The Argument Ninja Podcast 035 - Updates and a Street Epistemology Interview
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)
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)