by J. Jerrald Hayes | Aug 1, 2020 | Coronavirus, Critical Thinking, Science Based Medicine
In a conversation last weekend I said despite my vaccine advocacy in the case of a vaccine for COVID-19 I said I would not want to be amongst the first to get vaccinated when “they’ come up with a vaccine because of how it is being rushed to market. Thinking about it...
by J. Jerrald Hayes | Aug 1, 2020 | Cognitive Bias, Critical Thinking, Irrational Thinking
Arguably one of the most important lessons on critical thinking I have ever seen articulated! This is exactly what I mean when I say, when I come to the relazation, that I AM NOT SO SMART… “…Even those of us with excellent critical thinking skills...
by J. Jerrald Hayes | Jul 20, 2020 | Critical Thinking, Irrational Thinking
How to talk to conspiracy theorists-and still be kind On May 4, a slick, 26-minute video was released, alleging that the coronavirus was actually a laboratory-manipulated virus deployed to wreak havoc so that a resulting vaccine could be used for profit. None of that...
by J. Jerrald Hayes | Jul 4, 2020 | Atheism, Critical Thinking, Reason & Rational Thinking, Religion
by J. Jerrald Hayes | Jun 28, 2020 | • Politics, Behavior, Cognitive Bias, Psychology
Why Facts Don’t Change Our Minds The economist J.K. Galbraith once wrote, “Faced with a choice between changing one’s mind and proving there is no need to do so, almost everyone gets busy with the...
by J. Jerrald Hayes | May 25, 2020 | • Politics, Behavior, Coronavirus, Critical Thinking, Partisan Idiocy, Pseudoscience, Psychology, Reason & Rational Thinking, Right Wing Lunacy
The 7 traits of conspiratorial thinking Science misinformation and conspiracy theories have surged during coronavirus. This guide can help you identify...
by J. Jerrald Hayes | May 24, 2020 | • Politics, Critical Thinking, Irrational Thinking, The 2020 Presidential Race, The Republicans
We Need to Speak Honestly About the GOP’s Evolution Into a Conspiracy Cult One of the challenges in analyzing modern American politics is accurately describing the Republican Party without seeming unserious and hyperbolic. Major publications are understandably...
by J. Jerrald Hayes | May 20, 2020 | Coronavirus, Critical Thinking
We have become a nation of magical thinkers, making decisions based on what we hope is the case and whom we want to believe. When confronted with opposing evidence, we do not engage with it. We dismiss it and stick a label on it: “fake,” “phony,” “biased,” etc. And...
by J. Jerrald Hayes | May 18, 2020 | Coronavirus, Critical Thinking, Science
Trump is on record saying he’s seen evidence virus started in Chinese lab and Pompeo has echoed Trump although when pressed on the question he has indicated he hadn’t seen definitive evidence. The idea that the virus was engineered in a lab by the Chinese...
by J. Jerrald Hayes | May 10, 2020 | Coronavirus, Critical Thinking
If Someone Shares the ‘Plandemic’ Video, How Should You Respond? Whatever camp someone falls in, though, the general principles are the same. “It’s always important to respond in a way that doesn’t suggest that the other [person] is...
by J. Jerrald Hayes | May 9, 2020 | Critical Thinking, Psychology
Why Do People Believe in Conspiracy Theories? It seems that every family has an Uncle Joe-the guy who goes on and on about conspiracy theories at the holiday dinner table. The 9/11 attack was orchestrated by the government. The moon landing was filmed in Hollywood....
by J. Jerrald Hayes | May 8, 2020 | Coronavirus, Critical Thinking
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