Thinking Clearly and Analytically

[William] Clifford argued that we are morally responsible not merely for what we do and say, but also for what we believe… When we show ourselves to be uncritical and careless with own our beliefs, we implicitly invite others to do the same. And, perhaps more obviously, we invite others to fool us. We encourage dishonesty and deception. Each time we believe something that we lack the right to believe, in other words, we spread an intellectual and moral disease: an epistemic shamelessness that threatens the very possibility of meaningful, rational discourse… Among the most pernicious and perilous immoralities of our own age is our apparent surrender to the lowest standards of belief and communication…  But it will take tens of thousands of us to really make a difference and drag our civil discourse back from the brink. Should all freshmen across the land be required to study critical thinking and symbolic logic? It is a thought. It’s a thought of Michael Ventimiglia, associate professor of philosophy at Sacred Heart University, who directs what sounds like a terrific program at the school that introduces every first-year student to critical thinking and introductory formal logic, in an essay at Times Higher Education. He is understandably disappointed and frustrated with the level of public discourse, as well as its political results, and he thinks that teaching every student logic could make a difference. I want to believe this. So I should be suspicious of it. (Note: being on the lookout for motivated reasoning is not something typically covered in logic or philosopher-taught critical thinking courses.) Professor Ventimiglia’s case is an explicitly moral one based on the value of “meaningful, rational discourse.” Whether such discourse is valuable in itself, or for the realization of other goods, or both, we can leave aside. Let’s also leave aside the many interesting questions about the extent and degree to which we can plausibly be held responsible for our beliefs. Grant all that. Questions remain. For example: Do people’s improved skills in critical thinking and symbolic logic lead to better, more meaningful, rational discourse among them? Does taking a course in critical thinking and symbolic logic lead to improved skills in critical thinking and symbolic logic? Do enough people attend college such that their..

Google is currently testing driverless cars in Arizona. The two of us had lunch one afternoon in Scottsdale and watched the noticeable cars (with their rooftop honing devices) pass by our restaurant. As the car passed we heard a gentleman at a nearby table say, “Not a chance I’d get in that car.”

As unnerving as driverless cars may seem, change can be hard for many people to accept. We often fear the worst — that music videos would be the end of radio, and tablets would eliminate traditional books. Just consider how many people find it concerning every time Apple changes its charging cord on the iPhone. Yes, it’s concerning. But, we adapt…because we have to.

Change, in all areas of life, can be daunting, and especially at work where our natural tendency is to find a groove that works for us. Still, the resistance to change can be dangerous — as the way we work, the when we work, and the things we work on are consistently in a state of flux.

Children must be taught about fake news in schools to stop them from turning to extremism, a major international think-tank has said.

This book by Nik Peachey is an excellent resource book for teachers of
media and digital literacy.

The giant puzzle, created by German artist Clemens Habicht, features all the colours in the CMYK spectrum. This means tiles next to each other are almost identical in colour, but not exactly the same.

According to experts, from getting out of bed early to completing tasks on your commute, there's ten vital signs that prove you're a go-getter.