Critical Thinker Academy
Learn the concepts and skills that can make you a more effective and independent critical thinker!
100% Udemy Discount Code:
by Kevin deLaplante
For long-term success in school, business and life, learning HOW to think is far more important than learning WHAT to think.
Yet rather than serve as the core of any education worthy of a rational human being, we have relegated the teaching of logic, argument analysis and critical reasoning to specialty courses in universities that reach too few students, too late in their education.
In this course I share my growing understanding of these topics, with a focus on what is practically important and useful for developing as independent critical thinkers.
Among the topics you will learn:
Currently the course contains over 120 videos totaling over 12 hours of viewing time!
It's important for you to know that I am continuing to add videos and course modules on a regular basis. This course will continue to grow and grow -- I have a LOT OF GROUND that I want to cover! This is ONLY THE BEGINNING!
SECTION 1: Introductions
05:42
Lecture 1:
Some Background On Your Instructor
15 slides
Lecture 2:
What People Are Saying ...
Text
Lecture 3:
What I'm Working On Right Now
SECTION 2: Why Critical Thinking is Important
07:08
Lecture 4:
Logical Self-Defense
05:48
Lecture 5:
Personal Empowerment
10:40
Lecture 6:
Liberal Democracy and Civic Duty
09:16
Lecture 7:
Philosophy and the Search for Wisdom
SECTION 3: The Five Pillars of Critical Thinking
10:10
Lecture 8:
The Five Pillars of Critical Thinking
15:16
Lecture 9:
Logic for Critical Thinkers
06:23
Lecture 10:
Argumentation versus Rhetoric
06:10
Lecture 11:
Critical Thinking's Dirty Secret
08:36
Lecture 12:
What Critical Thinkers Can Learn From...
SECTION 4: Cognitive Biases and Critical Thinking
11:33
Lecture 13:
Cognitive Biases: Introduction
25:10
Lecture 14:
Cognitive Biases and the Authority of...
23:41
Lecture 15:
Cognitive Biases and the Evolution of...
SECTION 5: Special Topics
14:16
Lecture 16:
Critical Thinking About Conspiracies (I):...
11:23
Lecture 17:
Critical Thinking About Conspiracies (II): The...
25:31
Lecture 18:
Critical Thinking About Conspiracies (III):...
22:32
Lecture 19:
Causation, God and the Big Bang
19:16
Lecture 20:
Five Reasons to Major in Philosophy
SECTION 6: Basic Concepts in Logic and Argumentation
04:17
Lecture 21:
What is an Argument?
04:25
Lecture 22:
What is a Claim, or Statement?
03:58
Lecture 23:
What is a Good Argument? (I)
05:34
Lecture 24:
Identifying Premises and Conclusions
06:29
Lecture 25:
The Truth Condition
05:49
Lecture 26:
The Logic Condition
05:29
Lecture 27:
Valid vs Invalid Arguments
06:38
Lecture 28:
Strong vs Weak Arguments
01:57
Lecture 29:
What is a Good Argument? (II)
02:18
Lecture 30:
Deductive Arguments and Valid Reasoning
01:41
Lecture 31:
Inductive Arguments and Invalid Reasoning
09:41
Lecture 32:
Induction and Scientific Reasoning
SECTION 7: Basic Concepts in Propositional Logic
05:55
Lecture 33:
Introduction
04:25
Lecture 34:
Conjunctions (A and B)
03:53
Lecture 35:
Disjunctions (A or B)
07:02
Lecture 36:
Conditionals (If A then B)
02:34
Lecture 37:
Contradictories (not-A)
03:04
Lecture 38:
Contradictories vs Contaries
03:48
Lecture 39:
Contradictions (A and not-A)
05:03
Lecture 40:
Consistent vs Inconsistent Sets of...
02:18
Lecture 41:
not-(not-A)
02:56
Lecture 42:
not-(A and B)
01:51
Lecture 43:
not-(A or B)
03:46
Lecture 44:
not-(If A then B)
02:49
Lecture 45:
A if B
03:34
Lecture 46:
A only if B
02:27
Lecture 47:
A if and only if B
01:59
Lecture 48:
A unless B
03:23
Lecture 49:
The Contrapositive: If not-B then not-A
04:35
Lecture 50:
(not-A) or B
04:41
Lecture 51:
Necessary and Sufficient
05:47
Lecture 52:
Categorical vs Propositional Logic
03:05
Lecture 53:
All A are B
03:17
Lecture 54:
Some A are B
03:23
Lecture 55:
Only A are B
01:00
Lecture 56:
The Square of Opposition
SECTION 8: Common Valid and Invalid Argument Forms
02:42
Lecture 57:
Valid Forms Using OR
02:42
Lecture 58:
Invalid Forms Using OR
03:53
Lecture 59:
Modus Ponens
01:49
Lecture 60:
Modus Tollens
03:49
Lecture 61:
Hypothetical Syllogism
03:27
Lecture 62:
Affirming the Consequent
03:35
Lecture 63:
Denying the Antecedent
02:41
Lecture 64:
Valid and Invalid Forms Using ALL
02:08
Lecture 65:
Valid and Invalid Forms Using SOME
SECTION 9: Introduction to Fallacies
04:35
Lecture 66:
What is a Fallacy?
05:03
Lecture 67:
Categorizing Fallacies: Pros and Cons
04:08
Lecture 68:
The Rules of Rational Argumentation
10:31
Lecture 69:
Ad Hominem (Abusive)
07:10
Lecture 70:
Ad Hominem (Guilt by Association)
03:43
Lecture 71:
Appeal to Hypocrisy (tu quoque)
04:24
Lecture 72:
Appeal to Popular Belief (or Practice)
07:43
Lecture 73:
Appeal to Authority
08:48
Lecture 74:
False Dilemma
08:12
Lecture 75:
Slippery Slope
03:40
Lecture 76:
Straw Man
03:42
Lecture 77:
Red Herring
06:27
Lecture 78:
Begging the Question (Narrow Sense)
10:31
Lecture 79:
Begging the Question (Broad Sense)
SECTION 10: Reasoning with Probabilities: What is Probability?
02:06
Lecture 80:
Probability: Why Learn This Stuff?
06:11
Lecture 81:
What is Inductive Logic?
05:05
Lecture 82:
Probability as a Mathematical Object...
09:35
Lecture 83:
Classical Probability
07:48
Lecture 84:
Logical Probability
10:33
Lecture 85:
Frequency Interpretations
19:42
Lecture 86:
Subjective (Bayesian) Probability
13:03
Lecture 87:
Propensity Interpretations
SECTION 11: Reasoning with Probabilities: The Rules
03:29
Lecture 88:
What Has a Probability?...
04:18
Lecture 89:
Probabilities Range Between 0 and 1
00:58
Lecture 90:
Mutually Exclusive Events
03:19
Lecture 91:
Independent Events
05:18
Lecture 92:
The Negation Rule: P(not-A)
04:40
Lecture 93:
Restricted Disjunction Rule: P(A or B) = P(A)...
05:01
Lecture 94:
General Disjunction Rule: P(A or B) = P(A)...
03:26
Lecture 95:
Restricted Conjunction Rule: P(A and B) =...
05:13
Lecture 96:
General Conjunction Rule: P(A and B) =...
08:38
Lecture 97:
General Conditional Probability Rule
06:50
Lecture 98:
Total Probability Rule
07:19
Lecture 99:
Bayes' Rule
SECTION 12: Fallacies of Probability and Judgment
Upcoming
Lecture 100:
Introduction: We Suck at Reasoning with...
Upcoming
Lecture 101:
Underestimating the Probability of...
Upcoming
Lecture 102:
The Gambler's Fallacy
Upcoming
Lecture 103:
Small Sampling Effects and the Myth...
Upcoming
Lecture 104:
Regression Fallacies
Upcoming
Lecture 105:
Ignoring Base Rates
Upcoming
Lecture 106:
Fast and Slow Thinking:...
Upcoming
Lecture 107:
The First Number We See: Anchoring
Upcoming
Lecture 108:
What is Vivid to the Mind: Availability
Upcoming
Lecture 109:
Judging by Stereotypes:...
Upcoming
Lecture 110:
The Default Stance: Assume Your...
Upcoming
Lecture 111:
The Default Strategy: Whenever Possible,...
Upcoming
Lecture 112:
The Representation Can Help: Natural...
SECTION 13: How to Write a Good Argumentative Essay
04:08
Lecture 113:
Introduction
09:50
Lecture 114:
A Minimal Five-Part Structure
07:08
Lecture 115:
Writing the Introduction
02:38
Lecture 116:
Writing the Conclusion
01:02
Lecture 117:
The Essay: Should Teachers Be Allowed...
02:58
Lecture 118:
Analysis: The Introduction
04:03
Lecture 119:
Analysis: Main Body: First Argument
01:44
Lecture 120:
Analysis: Main Body: Second Argument
03:57
Lecture 121:
Analysis: Main Body: Third Argument
11:09
Lecture 122:
Analysis: Main Body: Evaluation and...
06:53
Lecture 123:
Analysis: The Conclusion
01:35
Lecture 124:
The Essay: Improved Version
08:29
Lecture 125:
The Essay: Improved Version with...
SECTION 14: How to Cite Sources and Avoid Plagiarism
01:10
Lecture 126:
Introduction
01:17
Lecture 127:
Plagiarism: The Basic Definition
02:47
Lecture 128:
Downloading or Buying Whole Papers
02:08
Lecture 129:
Cutting and Pasting From Several Sources
01:04
Lecture 130:
Changing Some Words But Copying Whole...
01:04
Lecture 131:
Paraphrasing Without Attribution
02:00
Lecture 132:
The Debate Over Patchwriting
01:46
Lecture 133:
When Should I Cite a Source?
01:00
Lecture 134:
What Needs to be Cited?
02:00
Lecture 135:
How to Cite: Mark the Boundaries
01:48
Lecture 136:
Citing Exact Words
01:26
Lecture 137:
Citing a Longer Quotation
03:24
Lecture 138:
Citing a Source But Not Quoting
03:52
Lecture 139:
A Comment About Common Knowledge
08:54
Lecture 140:
Citation Styles: MLA, APA, CSE, Chicago,...
Yet rather than serve as the core of any education worthy of a rational human being, we have relegated the teaching of logic, argument analysis and critical reasoning to specialty courses in universities that reach too few students, too late in their education.
In this course I share my growing understanding of these topics, with a focus on what is practically important and useful for developing as independent critical thinkers.
Among the topics you will learn:
- why critical thinking is important
- the difference between logic and argumentation
- what makes an argument good or bad
- the importance of background knowledge for critical thinking
- techniques of argument analysis and reconstruction
- what our growing understanding of the human mind tells us about how we actually form beliefs and make decisions
- how to write a good argumentative essay
- how to cite sources and avoid plagiarism in your writing
Currently the course contains over 120 videos totaling over 12 hours of viewing time!
It's important for you to know that I am continuing to add videos and course modules on a regular basis. This course will continue to grow and grow -- I have a LOT OF GROUND that I want to cover! This is ONLY THE BEGINNING!
SECTION 1: Introductions
05:42
Lecture 1:
Some Background On Your Instructor
15 slides
Lecture 2:
What People Are Saying ...
Text
Lecture 3:
What I'm Working On Right Now
SECTION 2: Why Critical Thinking is Important
07:08
Lecture 4:
Logical Self-Defense
05:48
Lecture 5:
Personal Empowerment
10:40
Lecture 6:
Liberal Democracy and Civic Duty
09:16
Lecture 7:
Philosophy and the Search for Wisdom
SECTION 3: The Five Pillars of Critical Thinking
10:10
Lecture 8:
The Five Pillars of Critical Thinking
15:16
Lecture 9:
Logic for Critical Thinkers
06:23
Lecture 10:
Argumentation versus Rhetoric
06:10
Lecture 11:
Critical Thinking's Dirty Secret
08:36
Lecture 12:
What Critical Thinkers Can Learn From...
SECTION 4: Cognitive Biases and Critical Thinking
11:33
Lecture 13:
Cognitive Biases: Introduction
25:10
Lecture 14:
Cognitive Biases and the Authority of...
23:41
Lecture 15:
Cognitive Biases and the Evolution of...
SECTION 5: Special Topics
14:16
Lecture 16:
Critical Thinking About Conspiracies (I):...
11:23
Lecture 17:
Critical Thinking About Conspiracies (II): The...
25:31
Lecture 18:
Critical Thinking About Conspiracies (III):...
22:32
Lecture 19:
Causation, God and the Big Bang
19:16
Lecture 20:
Five Reasons to Major in Philosophy
SECTION 6: Basic Concepts in Logic and Argumentation
04:17
Lecture 21:
What is an Argument?
04:25
Lecture 22:
What is a Claim, or Statement?
03:58
Lecture 23:
What is a Good Argument? (I)
05:34
Lecture 24:
Identifying Premises and Conclusions
06:29
Lecture 25:
The Truth Condition
05:49
Lecture 26:
The Logic Condition
05:29
Lecture 27:
Valid vs Invalid Arguments
06:38
Lecture 28:
Strong vs Weak Arguments
01:57
Lecture 29:
What is a Good Argument? (II)
02:18
Lecture 30:
Deductive Arguments and Valid Reasoning
01:41
Lecture 31:
Inductive Arguments and Invalid Reasoning
09:41
Lecture 32:
Induction and Scientific Reasoning
SECTION 7: Basic Concepts in Propositional Logic
05:55
Lecture 33:
Introduction
04:25
Lecture 34:
Conjunctions (A and B)
03:53
Lecture 35:
Disjunctions (A or B)
07:02
Lecture 36:
Conditionals (If A then B)
02:34
Lecture 37:
Contradictories (not-A)
03:04
Lecture 38:
Contradictories vs Contaries
03:48
Lecture 39:
Contradictions (A and not-A)
05:03
Lecture 40:
Consistent vs Inconsistent Sets of...
02:18
Lecture 41:
not-(not-A)
02:56
Lecture 42:
not-(A and B)
01:51
Lecture 43:
not-(A or B)
03:46
Lecture 44:
not-(If A then B)
02:49
Lecture 45:
A if B
03:34
Lecture 46:
A only if B
02:27
Lecture 47:
A if and only if B
01:59
Lecture 48:
A unless B
03:23
Lecture 49:
The Contrapositive: If not-B then not-A
04:35
Lecture 50:
(not-A) or B
04:41
Lecture 51:
Necessary and Sufficient
05:47
Lecture 52:
Categorical vs Propositional Logic
03:05
Lecture 53:
All A are B
03:17
Lecture 54:
Some A are B
03:23
Lecture 55:
Only A are B
01:00
Lecture 56:
The Square of Opposition
SECTION 8: Common Valid and Invalid Argument Forms
02:42
Lecture 57:
Valid Forms Using OR
02:42
Lecture 58:
Invalid Forms Using OR
03:53
Lecture 59:
Modus Ponens
01:49
Lecture 60:
Modus Tollens
03:49
Lecture 61:
Hypothetical Syllogism
03:27
Lecture 62:
Affirming the Consequent
03:35
Lecture 63:
Denying the Antecedent
02:41
Lecture 64:
Valid and Invalid Forms Using ALL
02:08
Lecture 65:
Valid and Invalid Forms Using SOME
SECTION 9: Introduction to Fallacies
04:35
Lecture 66:
What is a Fallacy?
05:03
Lecture 67:
Categorizing Fallacies: Pros and Cons
04:08
Lecture 68:
The Rules of Rational Argumentation
10:31
Lecture 69:
Ad Hominem (Abusive)
07:10
Lecture 70:
Ad Hominem (Guilt by Association)
03:43
Lecture 71:
Appeal to Hypocrisy (tu quoque)
04:24
Lecture 72:
Appeal to Popular Belief (or Practice)
07:43
Lecture 73:
Appeal to Authority
08:48
Lecture 74:
False Dilemma
08:12
Lecture 75:
Slippery Slope
03:40
Lecture 76:
Straw Man
03:42
Lecture 77:
Red Herring
06:27
Lecture 78:
Begging the Question (Narrow Sense)
10:31
Lecture 79:
Begging the Question (Broad Sense)
SECTION 10: Reasoning with Probabilities: What is Probability?
02:06
Lecture 80:
Probability: Why Learn This Stuff?
06:11
Lecture 81:
What is Inductive Logic?
05:05
Lecture 82:
Probability as a Mathematical Object...
09:35
Lecture 83:
Classical Probability
07:48
Lecture 84:
Logical Probability
10:33
Lecture 85:
Frequency Interpretations
19:42
Lecture 86:
Subjective (Bayesian) Probability
13:03
Lecture 87:
Propensity Interpretations
SECTION 11: Reasoning with Probabilities: The Rules
03:29
Lecture 88:
What Has a Probability?...
04:18
Lecture 89:
Probabilities Range Between 0 and 1
00:58
Lecture 90:
Mutually Exclusive Events
03:19
Lecture 91:
Independent Events
05:18
Lecture 92:
The Negation Rule: P(not-A)
04:40
Lecture 93:
Restricted Disjunction Rule: P(A or B) = P(A)...
05:01
Lecture 94:
General Disjunction Rule: P(A or B) = P(A)...
03:26
Lecture 95:
Restricted Conjunction Rule: P(A and B) =...
05:13
Lecture 96:
General Conjunction Rule: P(A and B) =...
08:38
Lecture 97:
General Conditional Probability Rule
06:50
Lecture 98:
Total Probability Rule
07:19
Lecture 99:
Bayes' Rule
SECTION 12: Fallacies of Probability and Judgment
Upcoming
Lecture 100:
Introduction: We Suck at Reasoning with...
Upcoming
Lecture 101:
Underestimating the Probability of...
Upcoming
Lecture 102:
The Gambler's Fallacy
Upcoming
Lecture 103:
Small Sampling Effects and the Myth...
Upcoming
Lecture 104:
Regression Fallacies
Upcoming
Lecture 105:
Ignoring Base Rates
Upcoming
Lecture 106:
Fast and Slow Thinking:...
Upcoming
Lecture 107:
The First Number We See: Anchoring
Upcoming
Lecture 108:
What is Vivid to the Mind: Availability
Upcoming
Lecture 109:
Judging by Stereotypes:...
Upcoming
Lecture 110:
The Default Stance: Assume Your...
Upcoming
Lecture 111:
The Default Strategy: Whenever Possible,...
Upcoming
Lecture 112:
The Representation Can Help: Natural...
SECTION 13: How to Write a Good Argumentative Essay
04:08
Lecture 113:
Introduction
09:50
Lecture 114:
A Minimal Five-Part Structure
07:08
Lecture 115:
Writing the Introduction
02:38
Lecture 116:
Writing the Conclusion
01:02
Lecture 117:
The Essay: Should Teachers Be Allowed...
02:58
Lecture 118:
Analysis: The Introduction
04:03
Lecture 119:
Analysis: Main Body: First Argument
01:44
Lecture 120:
Analysis: Main Body: Second Argument
03:57
Lecture 121:
Analysis: Main Body: Third Argument
11:09
Lecture 122:
Analysis: Main Body: Evaluation and...
06:53
Lecture 123:
Analysis: The Conclusion
01:35
Lecture 124:
The Essay: Improved Version
08:29
Lecture 125:
The Essay: Improved Version with...
SECTION 14: How to Cite Sources and Avoid Plagiarism
01:10
Lecture 126:
Introduction
01:17
Lecture 127:
Plagiarism: The Basic Definition
02:47
Lecture 128:
Downloading or Buying Whole Papers
02:08
Lecture 129:
Cutting and Pasting From Several Sources
01:04
Lecture 130:
Changing Some Words But Copying Whole...
01:04
Lecture 131:
Paraphrasing Without Attribution
02:00
Lecture 132:
The Debate Over Patchwriting
01:46
Lecture 133:
When Should I Cite a Source?
01:00
Lecture 134:
What Needs to be Cited?
02:00
Lecture 135:
How to Cite: Mark the Boundaries
01:48
Lecture 136:
Citing Exact Words
01:26
Lecture 137:
Citing a Longer Quotation
03:24
Lecture 138:
Citing a Source But Not Quoting
03:52
Lecture 139:
A Comment About Common Knowledge
08:54
Lecture 140:
Citation Styles: MLA, APA, CSE, Chicago,...
