Critical Thinking

Asignaturas InterdisciplinaresCritical Thinking

In the era of fake news, contrasting data, and overabundance daily info to process, critical thinking is actually the only way to make sense of the world

What is critical thinking?
Why is it essential in university studies?
Critical thinking is the ability to think in an organized and rational manner in order to understand connections between ideas or facts, and a key tool to help us decide what to believe in.
In other words,

it’s “thinking about thinking”—identifying, analyzing, and also fixing flaws in the way we think.
This course is the right place to be if you are willing to learn critical thinking skills, how to apply them in your classes, in the workplace or in everyday life, how to improve them easily, and even how to show them off if you need to.

Objetivos de Aprendizaje

Demonstrate understanding of universal Intellectual Standards and their importance in human reasoning
Demonstrate understanding of the so-called 'Elements of Thought' and how they work together in reasoning.
Using the Elements of Reasoning and Intellectual Standards to think through intellectual, academic, personal, social, and political problems.
Designing and conducting Socratic discussions using the concepts of critical thinking.
Demonstrate understanding of the barriers to critical thinking development, and of the ability to intervene in thinking to improve it.
Articulate understanding of the problem of media bias and propaganda as a barrier to critical thought in human societies.
Demonstrate understanding of ethical reasoning, and show comprehension of the differences between ethics and other modes of thought - including religion, social ideologies, politics, and law.
Demonstrate abilities in close reading and substantive writing.

Contenidos de la Asignatura

1. What about critical thinking? Critical Thinking's Dirty Secret. Myths, legends and bullshit about human intelligence and reasoning.
2. The Pillars of Critical Thinking.
3. Design thinking, logic and narrative techniques.
4. It’s all about playing! Critical Thinking Games to survive in a rapidly changing world.
5. Why are we that stupid? Cognitive Biases and Critical Thinking- The Authority of Science and the Evolution of Reason.
6. Conspiracies and circular reasoning- Default Skepticism, Mind Control and Falsifiability.
7. Time to argue- The logic and strength of arguments, claims, and Statements.
8. Ambiguity and vagueness. Distinguishing arguments from conditionals, explanations and rhetoric scams.
9. Is everything a fallacy? A Guided Tour on contradictories, contraries and consistency.
10. The Probability Dictatorship- Why Learn This Stuff?
11. Are there impossible topics? God, the Big Bang and more.
12. Out of the box: knowledge and ideas from unfamiliar territories.
13. Clarity, brevity, impact, and other issues on making ideas memorable.
14. Summing up- Clear thinking, critical thinking, and clear writing.

Profesor

Profesor de Critical Thinking

Rubén Sáez Carrasco

Entrepreneur. Brand Builder. Marketing and Communication Specialist (On and Off). Professional Writer. Digital Experience and Strategies Designer.
Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at TándemLab Marketing Spain. Start-Up Founder at Find Your Outfie, S.L.
Teacher at Universidad Antonio de Nebrija, Centro de Estudios Universitarios FP and Instituto Europeo Di Design.