Everyone can learn how to make a good argument. This post is about how to do that. The Basics of a Good Argument At a very basic level, you can know that an argument is good if it has a clear conclusion supported by strong premises. Your premises are the evidence you use to support… Continue reading How to Make a Good Argument
This post is about avoiding the argument pitfall of circular reasoning, and it is part of a series on thinking critically. You can find links to other posts in this series at the end of the post. When We Care A Lot about Issues If you are anything like me, you have issues you care… Continue reading Avoiding Argument Pitfall #3: Circular Reasoning
This post is about the fallacy of hasty generalization and is one post in a series on thinking well. The more we are able to identify hasty generalizations, the more we are able to detect your own biases. How Thinking Well Helps Us When we learn to think well, it can help us to live… Continue reading The Fallacy of Hasty Generalization
You have probably heard of the dangers of propaganda before. Propaganda is a misinformation tactic that some leaders use to control their follower's perception of reality and to shut down their critical thinking and conscience. Controlling Followers Leaders who use propaganda (I am going to call them P Leaders to stand for Propagandistic Leaders) usually… Continue reading How to Detect Propaganda
Most of us have heard the phrase critical thinking before. And most of us understand that thinking critically is important. We may even have a strong desire to improve our own critical thinking skills. Despite all of these good feelings and intentions, we may not have a very clear idea of what critical thinking is.… Continue reading Five Ways to Practice Critical Thinking
This post is about the fallacy of ad hominem and is the third post in a series about learning to think well. You might like to read the first two posts here: What Does It Mean to Think Well, and Why Is It Hard Sometimes? Why Thinking Well is Worth It The first argument pitfall… Continue reading How to Spot Ad Hominem Fallacies
Over Thanksgiving, I got to spend some time with my nephews, and I ended up having a philosophy conversation with my preteen nephew, J, about mad scientists, identity, and the ship of Theseus. I used to be a middle and high school teacher and have always loved preteens and teenagers. I find that when they… Continue reading Mad Scientists and the Ship of Theseus: Philosophy Games
Snowflake: In the past seven eight years or so, this has become a common term of derision. The question is, what does the insult "sensitive snowflake" mean? Where Did it Come From? Using the term snowflake as an insult is nothing particularly new. For example, the term snowflake was used after the Civil War to… Continue reading What Does the Insult “Sensitive Snowflake” Mean?
Thinking well is worth it, but it's hard sometimes. Let's examine both these ideas. Thinking carefully and well sometimes requires us to reconsider beliefs on which our identity rests, and this can be uncomfortable. You can read more about that here: What Does It Mean to Think Well, and Why Is It Hard Sometimes? The… Continue reading Why Thinking Well is Worth It
What does it mean to think well? Most of us probably would like think well and make good arguments. But we might not be sure exactly how to do this. At a basic level, thinking well means that you have strong, relevant, accurate, and clear evidence to support our conclusions. And it also means that… Continue reading What Does It mean to Think Well, and Why Is It Hard Sometimes?
