Critical Thinker Academy: Learn to Think Like a Philosopher

What you’ll learn
fundamental concepts of critical thinking (logic, argument analysis, rhetoric, reasoning with probabilities, the importance of background knowledge, etc.)
the importance of critical thinking for personal development, participation in democratic society, and the pursuit of wisdom
the role that critical thinking principles play in good essay writing
how cognitive biases make us prone to errors in how we form beliefs and make judgments
how our tribal psychology and political polarization affect our ability to think critically
how debates in science often turn on the meanings of key terms, like “theory”, “fact”, “hypothesis” and “law”
and much more!

Requirements
An interest in improving one’s critical thinking skills. That’s it!

Description
  For long-term success in school, business and life, learning HOW to think is far more important than learning WHAT to think.             Yet rather than serve as the core of any education worthy of a rational human being, we have relegated the teaching of logic, argument analysis and critical reasoning to specialty courses in universities that reach too few students, too late in their education.    In this course I share my growing understanding of these topics, with a focus on what is practically important and useful for developing as independent critical thinkers.    Currently the course contains over 200 videos totalling over 19 hours of viewing time!           Among the topics you will learn:  why critical thinking is importantthe difference between logic and argumentationwhat makes an argument good or badthe importance of background knowledge for critical thinkingtechniques of argument analysis and reconstructionwhat our growing understanding of the human mind tells us about how we actually form beliefs and make decisionshow tribalism and political polarization affect our ability to think criticallyhow scientific debates often turn on the meanings of key terms, like “theory”, “law”, and “hypothesis”how to reason about chance and uncertaintyhow to write a good argumentative essayhow to cite sources and avoid plagiarism in your writing         and much more! This content is drawn from a variety of teaching resources I’ve developed over the past few years, including a video podcast.          It’s important for you to know that I am continuing to add videos and course modules on a regular basis. This course will continue to grow and grow — I have a LOT OF GROUND that I want to cover! This is ONLY THE BEGINNING!  

Who this course is for
anyone who thinks that critical thinking is important and would like to learn more about it
anyone who is required to think and write argumentatively
anyone interested in the psychology of belief, judgment and persuasion
anyone interested in philosophy and who would like to learn more about philosophical ideas and methods
anyone taking a logic or philosophy class who would like to brush up on their basic logic and argumentation skills
anyone interested in scientific debates, or the philosophy of science
anyone interested in tribalism and contemporary politics