I've always been clear that the Free-dumb Sessions' role is to provoke debate, awaken critical thinking, and help people ' break Free of Dumb’, in all its many forms, but what the hell is critical thinking anyway?
How do we sort out the facts from the noise, the meaning from rumor, and the outright lies from the gossip?
At long last, this episode is a conversation with my guest and friend Carl Davidson.
Carl has spent most of his life trying to understand human behavior. His background is in psychology and sociology but he also is very fond of the anthropological approach to understanding others. An academic, a researcher, a policymaker, and - most recently - in the insights industry, he is founder and director at Research First Ltd as well as an adjunct fellow at the University of Canterbury. Carl has written some nine books about research and thinking..
I’ve known Carl for a while, but we really got to know each other during lockdown (while coming together for virtual whiskey tastings - the whiskey was real, but we were socially distancing on Zoom - while tasting)
At last, we have managed to synchronise our schedules to do this episode.
Good conversations deserve some time, so this is another longer episode than normal.
In it, we talk about what critical thinking is, why it is so important to learn, and some tips and tricks to use when trying to sort out the facts from the noise.
Carl mentioned some of his favorite books, websites, blogs, and music tracks.
What follows is a list of some of his faves:
BOOKS
- Winnie the Pooh by AE Milne
- The Thought Gang By Tibor Fisher
- Friends by Robin Dunbar
- The Stupidity Paradox: The Power and Pitfalls of Functional Stupidity at Work by Mats Alvesson
INTRODUCTORY BOOKS ABOUT THINKING
- Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
- The Art of Thinking Clearly by Rolf Dobelli
WEBSITES
Arts and Letters Daily
PODCAST
The hidden brain
BLOG
Bob Hoffman’s The Ad Contrarian
http://adcontrarian.blogspot.com/
MUSIC TRACK
The Rat by The Walkmen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mphTplbiivM
You can contact Carl at:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/carldavidsonnz/
Carl Davidson - Forever curious
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.