#WB Critical Thinking
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?
Too frequently, most of us don’t seek information to discover truth. We seek reassurance that we’re already right.
Can a fat, out of shape person give valid nutritional advice?
Good advice doesn’t become wrong because the person giving it fails to follow it. Truth stands or falls on evidence, not appearances.
Is anecdotal evidence ever useful to prove something?
Anecdotal evidence can show something exists, but it cannot prove broad claims on its own.
Is the Big Bang singularity scientific or philosophical?
Physicists often talk about the idea that the universe exploded from nothing in a singularity, that idea is more philosophical than scientic. The universe's expansion ...
Did most humans live in caves 30,000 years ago?
Despite popular belief, we did not spend a lot of time in caves. We do find lots of artifacts in caves, and we tend focus ...
If evolution is true, why haven’t humans evolved in 50,000 years?
Humans have evolved in the last 50,000 years, just not into a new “species."
Is the idea of superposition multiple states irrational?
Superposition describes multiple possible states mathematically; treating those possibilities as simultaneously real is a speculative interpretation.
What is the difference between a true believer, an empiricist, and a true skeptic?
The empiricist stands between dogma and paralysis—open to revision, grounded in evidence.
What is a straw man fallacy and how can I avoid it?
A straw man fallacy replaces a real argument with a weaker version, making it easier to attack but harder to reach truth. Do not fall ...
If your friends are bad, are you bad?
Judging people by association rather than evidence confuses proximity with character. That's the guilt by association fallacy.
Is Terrance Howard correct when he says zero does not exist?
Zero represents the absence of a quantity, not the existence of metaphysical nothingness.
Why is “inductive” reasoning not as reliable as deductive?
Induction identifies patterns and can be strong, but deduction is tighter because its conclusion must follow. Use induction to explore. Use deduction to prove.
Are personal spiritual experiences believable?
A spiritual experience may shape a life, but private experience alone does not establish an empirical or rational claim about reality.
Thinking: How does social media fuel the “grass is always greener” problem?
Social media fuels the “grass is always greener” problem by making us compare our lived reality to other people’s curated representations.
Does the absence of evidence prove anything?
Missing evidence is not evidence, and the evidence we do have paints a compelling picture. Fossilization is rare and strongly favors hard parts like bones, ...
Is it fair to judge a colleague based on how they dress?
Guilt by association, a type of ad hominem, mistakes correlation for causation. In this case, it mistakes appearance for evidence.