Description |
4 videodiscs (720 min.) : sound, color ; 4 3/4 in. + 1 course guidebook (v, 249 pages : illustrations ; 19 cm). |
Series |
Great courses. Philosophy & intellectual history, Modern Philosophy |
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Great courses (DVD). Philosophy & intellectual history.
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Language |
English subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired. |
Note |
For specific features see interactive menu. |
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24 lectures; 30 minutes per lecture. |
Contents |
Disc 1 -- How we think and how to think better -- Cool rationality and hot thought -- The strategy of visualization -- Visualizing concepts and propositions -- The power of thought experiment -- Thinking like Aristotle -- |
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Disc 2 -- Ironclad, airtight validity -- Thinking outside the box -- The flow of arguments -- Simple heuristics that make us smart -- Why we make mistaeks [sic] -- Rational discussion in a polarized context -- |
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Disc 3 -- Rhetoric versus rationality -- Bogus arguments and how to defuse them -- The great debate -- Outwitting the advertiser -- Putting a spin on statistics -- Poker, probability, and everyday life -- |
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Disc 4 -- Decisions, decisions -- Thinking scientifically -- Put it to the test : beautiful experiments -- Game theory and beyond -- Thinking with models -- Lessons from the great thinkers. |
Summary |
From the guidebook. Thinking is one of the things we do best. Wouldn't it be great if we could do it even better? This course, The Philosopher's Toolkit, gives you a set of thinking techniques designed with that goal in mind: tools for conceptual visualization, critical analysis, creative thinking, logical inference, rational decision, real-world testing, effective reasoning, and rational argument. The course uses interactive engagement to introduce a range of conceptual methods and perspectives: mind-stretching philosophical puzzles, mental exercises by example, thought experiments on which to test your powers, and deep questions to ponder. You'll learn "hands on" the simple heuristics that make us smart; the basic strategies of decision theory and conceptual modeling; an d how to handle everyday probabilities, track a train of thought, outwit advertisers, and detect a spin in statistics. The course also emphasizes rationality in the social context: how to use the wisdom of crowds; how to analyze the flow of thought in debate; and how to defuse fallacious reasoning, deflate rhetoric, and break through opinion polarization. You can apply your new tools of analysis in evaluating arguments on both sides in a "great debate." Decision theory, game theory, probability, and experimental design are all introduced as part of the toolkit, but with a philosophical examination of their limitations, as well as their strengths (p. 1). |
Subject |
Philosophy -- Science -- Videodiscs.
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Thought and thinking -- Videodiscs.
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Ethics -- Videodiscs.
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Game theory -- Videodiscs.
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Practical reason -- Videodiscs.
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Metaphysics -- Videodiscs.
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Genre |
Filmed lectures.
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DVD-Video discs.
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Added Author |
Teaching Company.
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Added Title |
How to be the most rational person in any room |
ISBN |
9781598039337 |
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1598039334 |
Music No. |
4253 Teaching Co. |
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