1. Cultivate an independent mindset: Understand the importance of thinking for oneself and resisting societal pressures to conform, empowering learners to confidently navigate their own path.

2. Foster curiosity and open-mindedness: Explore the value of curiosity in seeking truth and knowledge, and nurture an open mind that welcomes new ideas and perspectives.

3. Gain powerful perspective from Plato's Allegory of the Cave: Explore the allegory as a metaphor for the journey from ignorance to enlightenment, drawing parallels to the quest for truth and critical thinking in today's world.

4. Develop critical thinking skills: Learn to identify and avoid common pitfalls in reasoning such as logical fallacies and cognitive biases, enabling clearer and more rational decision-making.

5. Navigate falsehoods and uncertainty: Equip learners with the tools to sift through information and navigate the complexities of an increasingly uncertain world with clarity and precision.

I am a lifelong independent thinker and certified personal/life coach (among other experience), and a passion for many decades learning how to seek and find truth in the world, think for oneself amidst many influences and resources, and help others think for themselves and build more self-esteem and confidence

宿題が提供されます
Homework for each week will simply be to look for experiences in daily life where the critical thinking ideas and skills learned in the prior week are relevant and applicable. We will discuss at the start of the next week's class. The final week's homework will be to continue learning how to think critically, starting by learning about the scientific method (this will not be discussed in another class as it will occur after the final class).
授業以外に週あたり 0 - 1 時間の学習が期待されます
評価が提供されます
成績が提供されます

- Plato's Allegory of the Cave (from Book 7 of "Republic"), presented using a Youtube video provided by TED Ed

- Well-documented and publicly-available information on logical fallacies and cognitive biases

- General world history demonstrating manipulation of information, censorship, propaganda, related topics

- Class educator's lived experience as a lifelong independent thinker and certified personal/life coach (among other experience), and a passion for many decades learning how to seek and find truth in the world, think for oneself amidst many influences and resources, and help others think for themselves and build more self-esteem and confidence

- Non-political, non-religious, non-partisan examples to contemplate and explore in order to better understand things like logical fallacies and cognitive biases