Your Deceptive Mind: A Scientific Guide to Critical Thinking Skills

Dr. Steven Novella reveals how to distinguish good science from bad science, the individual steps involved in the critical thinking process, and how to use critical thinking to break down topics such as whether UFOs exist.

Exploring the neuroscience behind how brains are hardwired to believe in something.

Understanding the nature of perception, how the human brain works to acquire and process information, and how sometimes it can be deceived.

Unpacking the vital role memories play in critical thinking and how recall works.

Pattern recognition is both a cognitive strength and a weakness that helps sort out what's real from what only appears to be real.

Exploring how different parts of the brain work together -- sometimes in conflict -- to construct aggregate consciousness and the illusion of a single reality, with topics ranging from out-of-body experiences to phantom limbs and dreams.

Focusing on argumentation as the most important reasoning tool for overriding flaws in neurological function.

Delving further into logical fallacies, including the ad hominem argument and the genetic fallacy, with vivid examples.

How to avoid a pitfall of critical thinking by mastering the common biases in thinking.

Examining the effects of a flaw known as innumeracy in everything from numerology (the supposedly mystical meaning behind numbers) to hot-and-cold streaks in competitive games.

Continuing the exploration of innumeracy by turning to the nature and perception of false positives, insignificant risks, and other manifestations in statistics and probability.

Dr. Steven Novella explains the hidden power and pervasiveness of mass delusion and hysteria.

Examining how science serves as the foundation for critical thinking and can compensate for the tendency of human thinking to go awry.

A critical thinker's perspective on supernatural issues such as the existence of ghosts and the possibility of miracles.

The best way to question and compare scientific studies providing evidence and support to a range of ideas and arguments.

Learn how important skepticism is as a first response to scientific claims by surveying blunders that resulted from a lack of critical thinking.

Breaking down the concept of pseudoscience by exploring some of its most prominent features or warning signs.

Deconstructing several examples of pseudoscience to see how its various features work, including iridology, photographs that claim to capture ghosts, psychic abilities, spontaneous human combustion and more.

Studying how conspiracy theories are cognitive traps that result from attempts to make sense of a complex world.

Dr. Steven Novella introduces denialism, a subset of pseudoscience that seeks to deny established science.

Tips for using critical thinking to filter the wealth of information available online from chain e-mails to scams and other everyday outlets that exploit human psychology.

Exploring the strengths and weaknesses of science reporting in the media, the intersection between science and ethics, politics, social issues, and the important role of science literacy.

Weighing how reliable scientific consensus is on hot-button issues such as climate change.

Dr. Steven Novella shares final thoughts on thinking more critically in everyday life.