/oss/taxonomy/term/510/all en /oss/article/critical-thinking/about-those-angry-emails <p>“When an immovable fact meets an unstoppable feeling.” This is the title of <a href="https://buttondown.email/liminalcreations/archive/solicited-advice-on-feelings/">a newsletter article</a> from Liz Neeley, a science communicator who studied marine biology. In a mere eight words—which play on a 3<sup>rd</sup>-century text about a merchant selling a spear that can pierce any shield <i>and </i>a shield that blocks any spear—Neeley succinctly summarizes the central problem of debunking.</p> Fri, 09 Feb 2024 18:41:09 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 9828 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking/doing-your-own-research-little-bit-better <p>The COVID-19 pandemic helped popularize a hair-raising phrase: “do your own research.” Portrayed as a call for self-empowerment, it became the tell-tale sign of someone who didn’t trust public health authorities, an invitation to go digging for “alternative facts."</p> <p>But “doing your own research” doesn’t have to stink of conspiracy ideation: non-scientists have been throwing themselves into the scientific literature for a while, out of a need to understand a new diagnosis or out of sheer curiosity, and it is a process that has been greatly facilitated by the Internet.</p> Wed, 13 Apr 2022 14:22:41 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 9082 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-health/funhouse-mirror-risk-perception <p>The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated many preexisting problems. One of them is how to vet the avalanche of information flowing down at us on a daily basis. Another is how to properly assess the risks that we face.</p> Fri, 09 Jul 2021 18:22:36 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 8780 at /oss /oss/article/covid-19-videos/right-chemistry-will-supplements-protect-you-against-covid-19 <p></p><div class="media-youtube-video media-element file-default media-youtube-1"></div> Mon, 18 Jan 2021 16:18:48 +0000 OSS 8563 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking/tips-better-thinking-we-will-lose-control <p>Public health measures during a pandemic (like lockdowns and mask mandates) can make some people uneasy. One argument that seems to underlie this anxiety is “masks now, government surveillance via microchip-containing vaccines later.” This is known as a slippery slope argument.</p> Wed, 02 Dec 2020 16:47:24 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 8513 at /oss /oss/article/general-science/tips-better-thinking-it-doesnt-always-get-published <p>Thinking clearly is not just about recognizing the ways in which our brain misbehaves. Sometimes, it’s about realizing that the information we find in the world is incomplete. We all know that political information can be cherry-picked in the service of ideology, but science unfortunately does not escape from this phenomenon.</p> Wed, 21 Oct 2020 10:00:00 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 8455 at /oss /oss/article/interviews-experts/under-hypnosis-dr-raz <p align="center" style="text-align:left">Below is a transcribed interview from my sit-down with Dr. Raz.</p> Sun, 25 Mar 2012 18:34:03 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 1674 at /oss