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24. Critical Thinking and Science in Your Life
March 2, 2012
In the course's final lecture, Dr. Novella leaves you with some final thoughts on thinking more critically in your everyday life. These include accepting humility in the face of your own knowledge; understanding - but not denying - your emotions and their influence on thinking; and accepting the need to be comfortable with uncertainty.
23. Experts and Scientific Consensus
March 2, 2012
How reliable is scientific consensus on hot-button issues such as climate change? What is the definition of an expert, and when should you defer to an expert's knowledge on important questions? Is there any characteristic that guarantees an expert's legitimacy? Probe these and other tricky questions related to the nature of scientific consensus.
22. Science, Media, and Democracy
March 2, 2012
How does one find sound, reliable information in today's world? Topics you'll explore include the strengths and weaknesses of science reporting in the media; traps reporters fall into when covering science topics; the intersection between science and ethics, politics, and social issues; and the important role of science literacy.
21. Marketing, Scams, and Urban Legends
March 2, 2012
Ever since its creation, the Internet has revolutionized our access to facts and become a veritable "Wild West of Information." Gain tips for using critical thinking to filter the wealth of information out there in chain emails, popular scams, and other everyday outlets that exploit human psychology.
20. Denialism - Rejecting Science and History
March 2, 2012
Dr. Novella introduces you to denialism, a subset of pseudoscience that seeks to deny established science. By exploring the features and tactics of denialism, as well as extreme examples of it at work, you'll shed light on how critical thinking helps you sidestep the more subtle forms of denialism we're all susceptible to.
19. The Trap of Grand Conspiracy Thinking
March 2, 2012
Theories about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The existence and power of the Illuminati. The Roswell incident. Grand conspiracies such as these are cognitive traps that result from our attempts to make sense of our complex world. Examine both the compelling nature of conspiracy thinking and ways to determine which theories are true and which are just pseudoscience.
18. The Many Kinds of Pseudoscience
March 2, 2012
Deconstruct several specific examples of pseudoscience to see how its various features work. You'll investigate the pseudoscience behind iridology (the idea that our irises reflect our health), photographs that claim to capture ghosts, psychic abilities such as precognition, spontaneous human combustion, and more.
17. Science versus Pseudoscience
March 2, 2012
Many claims label themselves as scientific
16. Great Scientific Blunders
March 2, 2012
Learn how important skepticism is as a first response to scientific claims by surveying blunders that resulted from a lack of critical thinking. Among them: the claimed existence of "n-rays," cold fusion, Lord Kelvin's calculations for the age of the Earth, and a psychologist drawn into reports by patients convinced they were abducted by aliens.
15. Varieties and Quality of Scientific Evidence
March 2, 2012
Scientific studies are often used to provide evidence and support to a range of ideas and arguments. What questions should you ask when you are presented with an experimental or observational study? What specific biases should you be on the lookout for? What's the best way to compare studies with one another? Find out here.
14. Science and the Supernatural
March 2, 2012
What are we to make of "supernatural" issues such as the existence of ghosts and the possibility of miracles? Approach these and other topics from a critical thinker's perspective. Along the way, examine the deeper issue at work here: what is
13. Philosophy and Presuppositions of Science
March 2, 2012
Turn now to an in-depth examination of science, which serves as the foundation for critical thinking and can compensate for the tendency of human thinking to go awry. Specifically, you'll focus on and make sense of the philosophical interpretations of science (including Occam's razor), as well as probe some of the limits of scientific reasoning.
12. Culture and Mass Delusions
March 2, 2012
The culture and people around you can also have a profound impact on your critical thinking. Using powerful examples such as the response to Orson Welles's 1938 radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds and the Salem witch trials of the late 1600s, Dr. Novella explains the hidden power and pervasiveness of mass delusion and hysteria.
11. Toward Better Estimates of What's Probable
March 2, 2012
Continue your exploration of innumeracy by turning to the nature and perception of false positives, insignificant risks, and other manifestations in statistics and probability. Then, engage with some fun and revealing probability puzzles to discover just how lacking our intuition is when it comes to numbers.
10. Poor at Probability - Our Innate Innumeracy
March 2, 2012
Unfortunately, our brains are horrible when it comes to probability
9. Heuristics and Cognitive Biases
March 2, 2012
The worst biases are the ones you're not aware of. Avoid this pitfall of critical thinking by mastering the common biases in our thinking. After focusing on heuristics (mental short-cuts that can lead to erroneous conclusions), explore other powerful cognitive biases, including confirmation bias, familiarity bias, and optimism bias.
8. Logic and Logical Fallacies
March 2, 2012
Delve further into logical fallacies, including the ad hominem argument (attacking the person instead of the argument) and the genetic fallacy (assuming the historical use of something is relevant to its current use). Dr. Novella provides vivid examples to hammer home each fallacy's specific description and damaging implications.
7. The Structure and Purpose of Argument
March 2, 2012
Focus on one of the most important reasoning tools you can use to override the flaws in neurological function: argumentation. What makes for a true argument? How is an effective argument built? What's the difference between inductive and deductive logic? What common logical fallacies are we most susceptible to
6. Our Constructed Reality
March 2, 2012
Explore how different parts of your brain work together
5. Pattern Recognition - Seeing What's Not There
March 2, 2012
Pattern recognition is both a cognitive strength and a weakness; sometimes our brains can perceive patterns that aren't there. By seeing hyperactive pattern recognition at work in everything from data mining to superstitious thinking, you'll be better equipped to sort out what's real from what only appears to be real.
4. Flaws and Fabrications of Memory
March 2, 2012
Memory is tricky, to say the least. Here, unpack the vital role that memories
3. Errors of Perception
March 2, 2012
A solid understanding of metacognition relies on an understanding of the nature of perception. First, examine the nature of how our brains acquire and process information. Then, investigate the ways we can be deceived by what we think we perceive in phenomena such as attentional blindness, change blindness, and optical illusions.
2. The Neuroscience of Belief
March 2, 2012
Our brains are hardwired to believe in something. What is the neuroscience that drives this desire? What are the reasons behind the specific things you believe in? How can you use this understanding to mitigate the effects of your need to believe on your critical thinking skills? Find out the answers here.
1. The Necessity of Thinking about Thinking
March 2, 2012
Start by learning how to think about thinking itself (an act known as metacognition). Dr. Novella reveals how to distinguish good science from bad science; the individual steps involved in the critical thinking process; and how we can use critical thinking to break down topics such as the existence of UFOs.
Description
Dr. Steven Novella of the Yale School of Medicine equips you with the knowledge and skills you need to become a savvier, sharper critical thinker in your professional and personal life. By learning how to think about thinking, you'll gain concrete lessons for doing so more critically, more intelligently, and more successfully than ever before.
Your Deceptive Mind: A Scientific Guide to Critical Thinking Skills is a series that ran for 1 seasons (24 episodes) between March 2, 2012 and on The Great Courses
Where to Watch Your Deceptive Mind: A Scientific Guide to Critical Thinking Skills
Your Deceptive Mind: A Scientific Guide to Critical Thinking Skills is available for streaming on the The Great Courses website, both individual episodes and full seasons. You can also watch Your Deceptive Mind: A Scientific Guide to Critical Thinking Skills on demand at Amazon Prime and Amazon.
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Premiere DateMarch 2, 2012
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