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Analytical Thinking
You don't need to be a scientist or a philosopher for facts, reality, and the truth to matter. The alternative is simply known as bullshit.
How much can you know about someone from a single belief?
Your BS detector might not be as accurate as you think.
The more you know, the better you can act.
A brief guide to habits that separate deep understanding from superficial knowledge — and how to cultivate them.
It's simpler, more compact, and reusable from year-to-year in a way that no other calendar is. Here's both how it works and how to use it.
How black and white is your thinking?
Alex Edmans, professor of finance at the London Business School, warns us to be mindful of the incentives surrounding misinformation — including our desire to believe it.
Just because you can't experience it doesn't mean it's not real.
In the 18th century, David Hume argued that we are only motivated to do good when our passions direct us to do so. Was he right?
The late philosopher suggested adding a couple of “Occam’s heuristics” to your critical thinking toolbox.
Beyond stars, galaxies, and gravity, studying the fundamental workings of nature reveals widely applicable lessons for learners everywhere.
7mins
“I'm often asked: “Are great strategic thinkers born, or are they made?” And my answer is always yes. Like so many human capabilities, it’s a mixture of nature, nurture and experience.”
6mins
“People will claim that something is rigorous because it's by an authority figure or it's written in a book. But anyone can write a book.”
1mins
What would the world be like if we focused on “the inherent beauty of math,” rather than its technical aspects? A statistician reflects:
There's value to be found in the arguments that make you uncomfortable — especially in a culture that has trained us to avoid them.
If philosophers really enjoy one thing, it’s a good debate — but not an argument.
Whenever something goes wrong — in business as in life — we tend to get cause and effect totally muddled up.
A perfect map is as useless as it is impossible to create.
Just being a pessimist, cynic, or apathetic doesn't make you a nihilist.
The road from Kant to modern cognitive psychology has taught us much about our mental filtering systems.
Voltaire's wonderful satire, Candide, remains a useful work-life antidote to bogus platitudes and naive optimism.
A human hand has the power to split wooden planks and demolish concrete blocks. A trio of physicists investigated why this feat doesn’t shatter our bones.
The ability to toggle between abstract and concrete thinking is a key differentiator of high-potential leaders.
When is a rabbit not a rabbit? When it's a thought experiment designed to reveal the tricky tango of language and concepts.
11mins
“Forget about essences.” Philosopher Daniel Dennett on how modern-day philosophers should be more collaborative with scientists if they want to make revolutionary developments in their fields.
What the breakthrough methods of laboratory research can teach the business world about brainstorming.
Ethan Mollick, associate professor at the Wharton School, explains why we have to crack the machine-buddy problem.
In logic, 'reductio ad absurdum' shows how flawed arguments fall apart. Our absurd Universe, however, often defies our intuitive reasoning.
Bertrand Russell shows us how to recognize emotional arguments smuggled into presumed statements of fact.