The hottest Critical Thinking Substack posts right now

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Top Education Topics

Living Truths and Dead Dogmas: How the Humanities Honors Freedom of Thought and Expression

Humanities in Revolt • 279 implied HN points • 08 Sep 22
🚌 Education Humanities Critical Thinking Dialogue Cultural analysis
  1. The humanities teach us not to judge something before we understand it, promoting open-mindedness, love for enemies, and freedom of thought and expression.
  2. Criticism of conventional schooling highlights the need for education that fosters critical thinking, independence, and a love for learning, rather than regimentation and conformity.
  3. Humanistic inquiry reinvigorates our understanding of beliefs, encourages critical examination, and emphasizes the ongoing effort necessary to maintain living truths instead of dead dogmas.

Beware AI in the classroom

CIEO • 78 implied HN points • 11 Jul 23
🚌 Education Technology Bias Critical Thinking Learning Teaching
  1. AI in the classroom can provide benefits but also comes with costs, such as bias and misinformation.
  2. AI-generated responses may not always be accurate or politically neutral, reflecting biases of developers.
  3. To effectively judge AI responses, individuals need critical thinking skills and knowledge, and teachers play a crucial role in guiding young people.

Skills we need for the AI-driven world

10x your mind • 79 implied HN points • 06 Apr 23
🚌 Education Skills Learning Development Curriculum Critical Thinking
  1. Machines are advancing rapidly, and we need to identify skills to stay relevant amidst automation.
  2. Skills like smarter decision-making, clarity in thinking, and asking the right questions are crucial for navigating the AI-driven world.
  3. Emotional intelligence and the ability to reinvent ourselves are becoming increasingly important in the face of evolving technology.
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What Critics of the Humanities Don't Understand

Humanities in Revolt • 299 implied HN points • 10 Feb 22
📖 Philosophy Values Critical Thinking Aesthetics Political Philosophy Moral Philosophy
  1. Critics of the humanities often underestimate their importance and mistakenly prioritize practical fields like STEM over humanities. However, an in-depth analysis reveals the value-based assumptions behind such claims.
  2. The humanities contribute to understanding human existence beyond mere practicality by encouraging contemplation of values, creativity, and the human condition. They help us figure out our fundamental goals and values that guide decision-making.
  3. Philosophy delves into examining human values, morality, aesthetics, and political philosophy, emphasizing the indispensable role the humanities play in critically evaluating our beliefs, actions, and societal structures based on deeper values.

Six thinking hats

A Bit Gamey • 13 implied HN points • 17 Dec 23
🚌 Education Problem Solving Decision-making Creativity Critical Thinking Personal Development
  1. The Six Thinking Hats method by Edward de Bono helps in problem solving by considering different perspectives.
  2. Each hat represents a specific viewpoint like emotions, caution, facts, optimism, creativity, and control.
  3. Using the Six Thinking Hats approach can lead to clearer thinking, innovative ideas, effective communication, and better decision-making.

My Humanities Journey

Humanities in Revolt • 79 implied HN points • 18 Mar 23
🚌 Education Humanities Philosophy Literature Higher education Critical Thinking
  1. The dominant schooling system has been criticized by various great thinkers for failing to nurture critical thinking, creativity, and democratic values, highlighting the importance of reevaluating traditional education methods.
  2. Mark Twain and Jack London, despite being school dropouts, emphasized the distinction between 'schooling' and 'education,' emphasizing the role of life experiences and concentrated study in their intellectual development.
  3. Formal education is not the only path to learning, as illustrated by Dr. Nall's journey from a high school dropout to earning a doctorate, highlighting the value of informal learning, exploration, and deep critical thinking in one's educational journey.

One Year of Humanities in Revolt

Humanities in Revolt • 139 implied HN points • 16 Sep 22
🚌 Education Humanities Critical Thinking Ethics Culture Public Engagement
  1. Humanities are not just for colleges and universities; they have value in everyday life and should be shared with a wider audience.
  2. Engaging with humanities involves critical evaluation and thoughtful contemplation, not just passive consumption.
  3. The humanities encourage independent thinking, dialogue, and self-examination, tackling existential questions and challenging ideas with respect and humility.

Understanding the Gell-Mann Amnesia Effect: The Intersection of Knowledge, Media, and Belief

Wayne's Earth • 7 HN points • 26 Dec 23
🚌 Education Media Literacy Critical Thinking Cognitive Biases Information Overload
  1. The Gell-Mann Amnesia effect points out how we tend to doubt news within our expertise but believe information outside of it, showing inconsistencies in our media perception.
  2. Cognitive biases like confirmation bias and the Dunning-Kruger effect play a role in why we selectively scrutinize information based on our expertise.
  3. In the digital age, the internet and social media have intensified the Gell-Mann Amnesia effect, making it crucial for individuals to cultivate critical thinking and media literacy to navigate the vast sea of information.

"Worthless Degrees" and the Hidden Hand of Values

Humanities in Revolt • 119 implied HN points • 18 Feb 22
📖 Philosophy Values Humanities Ethics Critical Thinking
  1. Critics of humanities and liberal arts often overlook the vital necessity of these fields in shaping critical thinking skills and cultural knowledge, which contribute to individual flourishing and democratic society.
  2. Human values play a significant role in shaping our lives, influencing our beliefs, decisions, and societal norms.
  3. Factual claims are rooted in sensory perceptions, while value-based statements determine what is important or significant to us, showcasing the essential interplay between facts and values in human understanding.

The Conspirituality Candidate

Daniel Pinchbeck’s Newsletter • 18 implied HN points • 18 Jul 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Conspiracy Theories Media Critical Thinking Journalism
  1. The author does not support RFK Jr as a Presidential candidate due to concerns about his rejection of vaccines and controversial views.
  2. The importance of critical thinking in evaluating information sources and distinguishing between facts, falsehoods, and theories.
  3. Established publications like The New York Times are generally more reliable sources of information compared to random blogs, but even they can contain inaccuracies.

Propaganda for the Smart

Curiosity Sink__ • 22 implied HN points • 28 Mar 23
📖 Philosophy Media Ideology Critical Thinking
  1. On the battlefield of ideas, capturing intelligent people involves leveraging their intellect against them.
  2. Intelligent individuals can fall into the trap of feeling unique, forming strong opinions, and embracing ideologies.
  3. Consuming news addictively, social media arguments, and ideological affiliations can blind smart people, making them inadvertently foolish.

Student assignments in a time of language modelling

imperfect offerings • 19 implied HN points • 21 Apr 23
🚌 Education Teaching Curriculum Writing Technology Critical Thinking
  1. Educators can design accountable writing assignments to help students develop critical thinking skills and focus on aspects of human writing that large language models struggle with.
  2. Encouraging students to write from different positions or points of view, reflecting on personal experiences, and engaging in writing as part of a community can enhance accountability and support the development of writing skills.
  3. Using language model tools critically involves questioning their accuracy, biases, and potential impacts, while utilizing them creatively should be balanced with considering the limitations and risks associated with these tools.

Beyond the Grade: "Everything Happens for A Reason." But What Does that Mean?

Humanities in Revolt • 59 implied HN points • 25 May 22
📖 Philosophy Meaning of life Human experience Ethics Critical Thinking Beliefs
  1. Saying 'everything happens for a reason' can be vague and not add depth to discussions, as we are already aware of cause and effect.
  2. The phrase may imply larger forces at play, but without clarity on what these forces are, the statement remains ambiguous.
  3. The popularity of 'everything happens for a reason' may stem from our tendency to fill in unspecified reasons with personal beliefs, helping us cope with challenges.

Antilibrary: The Secret of the Humble Manager

TeamCraft • 0 implied HN points • 31 Jul 23
🚌 Education Professional development Critical Thinking Reading habits
  1. Managers in tech often fear being seen as frauds, leading to a lack of humility.
  2. Building an antilibrary can help foster humility and curiosity by seeking out books outside your expertise and challenging viewpoints.
  3. Utilize your antilibrary as an intuition pump by exploring unread books and letting your imagination create diverse meanings and messages.

Book Review: "Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know" by Adam Grant 4/5

Poczwardowski Notes • 0 implied HN points • 09 Oct 21
🚌 Education Critical Thinking Personal Development Research
  1. Rethinking what we've learned is a valuable skill, starting with ourselves and extending to influencing others and fostering collective rethinking within organizations.
  2. Changing our minds goes beyond trivial debates, impacting our careers and even saving lives. The book blends research with engaging stories and humor.
  3. It's okay to change your perspective; it shows growth and learning. Embrace moments of being wrong as opportunities for progress.

The Essence of Attentive Reading: Insights from Marcus Aurelius

Wayne's Earth • 0 implied HN points • 17 Oct 23
📚 Literature Reading Philosophy Critical Thinking Ethics
  1. True understanding comes from delving deep into a subject, not merely skimming its surface. Absorb material attentively to grasp nuances and reflect on implications.
  2. Attentive reading fosters critical thinking by encouraging questioning, analysis, and evaluation of information. This helps discern truth from falsehood and enriches understanding.
  3. Beware of smooth talkers and seek diverse perspectives to avoid being swayed by charisma. Differentiate between eloquence and truth, question motives, and broaden understanding with multiple sources.

How to Win an Argument

startupdreams • 0 implied HN points • 09 Mar 24
🚌 Education Critical Thinking Personal Growth Learning
  1. Understand both sides of an argument, know the points and counterpoints, and be able to effectively refute them with facts.
  2. Avoid getting emotionally involved in debates - present your points calmly and with a wealth of knowledge and preparation.
  3. Winning an argument involves presenting strong, rational arguments, staying calm while the other person gets upset or resorts to personal attacks, and recognizing signs that you've successfully made your case.

New offerings

imperfect offerings • 0 implied HN points • 22 Apr 23
🚌 Education AI Surveillance Critical Thinking
  1. Helen Beetham is developing various pieces like 'The platform university', AI illusions, and pedagogies of anti-surveillance.
  2. The content in development includes chapters on critical thinking in the digital university, post-digitality, and more.
  3. Helen Beetham's future work will cover topics such as learning design, learning spaces, and other relevant mainstream pieces.