PCWilliams
Senior Member.
Critical thinking explained in six kid-friendly animations 
Very nice. Simple clear points.
thanks.
this guy's you-tube channel is awesome...
[video=youtube_share;T69TOuqaqXI]http://youtu.be/T69TOuqaqXI[/video]
thanks.
this guy's you-tube channel is awesome...
That has always baffled me as well, Critical Thinking skills are of use right across the academic field, even in subjects such as History. The very basics of critical thinking are not hard to understand and I'm sure that even primary school children (5-10 yrs) could be given the basics of matter which would be of great help in their later school, college and then university careers, besides being a very useful life skill.It has been a conundrum to me why Critical Thinking is not required curriculum in our schools, it had not been until college that Critical Thinking and Logical Fallacies had been thoroughly covered in a classroom.
That has always baffled me as well, Critical Thinking skills are of use right across the academic field, even in subjects such as History. The very basics of critical thinking are not hard to understand and I'm sure that even primary school children (5-10 yrs) could be given the basics of matter which would be of great help in their later school, college and then university careers, besides being a very useful life skill.
Conspiracy theorists often boast of being great critical thinkers because they don't believe anything they hear in the mainstream media, "do the research" themselves, etc. If you talk to conspiracy theorists, they will tell you you are the gullible one and they are the real critical thinkers.
well with high school age, youre battling new hormones. God Bless High School teachers : )when I do discuss with students sometimes
Conspiracy theorists often boast of being great critical thinkers because they don't believe anything they hear in the mainstream media, "do the research" themselves, etc. If you talk to conspiracy theorists, they will tell you you are the gullible one and they are the real critical thinkers.
They are also, sometimes, simply a bit stupid
One CT'er thought he had made that killer point, when he said "why no phone footage of the pentagon attack"
Err because video smart phones were not around in 2001
Brief pause, (although obviously not evaluate his critical thinking)
"Why no plane shape hole"
Lack of or poorly developed critical thinking skills goes well beyond just conspiracy theorists though. and in fairness, sometimes it's hard to get critical thinkers to stick to the point as well. : )Getting a CT to stick to the point is the first challenge
Lack of or poorly developed critical thinking skills goes well beyond just conspiracy theorists though. and in fairness, sometimes it's hard to get critical thinkers to stick to the point as well. : )
Getting a CT to stick to the point is the first challenge
This. I just went through that. They started out claiming that persistent contrails do not arise from water vapor, but when I started discussing that point, they quickly switched to Welsbach materials and geo-engineering patents and agenda 21.![]()
And the fact that they can spout claims much faster than you can address them is usually taken as evidence that they are right. After all, they've linked you to 10 different claims and videos about the same general subject and you've only addressed one of them and shown it to be wrong, therefore they're still 90% right.This. I just went through that. They started out claiming that persistent contrails do not arise from water vapor, but when I started discussing that point, they quickly switched to Welsbach materials and geo-engineering patents and agenda 21.![]()
It takes two to tango. You can always try to force the conversation back to the original point if it's not been concluded. It does not always work, but often people will do this if you make it clear you are not going to go forward otherwise.
And the fact that they can spout claims much faster than you can address them is usually taken as evidence that they are right. After all, they've linked you to 10 different claims and videos about the same general subject and you've only addressed one of them and shown it to be wrong, therefore they're still 90% right.
That's why I enjoy reading these forums where the discussions are kept nice and focused so that claims can be adequately addressed without every thread spiralling into a neverending Gish Gallop as happens all too often on web forums about fringe theories.
Any more, I won't follow links at all unless they tell me what point they are making with it and QUOTE the relevant passage first. If you don't do that, you end up wading through entire papers or Youtube vids and trying to make their argument FOR them so you can knock it down. Make THEM make their own SPECIFIC argument. They don't like being pinned down to narrow specifics.
Not in an advocacy way - but in a straightforward "these are the facts" way.
Since this thread is evolving towards debating/arguing with CT believers this video by potholer54 seems to be appropriate here. (Don't be troubled about the title)
The high school I attended focussed heavily on critical thinking skills, but very few of the students seemed to apply those skills outside of the classroom.In the Netherlands, students learn in high school (although only in the level preparing for University) how to build an argument, including discussion techniques with issues like non sequiturs, ad hominems, relying on authority, strawmans, red herrings etc. However, the emphasis is on rhethoric skills, not logic, and when I do discuss with students sometimes, this “knowledge” doesn’t seem to stick immediately.
The high school I attended focussed heavily on critical thinking skills, but very few of the students seemed to apply those skills outside of the classroom.
Since this thread is evolving towards debating/arguing with CT believers this video by potholer54 seems to be appropriate here. (Don't be troubled about the title)