Go offline with the Player FM app!
39. Dr Bo Bennett on Sharpening Critical Thinking, Logical Fallacies & Persuasive Dialogue
Manage episode 493320911 series 3511126
“We need to care more about believing what is true than being right and being proved right.” - Bo Bennet
With outrage-bait, memes and “gotcha” clips swarming every feed, being able to think about our thinking is no longer optional. Social psychologist, entrepreneur and Positive Humanism author Dr Bo Bennett joins host James Hodgson to show why critical thinking is a life skill for everyone, not a luxury for academics. Drawing on decades spent dissecting logical fallacies (plus a generous dose of humour), Bo maps out how we can swap combativeness for curiosity—and outrage for evidence—in our daily conversations.
In this episode
- System 1 vs System 2: knowing when to hit the cognitive brakes
- 25 “greatest-hits” fallacies—from appeal to authority to the straw man
- Aristotle’s trio of logic, emotion & character (and why emotion is only fallacious when it replaces reason)
- The Socratic method for lowering defences and dodging the back-fire effect
- “You need to care more about believing what is true than being right and being proved right.” —Bo
- Expertise-transfer traps: why even humanists can slip up on politics or science
- Handling contrarian takes on settled research: focus on the scientific process
- A practical habit: run emotional posts through AI for a fast, source-linked fact-check before you hit share
Follow Dr Bo Bennett
- Website & books: bobennett.com
- Logical fallacy database: https://www.logicallyfallacious.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertsbennett/
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bobennett7750
Resources
- Logically Fallacious — Dr Bo Bennett
- Thinking, Fast and Slow — Daniel Kahneman
Enjoying the show? Please rate, review and subscribe so you never miss a conversation that moves humanism forward.
Support us on Patreon
Advertising opportunities
Click here to submit questions, nominate guest & topics.
Follow Humanism Now @HumanismNowPod
This Podcast is produced by Humanise Live.
Humanise Live makes podcasting easy for charities and social causes.
Contact us to get starting in podcasting today at www.humanise.live or [email protected]
Chapters
1. Intro to Dr Bo Bennet (00:00:00)
2. What is Critical Thinking? (00:01:20)
3. Red Flags and Logical Fallacies (00:05:33)
4. Balancing Reason with Emotional Appeal (00:09:20)
5. Building Rapport & Credibility (00:13:30)
6. How to Approach Difficult Conversations (00:15:28)
7. Cultivating a Habit of Thinking Critically (00:17:55)
8. Humanist Rational Blind Spots (00:21:58)
9. Performance as a Barrier to Truth in Debate (00:23:57)
10. Scientific Process vs Cherry-Picking (00:28:10)
11. Find Out More About Bo's Work (00:34:40)
12. Changing Minds on Fact-Checking with AI (00:35:04)
39 episodes
Manage episode 493320911 series 3511126
“We need to care more about believing what is true than being right and being proved right.” - Bo Bennet
With outrage-bait, memes and “gotcha” clips swarming every feed, being able to think about our thinking is no longer optional. Social psychologist, entrepreneur and Positive Humanism author Dr Bo Bennett joins host James Hodgson to show why critical thinking is a life skill for everyone, not a luxury for academics. Drawing on decades spent dissecting logical fallacies (plus a generous dose of humour), Bo maps out how we can swap combativeness for curiosity—and outrage for evidence—in our daily conversations.
In this episode
- System 1 vs System 2: knowing when to hit the cognitive brakes
- 25 “greatest-hits” fallacies—from appeal to authority to the straw man
- Aristotle’s trio of logic, emotion & character (and why emotion is only fallacious when it replaces reason)
- The Socratic method for lowering defences and dodging the back-fire effect
- “You need to care more about believing what is true than being right and being proved right.” —Bo
- Expertise-transfer traps: why even humanists can slip up on politics or science
- Handling contrarian takes on settled research: focus on the scientific process
- A practical habit: run emotional posts through AI for a fast, source-linked fact-check before you hit share
Follow Dr Bo Bennett
- Website & books: bobennett.com
- Logical fallacy database: https://www.logicallyfallacious.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertsbennett/
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bobennett7750
Resources
- Logically Fallacious — Dr Bo Bennett
- Thinking, Fast and Slow — Daniel Kahneman
Enjoying the show? Please rate, review and subscribe so you never miss a conversation that moves humanism forward.
Support us on Patreon
Advertising opportunities
Click here to submit questions, nominate guest & topics.
Follow Humanism Now @HumanismNowPod
This Podcast is produced by Humanise Live.
Humanise Live makes podcasting easy for charities and social causes.
Contact us to get starting in podcasting today at www.humanise.live or [email protected]
Chapters
1. Intro to Dr Bo Bennet (00:00:00)
2. What is Critical Thinking? (00:01:20)
3. Red Flags and Logical Fallacies (00:05:33)
4. Balancing Reason with Emotional Appeal (00:09:20)
5. Building Rapport & Credibility (00:13:30)
6. How to Approach Difficult Conversations (00:15:28)
7. Cultivating a Habit of Thinking Critically (00:17:55)
8. Humanist Rational Blind Spots (00:21:58)
9. Performance as a Barrier to Truth in Debate (00:23:57)
10. Scientific Process vs Cherry-Picking (00:28:10)
11. Find Out More About Bo's Work (00:34:40)
12. Changing Minds on Fact-Checking with AI (00:35:04)
39 episodes
All episodes
×Welcome to Player FM!
Player FM is scanning the web for high-quality podcasts for you to enjoy right now. It's the best podcast app and works on Android, iPhone, and the web. Signup to sync subscriptions across devices.