#13: Critical Thinking: What is it and How to Use It

Thinking Critically

In this episode, I'm speaking with Jonathan Haber about what exactly critical thinking is and the benefits it offers. We discuss: •His critical thinking journey and how politics acted as the initial impetus for his discovery. •A definition for what critical thinking is. •The benefits of learning critical thinking. •How emotions still have a role in critical thinking even if they can get in the way of rational thought sometimes. •How critical thinking promotes the recognition of both emotion as well as cognitive biases as innately human and how to minimize their negative impact on rational thought. •How the internet has made it very easy for people to interact with one another, but one of the darker sides of this increased connection is that people are increasingly combative online. •How for most, changing one's mind is a herculean effort that takes time and compassion. •And other topics. Jonathan Haber is an educational researcher, writer and entrepreneur working in the field of technology-enabled learning. His Degree of Freedom One Year BA project, which involved trying to learn the equivalent of a BA in just twelve months using only MOOCs and other forms of free learning, was featured in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Wall Street Journal and other major media sources. His writing on education-related topics has appeared in Slate, EdSurge and other publications. You can find his websites here: Critical Thinking Essentials: https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/critical-thinking Degree of Freedom: http://degreeoffreedom.org/ Critical Voter: http://www.criticalvoter.com/ LogicCheck: https://www.logiccheck.net/ You can find free Critical Thinking materials here: ThinkerAnalytix: https://thinkeranalytix.org/ Think Again (Duke University – Coursera): https://www.coursera.org/instructor/~932346 You can find this episode on our YouTube channel as well: https://youtu.be/04jIyhCscqA This podcast is supported and produced by Grips Visual Marketing. Grips believes in creating something that disrupts attention spans and challenges the marketing status quo. They do this by creating high quality visual content that GRIPS your audience. You can find them on: Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/getagrip.vm/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getagrip.vm/