The Texas Sharpshooter Fallacy is a mistake in reasoning where someone focuses on specific details or patterns that seem to fit their argument while ignoring other important information. The name comes from the idea of a sharpshooter who fires randomly at a barn door and then draws targets around the bullet holes after the fact, …
When we encounter something new, it’s natural to want to understand its purpose. We ask ourselves, “What is it for?” to comprehend or build upon it. By knowing the end goal of an object, we can better grasp how it works and why it was created in the first place. Teleology enables us to make …
A categorical syllogism is a form of deductive reasoning that facilitates conclusions based on two interrelated premises. This reasoning helps us understand how certain things are related and helps us make informed decisions. Basics of Categorical Syllogism A categorical syllogism consists of three parts: the major premise, the minor premise, and the conclusion. The major …
Monism is a philosophical belief that all reality is derived from a unified principle or substance. The principle or substance is often considered spiritual or metaphysical and is believed to underlie all of material reality. In Monism, things aren’t split into separate categories like mind and body or physical and spiritual. Instead, it’s believed that …
The “law of excluded middle” is a principle in logic that states that any proposition or statement must either be true or false. There is no third option or possibility. This law may seem simple and obvious, but it has important implications for reasoning and decision-making. It allows us to make clear distinctions between what …
Have you ever heard of the Bouba Kiki effect? It is a term used to describe the phenomenon where people associate certain sounds with specific shapes, even if they have no prior knowledge of the association. German psychologist, Wolfgang Köhler, first studied the Bouba Kiki effect in the 1920s. Köhler presented study participants with two …
All students are expected to perform equally in classroom and curricular activities. Also, regardless of their physical differences, gender, or age, teachers and parents are expected to treat their students equally and allow them access to fair learning materials. Unfortunately, students with disabilities often face challenges when demonstrating their learning capabilities, which interfere with their …
When you think of a concept such as bird, what example from this category immediately comes to mind? Is it a finch, a parrot, or perhaps a chicken? Even though all the three share several features that make them belong to the category called birds, people tend to think of one of them as the …
In her TED Talk titled “How Russia Hacked the US Election”, Laura Galante, a cyber-analyst, stipulates that the rise in digital technology has made the human brain the most exploitable data processing unit in the universe. She argues that digital media exposes people to an unfiltered flow of data that becomes more familiar with time, …
In the words of Phineas T. Barnum, “There is a sucker born every minute”. Barnum was a well-known nineteenth-century American showman hailed for his one-of-a-kind exhibits. People paid a lot of money to witness Barnum’s intriguing spectacles, such as the Cardiff Giant and George Washington’s 161-year-old nanny. While Barnum’s showcases were hoaxes, people would buy …
