Summary Good reasoning doesn’t come naturally. In fact, humans are instinctively terrible reasoners—most of the time, the way our brains work isn’t rational at all. Even with exceptional training in analytical thinking, we still have to overcome instincts to think simplistically and non-analytically. In this lesson, students explore some of …
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Summary The Internet can be a rich and valuable source of information – and an even richer source of misinformation. Sorting out the valuable claims from the worthless ones is tricky, since at first glance a Web site written by an expert can look a lot like one written by …
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Summary We’ve all had that experience, the one where we start arguing with someone and find that we disagree about pretty much everything. When two people have radically different background beliefs (or worldviews), they often have difficulty finding any sort of common ground. In this lesson, students will learn to …
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Summary “Please help me. I got an ‘F’ on my paper because I cited Wikipedia.” Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia, recently lamented that he gets 10 e-mails of this sort every week. And yet, despite Wales’ own stated views that Wikipedia provides “good enough” knowledge, students keep using it …
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Summary Being drafted hasn’t been much of a concern for anyone born on this side of the Age of Aquarius. But rumors of the return of the draft abound. Those rumors are especially scary when they seem to originate from U.S. military commanders. This lesson examines an anti-war advertisement sponsored …
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Summary If you’re looking for a job, you’d better hope you’re doing it in the U.S. and not in Europe because job growth is a stunning 17 times higher in America than it is in the old country. Perhaps that’s because Americans are all working as tax preparers, something they …
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Summary Maybe you’ve seen Dr. House in action – figuring things out from what seem like totally unrelated clues. Like Sherlock Holmes before him, House is a master of induction. In this lesson, students will keep up with the doctor (and a lawyer, too) as they learn how to spot …
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Summary Whether it’s an ad for burger chains, the closing scene of a “Law & Order” spinoff, a discussion with the parents about your social life or a coach disputing a close call, arguments are an inescapable part of our lives. In this lesson, students will learn to create good …
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Summary It’s a phased withdrawal, not a retreat. Except that the terms actually mean the same thing. But “retreat” sounds much worse, so savvy politicians avoid using it. That’s because they understand that there is a difference between the cognitive (or literal) meaning and the emotive meaning of a word. …
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Summary Persuading an audience requires intensive research and scrupulous fact-checking – or, you could just figure out what your audience wants to hear and tell them that. Politicians, advertisers and others with something to sell choose words and images that will appeal to their target audience, enticing them to accept …
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