On episode 035 of the Argument Ninja podcast I share updates on new course development over at kevindelaplante.com, and I share both the audio and the video of a one-hour interview I did with the hosts of the Epistemic podcast, which focuses on “street epistemology”.
Click to view the video interview on YouTube
(full URL: https://youtu.be/rHQYHUksJFk)
Or watch the embedded video (scroll down).
Timestamps:
0:56 – Topics discussed in the interview
2:15 – New courses in development on kevindelaplante.com
4:37 – How I’m pitching the new courses
5:12 – First course: Become an Argument Ninja
5:43 – Second course: How to Build a Good Argument (Argument and Reason)
6:11 – Third course: How to Know What You’re Talking About (Argument and Knowledge)
7:00 – Fourth course: How to Be Understood (Argument and Communication)
7:32 – Fifth course: How to Win Over Your Audience (Argument and Persuasion)
8:52 – Introducing the interview, “street epistemology”, and the hosts
11:57 – Critical thinking versus rational persuasion
13:19 – Two approaches to argumentation
16:34 – Why philosophers are suspicious of rhetoric
17:20 – How I was teaching critical thinking back when I was a university professor
17:33 – Origins of the “critical thinking movement” in higher education
21:12 – Jonathan Haidt’s “Elephant and the Rider” model
23:54 – My “core belief network” model for helping strategize conversations
29:50 – The virtues of simplicity and clarity
32:05 – The culture of “smartness” in academia
34:49 – Viewing rational persuasion as a martial art
40:49 – Are there some people who should not be given training in these tools?
43:30 – Why critical thinking has a bad name in some circles
47:25 – Is the term “critical thinking” useful if everyone is willing to claim it?
51:21 – When the critical thinking label becomes politicized
51:53 – Why I avoid talking about my personal views on polarized topics
54:26 – Critical thinking, tribalism and polarization
01:01:35 – Keep your core small
01:01:35 – Is street epistemology part of a “mixed martial arts” approach to critical thinking?
01:08:14 – Can scientists do better at communicating with the public?
Links:
My promo video for the new Argument Ninja courses
The Critical Thinking Movement in higher education (historical overview)
Videos:
The video interview for this podcast (interview starts around 10 minutes in)
My pitch video for new Argument Ninja courses