Overview

Discover the science of cognitive biases and critical thinking and become a savvier, sharper critical thinker in your professional and personal life.

No skill is more important in today’s world than being able to think about, understand, and act on information in an effective and responsible way. At no point in human history have we had access to so much information, with such relative ease, as we do in the 21st century. But because misinformation has increased as well, critical thinking is more important than ever.

These 24 rewarding lectures equip you with the knowledge and techniques you need to become a savvier, sharper critical thinker. By immersing yourself in the science of cognitive biases and critical thinking, and by learning how to think about thinking (a practice known as metacognition), you’ll gain concrete lessons for doing so more critically, intelligently, and successfully.

Professor Novella tackles these issues and more, exploring how the often unfamiliar ways in which our brains are hardwired can distract and prevent us from getting to the truth of a particular matter. Along the way, he provides you with a critical toolbox that you can use to better assess the quality of information.

Course Outline

01: The Necessity of Thinking about Thinking

Learn how to distinguish good science from bad science and the steps involved in the critical thinking process.

Duration: 33 min

02: The Neuroscience of Belief

Explore the neuroscience that drives our desire to believe and how it affects our critical thinking skills.

Duration: 35 min

03: Errors of Perception

Examine how our brains acquire and process information and the ways we can be deceived by our perceptions.

Duration: 33 min

04: Flaws and Fabrications of Memory

Understand the vital role of memory in critical thinking and how inaccurate memories can influence our decisions.

Duration: 33 min

05: Pattern Recognition—Seeing What’s Not There

Discover how hyperactive pattern recognition can lead to misconceptions and how to sort out what’s real.

Duration: 33 min

06: Our Constructed Reality

Explore how different parts of your brain work together to construct your consciousness and the illusion of a single reality.

Duration: 34 min

07: The Structure and Purpose of Argument

Learn what makes a true argument, how to build effective arguments, and the difference between inductive and deductive logic.

Duration: 33 min

08: Logic and Logical Fallacies

Delve into common logical fallacies and their implications, using vivid examples to illustrate each fallacy’s impact.

Duration: 32 min

09: Heuristics and Cognitive Biases

Master common cognitive biases and how they affect our thinking, focusing on mental shortcuts that can lead to errors.

Duration: 34 min

10: Poor at Probability—Our Innate Innumeracy

Examine how our brains struggle with probability and the cognitive biases that arise from this flaw.

Duration: 31 min

11: Toward Better Estimates of What’s Probable

Engage with probability puzzles to discover how lacking our intuition is when it comes to numbers.

Duration: 30 min

12: Culture and Mass Delusions

Understand how culture influences our fears and beliefs, using historical examples of mass delusion and hysteria.

Duration: 32 min

13: Philosophy and Presuppositions of Science

Explore the philosophical interpretations of science and the limits of scientific reasoning.

Duration: 30 min

14: Science and the Supernatural

Approach supernatural claims from a critical thinking perspective and examine the relationship between science and belief.

Duration: 30 min

15: Varieties and Quality of Scientific Evidence

Learn how to assess the quality of scientific studies and what questions to ask when presented with evidence.

Duration: 32 min

16: Great Scientific Blunders

Survey significant scientific blunders that resulted from a lack of critical thinking and the importance of skepticism.

Duration: 31 min

17: Science versus Pseudoscience

Identify the characteristics of pseudoscience and how to differentiate it from legitimate scientific claims.

Duration: 33 min

18: The Many Kinds of Pseudoscience

Deconstruct specific examples of pseudoscience to understand how its features work and its implications.

Duration: 34 min

19: The Trap of Grand Conspiracy Thinking

Examine the cognitive traps of grand conspiracy theories and how critical thinking can help discern truth from fiction.

Duration: 30 min

20: Denialism—Rejecting Science and History

Explore denialism as a subset of pseudoscience and how critical thinking helps sidestep subtle forms of denialism.

Duration: 30 min

21: Marketing, Scams, and Urban Legends

Gain tips for using critical thinking to filter information in chain emails, scams, and other outlets that exploit psychology.

Duration: 31 min

22: Science, Media, and Democracy

Investigate the strengths and weaknesses of science reporting in the media and its implications for public understanding.

Duration: 29 min

23: Experts and Scientific Consensus

Learn about the nature of scientific consensus and when to defer to experts on important questions.

Duration: 29 min

24: Critical Thinking and Science in Your Life

Conclude with final thoughts on thinking critically in everyday life and the importance of humility and awareness.

Duration: 32 min