#WB Critical Thinking
Is cause and effect certain?
With the motion of life, cause and effect feel certain. We see stable patterns. But Hume reminds you, correlation does not guarantee causation.
What does the Crinum coal mine teach us about dating methods?
Radiometric dating is scientifically sound, but it's true that scientists need to carefully rule out contaminants. Sound thinking recognizes that a method's validity depends on ...
Does Musk’s Mars vision highlight poor reasoning?
Ambition isn’t the problem — confusing futuristic spectacle with practical priority is.
Does the Fermi paradox lack good thinking?
Good thinking isn’t just about asking big questions like the Fermi Paradox—it’s about recognizing the biases that shape our answers and staying open to possibilities ...
Is the prisoner choosing bread over a key to freedom a critical thinking error?
During life, your present bias will pull you to choose what feels good now over what serves you later. Sometimes that's okay, sometimes not. Weigh ...
What is the preservation bias?
Preservation bias shapes what we think we know by favoring durable evidence over what decays.
What is the Ebbinghaus Illusion?
The Ebbinghaus Illusion reminds us that our senses don’t report reality directly; they interpret it.
What is information theory?
Information theory is the science of information and how it is encoded, transmitted, and preserved.
Was math discovered or invented?
Math is discovered in the structure of the Material World but invented in the symbolic systems minds use to describe that structure.
What is the difference between anthropology and paleontology?
Anthropology uncovers culture, and paleontology uncovers ancient life.
What is the difference between a heuristic and a cognitive bias?
Heuristics are natural mental shortcuts that speed decisions. Cognitive biases are ingrained thinking errors. Both are reinforced by experience. Both help us move forward quickly, ...
What is the cherry picking logical fallacy?
Cherry-picking turns partial truth into misleading truth. When a claim feels convincing, pause and ask: What evidence was left out? A single fact may be ...
Is it logical to vote for a candidate based on just one issue?
Focusing on a single issue can feel logical, but it risks cherry-picking. When you do it, just be aware that you are simplifying complex decisions.
Is there evidence for other dimensions?
There is no empirical evidence for other dimensions—only mathematical speculation and theoretical exploration.
What are social constructs and how do they apply to AI?
Social constructs are human-made rules, and AI will either inherit their flaws or help us outgrow them.
How do we know bloodletting doesn’t work?
Bloodletting survived for millennia not because it worked, but because humans mistook timing for causation.
How do slippery slope arguments manipulate people?
Slippery slope arguments manipulate by replacing evidence with fear, implying inevitability without proving the steps in between.
How do I know what is true and what is just an opinion?
Evidence. Inductive reasoning is evidence based; abductive reasoning is a best guess from limited evidence.
Why are invalid fear-based arguments so effective?
When information causes you fear, remember, fear itself will cloud your judgement.
Why do people believe wrong things?
People don’t seek information to discover truth—they seek reassurance that they’re already right.