Lecture 1 How We Think and How to Think Better

The Descriptive and the Normative

Thinking in Patterns
Working toward Social Rationality
Acquiring the Techniques of Philosophy
Slow Down Your Thinking

Lecture 2 Cool Rationality and Hot Thought

Reason versus Passion
Reason without Emotion Is Blind
Reason or Emotion? Both.
How Can We Make Better Decisions?
Deferred Gratification

Lecture 3 The Strategy of Visualization

What Is Visualization?
Pattern Recognition
How Philosophy Uses Visualization
The Limits of Cognitive Capacity
Improving Cognitive Capacity
Visualizing E = mc2
Visualizing the Pythagorean Theorem
Mental Rotation

Lecture 4 Visualizing Concepts and Propositions

What Are Concepts?
Words Are Not Concepts
The Extension of a Concept
Connotation and Denotation
Concept Trees: A Visualization Tool
Propositions: The Idea behind the Words
Categorical Propositions and Venn Diagrams
Thinking Better: The Pitfalls of Categorization

Lecture 5 The Power of Thought Experiments

Going to Extremes
Generalizations and the Counter-Case
E = mc2 Thought Experiment
Simplify, Simplify, Simplify
Thought Experiment in the Ethical Realm

Lecture 6 Thinking like Aristotle

A Brief History of Greek Philosophy
Aristotle�s Goal: To Systematize Thought
The Magic of Aristotle�s Visualization
Reasoning Better Through Aristotle�s Logic
Transforming Propositions

Lecture 7 Ironclad, Airtight Validity

 What Is a Valid Argument?
Ironclad, Airtight Validity
Validity Depends on Structure
Syllogisms
Using Visualization to Determine Validity
How to Visualize Logic: An Example
The Syllogism: No New Information
The Three-Circle Technique Embodies Ironclad, Airtight Validity
Getting to Reasoning That Offers New Information

Lecture 8 Thinking outside the Box

The Phenomenon of �Mental Set� or �Expectancy�
Breaking Out of the Pattern Rut
Cultivating Creative Thinking: Change Your Expectations
Cultivating Creative Thinking: Break Habits of Thought
Cultivating Creative Thinking: Overcome Conceptual Limitations
Thinking Better

Lecture 9 The Flow of Argument

Beyond the Syllogism
Flow Diagrams
Branching Flow Diagrams
Independent and Dependent Reasons
Graphing a Complex Argument
Data and Warrants
Different Kinds of Warrants
Thinking Better

Lecture 10 Simple Heuristics That Make Us Smart

The Recognition Heuristic
The Wisdom of Crowds
Statistics Explains the Wisdom of Crowds
The Heuristic of �Satisficing�
Rational Calculation or �Go with Your Gut�?
Cultivating Heuristics

Lecture 11 Why We Make Misteaks

Perceptual Bias
Change Blindness
Malleable Memory
Availability Heuristic
Anchor-and-Adjustment Heuristic
Cultural Patterns of Thought

Lecture 12 Rational Discussion in a Polarized Context

Partisan Polarization
Cultural Polarization
A Philosophical Analysis of Polarization
A Case Study of Polarization
Selection of Information
Warning Indicators of Polarization
Rationality in a Polarized Context
Lecture 13 Rhetoric versus Rationality
The History of Rhetoric
Rhetoric in Lincoln�s Cooper Union Speech
The Dark Side of Rhetoric: Schopenhauer�s Stratagems
The Ethics of Argument
The Positive Side of Rhetoric
Visualization: Graphing Logical Flow

Lecture 14 Bogus Arguments and How to Defuse Them

Appeal to the Majority
Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc
Ad Hominem
Tu Quoque and Poisoning the Well
False Alternative
The Complex Question
Hasty Generalization
Appeal to Ignorance
A Closer Look

Lecture 15 The Great Debate

McFirst Opens
O�Second Responds
McFirst Uses Schopenhauer�s Strategems
O�Second Casts Doubt

Lecture 16 Outwitting the Advertiser

Attractiveness Attracts
Appeal to Emotion
Better Thinking: Detecting Fallacies in Advertising
Appeal to Dubious Authority
Laws against False Advertising
Not the Whole Truth
Say the Magic Word
Test Your Skills

Lecture 17 Putting a Spin on Statistics

Statistics versus Facts
Evaluating Statistics Critically: Sampling Size, Survey Bias
Test Your Skills
Mean, Median, and Mode
Statistical Distribution
Correlation

Lecture 18 Poker, Probability, and Everyday Life

Being Rational about Probability
Law of Large Numbers
Linking Probability and Frequency
Combined Probabilities
Gambler�s Fallacy
A Classic Example

Lecture 19 Decisions, Decisions

Decision Theory
 Desirability
Decision Theory by the Numbers
Tversky and Kahneman
Diminishing Marginal Utility
Pascal�s Wager

Lecture 20 Thinking Scientifically

Science versus Pseudoscience

Falsifiability Is the Key
Unfalsifiable: The Opposite of Science
Putting Theories to the Test
The Limits of Experimentation

Lecture 21 Put It to the Test�Beautiful Experiments

A Beautiful Experiment
The Well-Designed Experiment
The Controlled Experiment
Randomized Controlled Trial
Philosophical Understanding of Scientific Procedure
The Double-Blind Experiment
Scientific Method and Scientific Discovery
Limitations to the Scientific Method
Consider the Context

Lecture 22 Game Theory and Beyond

Game Theory
Tit for Tat
The Limitations of Game Theory
Behavioral Economics
Social Rationality

Lecture 23 Thinking with Models

Schelling�s Model: Visualize, Simplify

Three-Part Model Structure: Input, Mechanism, Output
Using Prediction
Using Retrodiction
Using Explanation
Limitations to Thinking with Models
Models and Scientific Experimentation
Hobbes�s Leviathan

Lecture 24 Lessons from the Great Thinkers

Plato
Aristotle
Galileo
Descartes
Newton
Thinking Better: Lessons from the Great Thinkers
More Great Thinkers to Come