/fallacy-definitions/Inconsistency.html#:~:text=A%20person%20commits%20the%20fallacy,line%20and%20say%20no%20moreTrump's personal inconsistency regarding the Access Hollywood tape:https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/11/28/16710130/trump-says-access-hollywood-tape-fakeA Washington Post op-ed piece about President Biden and the filibuster (liberally oriented, of course, so it gives that viewpoint about the filibuster issue):https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/04/02/perverted-rule-how-joe-biden-evolved-supporting-filibuster-trying-change-it/A Heritage Foundation op-ed piece (which is the conservative opinion, so it helps with understanding why some people would say he's being hypocritical) about the issue of Joe Biden and the filibuster:https://www.heritage.org/political-process/commentary/senator-joe-biden-vs-president-joe-biden-filibuster-problemAn excellent, succinct explanation of personal inconsistency and why it's not always wrong:http://changingminds.org/disciplines/argument/fallacies/personal_inconsistency.htm

In this episode, April and her friend John Champion, co-host of "Mission Log: A Roddenberry Star Trek Podcast," get all nerdy and philosophical about the ways in which the Trek triumvirate of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy epitomize the Aristotelian proofs of ethos (appeal to authority), logos (appeal to logic), and pathos (appeal to emotion). Plus they reminisce about the good old days when Star Trek: the Experience was the coolest thing ever. Sigh...Episode 14 Show NotesHere are the episode numbers for the Star Trek: The Original Series episodes we referenced:"Balance of Terror"--Season 1, Episode 14"City on the Edge of Forever"--Season 1, Episode 28"The Empath"--Season 3, Episode 12"Requiem for Methuselah"--Season 3, Episode 19Here are the IMDB listings for the movies we referenced:Star Trek: The Motion Picture--https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079945/Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan--https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084726/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0Star Trek V: The Final Frontier--https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098382/You can find many Star Trek television shows and movies on https://www.paramountplus.com/shows/star_trek/You may also be able to find some on Hulu, Prime Video, FX Now, and FuboHere's the link to all Roddenberry podcasts, including Mission Log:https://podcasts.roddenberry.com/If you want to search for specific Mission Log episodes, here is their archive:https://www.missionlogpodcast.com/archive/Some of McCoy's best smart-ass/heartfelt/profound wordplay: https://impertinentremarks.com/rhetoric-lessons-from-star-treks-dr-mccoy/An interesting take on the friendship between the Trek triumvirate: https://www.startrek.com/article/the-importance-of-friendship-in-star-trekHere's Michael Shermer's explanation on why Kirk is such a great leader:SHERMER, MICHAEL. “The Captain Kirk Principle.” Scientific American, vol. 287, no. 6, 2002, pp. 39–39. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/26060080. (If you don't have access to JSTOR, you can probably find this article online in Scientific American's archives.)Oh, and you may have noticed that John and I use different pronunciations for "ethos," "pathos," and "logos." Well, mostly "pathos." That's perfectly acceptable, as this article explains: https://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2020/01/ethos-logos-pathos.html

April talks with Celestia Ward, one of the hosts of Squaring the Strange, a podcast that focuses on evidence-based analysis covering a very wide variety of topics. In this episode, April finds out how Celestia got started as a skeptical researcher; they also discuss some of the techniques Celestia uses to focus on finding facts while still acknowledging that she, like all of us, has biases. Along the way they mention skeptic icon James Randi, Penn and Teller, folklorist Jeannie Thomas, and Mick West, author and founder of metabunk.org. April also find out that Celestia is a big fan of the number 13 (the episode number)! After the interview, Celestia mentioned that she spent eight years as an academic editor at Johns Hopkins University Press, and says of that experience "Cutting your teeth on reference lists that are nearly as long as the chapters instills you with a respect for thorough research." Episode 13 show notes:Here’s the Squaring the Strange website. You can also find them on Apple Podcasts:https://squaringthestrange.libsyn.com/website Hey, look what I found! An 2015 article about Celestia in Skeptical Inquirer, written by Ben Radford (now one of her co-hosts on Squaring the Strange):https://skepticalinquirer.org/newsletter/facing-art-and-skepticism-caricaturist-celestia-ward/ A good NPR article giving some background and a proper sendoff for James Randi:https://www.npr.org/2020/10/22/926717787/amazing-escape-artist-magician-and-skeptic-james-randi-dead-at-92 The website for one of the best skeptic/science podcasts out there, The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe: https://www.theskepticsguide.org/ A great article from a science education website about why scientist must also be skeptics:http://www.ces.fau.edu/nasa/introduction/scientific-inquiry/why-must-scientists-be-skeptics.php Wikipedia (yeah, sometimes it’s a perfectly good source) has a list of Penn and Teller’s Bullshit episodes:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Penn_%26_Teller:_Bullshit!_episodes Here’s the lecture by Jeannie Thomas in which she references the SLAP testing method, and confesses that she’s even been pulled in by scary-sounding claims that ended up being untrue (it is a BYU lecture, so there is an opening prayer—do with that what you will):https://vimeo.com/507323130 To quickly check a news story to see if it has any basis in fact, try https://leadstories.com/ or factcheck.org Wanna buy Mick West’s book? Here you go:https://www.amazon.com/Escaping-Rabbit-Hole-Conspiracy-Theories-ebook/dp/B077YS5G2N Contact Celestia Ward for information about her caricatures at:https://www.2headsstudios.com/

April talks about one of the sneakiest fallacies, the misplaced burden of proof. Here's an example:Friend: George told me he's not getting the vaccine because it's dangerous.You: How do you know it's dangerous?Friend: I'm just telling you what George said. How do you know he's wrong?You: I...um...what?Here's what it is, and what to do when it happens to you.Show Notes:Here's an explanation of the misplaced burden of proof:https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/burden-of-proofIn case you want to make a Prove Me Wrong meme, here's the meme generator. Just make sure your audience knows it's a fallacy, please:https://imgflip.com/memegenerator/140087640/Prove-me-wrongHere's the amazingly sexist and fallacy-laden interview with Gavin McInness:https://www.ttbook.org/interview/proud-boys-founder-gavin-mcinnes-youd-be-happier-housewifeThe Effectivology website is full of really great articles about fallacies and making good arguments. This is the article I refer to in the episode:https://effectiviology.com/burden-of-proof/There's a subtle but important difference between presumption and assumption. This explains it:https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/assume-vs-presume

April begins Season 2 by talking about why we seem to be so angry these days, and what we can do to take it down a notch. Episode 11 Show NotesHere's Nancy Rommelmann's op-ed describing the fallout from the online outrage against her and her husband: https://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-rommelmann-me-too-portland-20190222-story.htmlHarvard's Elizabeth Bartolet writes about the things that trouble her about the MeToo movement: https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2018/1/16/bartholet-metoo-excesses/An NPR story about outrage with Steve Inskeep and Shankar Vedantam: https://www.npr.org/2019/10/09/768489375/how-outrage-is-hijacking-our-culture-and-our-mindsSome of the short and long-term effects of anger can be found here: https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/anger-how-it-affects-people#:~:text=The%20long%2Dterm%20physical%20effects,learning%20relaxation%20techniques%20and%20counsellingRichard Ford's excellent Stanford blog post about what he calls the "outrage-industrial complex":https://law.stanford.edu/2019/12/20/the-outrage-industrial-complex/Psychology Today author Rob Henderson writes about the social underpinnings of outrage: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/after-service/201906/moral-outrage-why-we-attack-each-otherVictoria Spring's article in Scientific American about the positive and negative aspects of outrage: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-outrage-be-a-good-thing/Some great ideas from journalist Zaid Jalani on how to de-escalate your social media outrage: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_to_avoid_the_social_media_outrage_trap

April's pretty excited for her upcoming season!

April explains why we are all so bad at determining probability and risk. Well, maybe you're not, but she is. Anyway she talks about death a lot, which is a topic lots of people find interesting; but don't worry because she avoids the gory details. Unless you like the gory details, in which case...sorry about that. Episode 10 Show NotesAn interesting probability calculator: https://www.calculators.org/math/probability.phpMichael Shermer's article discussing our inability to grasp probabilities: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-our-brains-do-not-intuitively-grasp-probabilities/ Another Shermer article discussing the problem with anecdotal evidence: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-anecdotal-evidence-can-undermine-scientific-results/ Yet another great article about our inability to calculate risk: https://www.cogencyteam.com/news/2018/02/why-are-humans-bad-at-calculating-risk/Why we dislike self-driving cars: https://slate.com/technology/2016/06/research-shows-why-people-are-bad-at-assessing-the-risks-of-self-driving-cars.htmlThe excess deaths during the coronavirus pandemic: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/20/health/coronavirus-excess-deaths.html Yes, masks work to reduce our risk of Covid-19: https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2020/06/417906/still-confused-about-masks-heres-science-behind-how-face-masks-preventCDC info on the flu: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/keyfacts.htm How we either overestimate or underestimate our risk of getting Covid-19, along with lots of other risks we misinterpret: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/13/world/asia/coronavirus-risk-interpreter.htmlHere’s the birthday problem calculator. Enjoy! https://sites.google.com/site/craigandera/craigs-stuff/odds-ends/the-birthday-problem-calculatorThe difference between actual causes of death and what's covered in news media: https://ourworldindata.org/does-the-news-reflect-what-we-die-fromA discussion of the difference between “possible” and “probable” on a website for English language learners: https://ell.stackexchange.com/questions/21191/in-simple-words-what-is-the-difference-between-possible-and-probable#:~:text=Possible%20means%20it%20can%20happen,it%20is%20likely%20to%20happenZagorsky’s article about determining “expected value:" https://theconversation.com/how-to-deal-with-lifes-risks-more-rationally-94366

In this episode, April uses the definition of “bullshit” described by American philosopher Harry G. Frankfurt in his seminal 1985 essay, “On Bullshit” to discuss its impact on our lives and ways to see through it. As you can probably tell, she also says “bullshit” a lot. Episode 9 Show Notes I purchased the big red Bullshit Button that you hear in this episode from Amazon if you want one. I use it to annoy my students, but it’s also handy for annoying your kids, significant other, and pets.The book “On Bullshit” by Harry G. Frankfurt is also available on Amazon as well as academic databases.As of 2018 Trump was still insisting he was right about Sweden: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-claims-he-was-right-about-crimes-caused-immigrants-sweden-n854296 Beto O’Rourke and his “false” rating on Politifact: https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2019/oct/21/beto-orourke/despite-his-claim-presidential-candidate-beto-orou/Hey it’s not just me; the illustrious Harry G. Frankfurt himself has called out Donald Trump on his bullshit: https://time.com/4321036/donald-trump-bs/Yes, “bullshit receptivity is a thing. Here’s discussion of the research by Gordon Pennycook et al: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jopy.12476https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2015-54494-003https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/one-among-many/201512/not-even-bullshithttps://www.niemanlab.org/2017/08/when-it-comes-to-the-academic-study-of-fake-news-bullshit-receptivity-is-a-thing/Philosopher Victor Moberger’s article in Theoria: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/theo.12271A short explanation of how Brandolini’s law got it’s name: http://ordrespontane.blogspot.com/2014/07/brandolinis-law.htmlConspiracy theories and pseudoscience both get science wrong:https://elephantinthelab.org/how-conspiracy-theorists-get-the-scientific-method-wrong/This amazing little handbook teaches you how to approach people and (nicely) debunk their bullshit. It's focused on climate change deniers, but it will work for other issues: https://www.climatechangecommunication.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DebunkingHandbook2020.pdf Author Warren Berger shows you how to pick up on, and call out, bullshit: https://www.fastcompany.com/3068589/how-to-fine-tune-your-bullshit-detector “Legit Scientist” Paul M. Sutter explains the power behind the words “I don’t know.” https://www.forbes.com/sites/paulmsutter/2019/08/11/i-dont-know-is-one-of-the-most-powerful-things-you-can-say/?sh=8b5690e4e197

In this short episode, April explains what mindfulness is and its potential use as a tool for better critical thinking.Episode 9 Show NotesThe Niroga Institutes' definition of mindfulness:https://www.niroga.org/media/news/2019-what_is_mindfulness.php?gclid=Cj0KCQjw8rT8BRCbARIsALWiOvSf6DfTkjHq-ZMMjqbicowM3dtk3UC3huZgTbBZKCaOe-hLVlBxGwkaAjv8EALw_wcBThe Happier Skeptic's definition of mindfulness:https://happierskeptic.com/critical-thinking-and-mindfulness/Even more definitions of mindfulness you may find enlightening:https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/what-matters-most/201711/3-definitions-mindfulness-might-surprise-youYou can access the Oxford Language Dictionary's definition simply by typing "mindfulness" into Google's search bar.Here's Dr. Michael Hogan's article in Psychology Today:https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/in-one-lifespan/201601/does-mindfulness-enhance-critical-thinkingHere's another article co-authored by Hogan on the same topic:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.02043/fullThe disturbing rise of QAnon within the wellness and yoga communities:https://www.yogajournal.com/lifestyle/yoga-wellness-and-qanon-conspiracy-theoriesThe origin of one of my favorite quotes:https://spinstrangenesscharm.wordpress.com/2017/10/22/who-first-said-we-must-keep-an-open-mind-but-not-so-open-that-our-brains-fall-out/Easy and effective mindfulness exercises you can do:https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/in-depth/mindfulness-exercises/art-20046356Some mindfulness apps for your consideration:https://positivepsychology.com/mindfulness-apps/An article about utilizing mindfulness in the workplace to enhance problem solving:https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140625172839-26938934-critical-thinking-mindfulness-and-thinking-about-thinking/

April discusses media literacy in a wide-ranging conversation with Shanna Gilkeson, a doctoral candidate in media and communication at Bowling Green State University. They talk about what does and doesn't work when applying traditional media literacy skills to today's media landscape. Shanna gives some great tips about how she approaches fact-checking, talks about how she determines a source to be credible/reliable, and shares her favorite credible sources and fact-checking sites. Episode 7 Show Notes: A good article discussing the basics of media literacy: https://mediastudies.pressbooks.com/chapter/the-importance-of-media-literacy/ Here's the CRAAP test pdf: https://library.csuchico.edu/sites/default/files/craap-test.pdf Danah Boyd's SxSW keynote speech "What Hath We Wrought" describes the epistemic crisis the US finds itself in, explains a little bit about how people get radicalized, and how the traditional way of teaching media literacy has failed us, that teaching people how to verify a source's credibility doesn't work when they're radicalized to mistrust any source they don't agree with: https://youtu.be/0I7FVyQCjNg Ad Fontes Media - a valuable resource in terms of determining how reliable or biased a source is. https://www.adfontesmedia.com/ In particular, their interactive media bias chart is helpful in terms of determining where a source lands on the trustworthiness spectrum: https://www.adfontesmedia.com/interactive-media-bias-chart-2/ Also, they're super-transparent about their methodology, which they describe in great detail here: https://www.adfontesmedia.com/how-ad-fontes-ranks-news-sources/ On the need for fact-checking instead of source checking: https://medium.com/@holden/how-media-literacy-gets-web-misinformation-wrong-45aa6323829d On the value of acquiring knowledge before trying to apply criticism: https://hapgood.us/2016/12/19/yes-digital-literacy-but-which-one/ How media literacy gets misinformation wrong: https://medium.com/@holden/how-media-literacy-gets-web-misinformation-wrong-45aa6323829d Yep, this happened: https://www.forbes.com/sites/tommybeer/2020/10/16/trump-tweets-out-fake-story-criticizing-biden-from-satirical-news-site/#3cf6e9c55c38 This NPR interview is from 2012, but it still stands: https://www.npr.org/2012/01/10/144974110/political-fact-checking-under-fire

April interviews journalism professor Jennifer (Jenny) Mitchell about today's media landscape. Topics include what qualifies as media, who owns giant media conglomerates, the difference between hard news and opinion pieces, professional journalists vs. citizen journalists and bloggers/vloggers, the ethical principles that professional journalists should follow, and the credible news sources that Jenny relies on. Episode 6 Show Notes:A list of top media conglomerates:https://www.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/021815/worlds-top-ten-media-companies-dis-cmcsa-fox.aspxA list of media billionaires:https://www.forbes.com/sites/katevinton/2016/06/01/these-15-billionaires-own-americas-news-media-companies/#4c73723660adAn explanation of “infotainment:”https://www.medialit.org/reading-room/whatever-happened-newsThe difference between hard news and opinion:https://digitalresource.center/content/lesson-5-news-vs-opinionLeast biased sites for news:https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/top-5-world-news-websites-guaranteed-free-censorship/A decent article by a young media student who seems to have a handle on the issues with citizen journalists:https://medium.com/@zoesaunderson/the-legal-challenges-professional-vs-citizen-journalists-225a026cf83aAn academic paper on the topic of citizen vs professional journalists: https://homepage.univie.ac.at/homero.gil.de.zuniga/documents/Holton,%20Coddington%20&%20Gil%20de%20Zuniga%20(2013)%20Journalism%20Practice.pdfThe Society of Professional Journalist’s Code of Ethics:https://www.spj.org/ethicscode.aspA great article about journalism as a calling:http://www.mediaethicsmagazine.com/index.php/browse-back-issues/137-fall-2007/3230571-journalism-as-a-callingThe American Press Association’s (APA) list of principles that all journalists should abide by:https://americanpressassociation.com/principles-of-journalism/The link to OnlineNewspapers.com:http://www.onlinenewspapers.com/A link to CSN’s Coyote Student News, the student-run paper that Jennifer Mitchell oversees:https://coyotestudentnews.com/A really, really good (and disturbing) discussion about how disinformation travels through mass media and into social media:https://www.lawfareblog.com/lawfare-podcast-yochai-benkler-mass-media-disinformation-campaignsAn explanation of “false balance:”https://www.theguardian.com/science/blog/2016/nov/08/impartial-journalism-is-laudable-but-false-balance-is-dangerous

April discusses Jonathan Haidt's "Moral Foundations Theory," that has its roots in evolutionary psychology and attempts to explain how we view politics and social policy. We use the same basic moral foundations to create our beliefs and opinions, but we interpret and layer them differently. When we recognize which of these foundations people are using to build their moral framework we can see how they come to hold certain beliefs. Understanding is the key to opening dialogue and eventually resolving conflict.Episode 5 Show Notes:Here's a great article from the website DividedWeFall.com that goes into detail on Haidt's Moral Foundations Theory:https://dividedwefall.com/2018/07/15/the-righteous-mind-moral-foundations-theory/?gclid=CjwKCAjwn9v7BRBqEiwAbq1Ey5fhnO5F6VgWC7ducjJKd9NrqWR7nbrsBBG4gyVnHRxVB4Ydc_4NlxoCiUkQAvD_BwEThis is the link to the YourMorals.Org website:https://yourmorals.org/This article from The Greater Good Magazine discusses the importance of empathy in today's world:https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/in_a_divided_world_we_need_to_choose_empathyThe Civil Politics website has lots of article and links to great resources about this topic. Here's a good article:http://www.civilpolitics.org/content/two-evidence-based-recommendations-for-civil-disagreement/This article explains "Intergroup Contact Theory:"https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/what_makes_a_good_interaction_between_divided_groupsLook around and see if there's a topic on LivingRoomConversations.org that interests you on this website, then get involved in a discussion:https://www.livingroomconversations.org/This pdf has some provocative questions on divisive issues that can be used to open dialog:https://whatisessential.org/sites/default/files/resource/file/2020-06/Questions%20for%20Divisive%20Issues.pdfThis conversation guide on the topic of immigration is an example of how LivingRoomConversations guides its participants to help them truly understand each other:https://209859-635214-1-raikfcquaxqncofqfm.stackpathdns.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/NEW-Immigration.pdfHere's an eye-opening article on the Village Square's website that will make you think about why it's so difficult to get people from opposing sides to sit down and talk:https://tlh.villagesquare.us/blog/welcoming-conservatives/This Psychology Today article gives some great ideas about how to approach problematic discussions:https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/how-risky-is-it-really/201007/why-changing-somebody-s-mind-or-yours-is-hard-doA great article from the Gottman Institute about maintaining relationships while disagreeing:https://www.gottman.com/blog/what-to-do-when-you-disagree/

In this short but important episode, April explains what the principle of charity is, how it seems to have been forgotten in today's discourse, and ways we can incorporate it into our face to face and online discussions.Show Notes:Jeff Stolle explains how the principle of charity fits into civil discourse:https://www.registerguard.com/story/business/names-faces/2020/06/02/bluechip-stolle-two-rules-of-civil-discourse/42103329/The Ethics Centre's article says we should try to understand an opponent's arguments before criticizing them:https://ethics.org.au/ethics-explainer-the-principle-of-charity/Jonathan Maloney's take on this important principle:https://www.intelligentspeculation.com/blog/the-principle-of-charityAn article from Patrick Gerard's online course, "Logic and Critical Thinking:"https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/logical-and-critical-thinking/0/steps/9148The Amazon link to Daniel Dennett's book referenced in this episode:https://www.amazon.com/Intuition-Pumps-Other-Tools-Thinking/dp/1491518871John Corvino's explanation of the principle of charity on his YouTube Channel:https://youtu.be/LZZ7tQnI2-M

In this episode, April discusses why fallacies are so powerful and persuasive, and gives examples of some common ones to show how prevalent they are in our lives. She talks to Stephanie Willes, who teaches COM and rhetoric at UNLV and is researching how online anti-vaccine communities use fallacies in their arguments to recruit and keep followers. Follow COMteacherapril on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/COMteacheraprilEpisode 3 Show Notes:Why fallacies are effective: http://jmbeach.blogspot.com/2012/03/power-and-danger-of-fallacies-double-ad.html Explanation of validity and soundness in deductive arguments: https://iep.utm.edu/ded-ind/A long, long, long list of fallacies: https://iep.utm.edu/fallacy/ An explanation of the appeal to authority (false authority): http://www.nizkor.com/features/fallacies/appeal-to-authority.html An explanation of the post hoc fallacy that mistakes correlation for causation: https://www.thoughtco.com/post-hoc-fallacy-1691650 Don’t let all the stupid pop-up ads on this page dissuade you from reading this very good article about how fallacies make us wrong and why we stick with them: https://www.cracked.com/article_19468_5-logical-fallacies-that-make-you-wrong-more-than-you-think.html Here’s the latest incarnation of the Media Bias chart: https://www.adfontesmedia.com/intro-to-the-media-bias-chart/ Here is the list of Twitter accounts that Stephanie follows: @APFactCheck@factcheckdotorg@ddale8 @jenmercieca (she is a rhetoric professor)@thereal_truther

April explains one of the reasons why arguments can go "off the rails"--because the people involved are either unintentionally or deliberately arguing past each other. This happens when people think they are arguing about the same thing, but they are actually arguing different issues related to the topic. April's Show Notes for Episode 2: Here's a basic explanation of formal argument and how it differs from informal argument: https://dlc.dcccd.edu/english2-2/formal-arguments This article from Harvard Business Review explains some of the reasons why we fail to see that we aren't "on the same page" with others, and gives some good tips to make sure everyone is listening and correctly interpreting what the issues are: https://hbr.org/2012/12/why-youre-talking-past-each-other-and This is the story of the mother and daughter who were arguing based on different definitions of the term "socialism:" https://thevoice.us/instead-of-talking-past-each-other-find-common-ground/ A good article about how those involved in national discourse often talk past each other: https://novellearning.blog/2017/10/12/how-we-argue-talking-past-each-other/ This is a great article that explains why paraphrasing is so effective when you're in the middle of an argument: https://www.whatcomdrc.org/news/2018/3/30/the-power-of-paraphrasing"Pivoting" is a common way politicians avoid answering questions they don't like, and often the audience doesn't realize they're being played. Here's how they exploit our "cognitive limitations:" https://www.npr.org/2012/10/03/162103368/how-politicians-get-away-with-dodging-the-question

In the premiere episode, April begins by NOT talking about critical thinking at all! Instead, she discusses some of the reasons why clear thinking is so difficult. Topics include:Feelings as a prelude to thoughtsHow our brains utilize heuristics, and how they sometimes don't work in our favorCognitive biases that lead us to incorrect conclusions about the worldUsing deliberative thinking to monitor our heuristics and biasesApril's Show Notes for Episode 1Here are the links to articles, websites, and other resources listed in the order in which they are referred to in the episode. Whenever possible I try to find good, solid information from credible sources that can be easily accessed by the public.In this blog post by Dr. Mark Solmes, he explains the difference between thinking and feeling: https://www.futurelearn.com/info/blog/thinking-and-feeling-whats-the-differenceThis article from the psychology website verywellmind.com explains the link between heuristics and cognitive biases: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-a-heuristic-2795235Intellligent Speculation is a website devoted to teaching about critical thinking. One article discusses “motivated reasoning” and how it is related to confirmation bias; the other is a look at some common cognitive biases: https://www.intelligentspeculation.com/blog/confirmation-bias-amp-motivated-reasoninghttps://www.intelligentspeculation.com/blog/top-10-cognitive-biases-to-look-out-for?utm_source=Intelligent+Speculation&utm_campaign=5d85990ec1-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_07_29_04_40&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c6ebd538ff-5d85990ec1-403863798This YouTube video is a Ted Talk by Hans and Ola Rosling, “How Not to be Ignorant About the World,” that lets us know how little we actually know about the world, and how intuition and the negativity bias often works against us. It also gives us some hope for the future, as well as some tips about how to be “smarter than chimps.” https://youtu.be/Sm5xF-UYgdgI don’t have a link to the paper by Dunning and Kruger, but here’s the citation: @article{Kruger1999UnskilledAU, title={Unskilled and unaware of it: how difficulties in recognizing one's own incompetence lead to inflated self-assessments.},author={Justin Kruger and David Dunning}, journal={Journal of personality and social psychology},year={1999}, volume={77 6}, pages={1121-34}}Here's the You Are Not So Smart website. David McRaney also wrote a book and hosts a podcast with the same name. I highly recommend those as well: https://youarenotsosmart.com/Here are the two Forbes articles about reducing cognitive bias: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2019/04/17/cognitive-bias-human-brains-are-only-human/#23a21d0777behttps://www.forbes.com/sites/hecparis/2019/10/08/new-evidence-reveals-training-can-reduce-cognitive-bias--and-improve-decision-making/#5609366f177e

Trailer for "Think It Through: the Clearer Thinking Podcast."