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Critical Thinking & World Debates

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Writing Quality.

Arguments

Great Debates. Factoids for Debate. Poetry. Example Topics. Generalised problems kill startups. It’s crazy how often I hear founders say ‘I think the problem we’re really solving is X’. Hang on a second… You ‘think’? The surprising thing is that if you forgot temporarily why you started your business, you’re not alone. Why it’s easy to forget the problem you’re solving As early-stage founders, it’s beaten into us that we need to deliver our elevator pitch as quickly as possible.

This is generally a good idea — we have one mouth and two ears for good reason. We take all those problems and frustrations that motivated us to dedicate our lives to solving them and find a general theme. Generalised problems are toxic As you repeat a general problem over and again, most people will nod. But compressing a set of specific problems into a summary is like shrinking a photo into a thumbnail.

On the way to product-market fit, more specific problems within your general theme appear, and it’s easy to get confused about about which problems need solving and which do not. Why were you so frustrated? Decision 411 Course Outline 2005. Robert Nau Fuqua School of Business Duke University Tweet This web site contains notes and materials for an advanced elective course on statistical forecasting that is taught at the Fuqua School of Business, Duke University. 1.

Principles and risks of forecasting (pdf)Famous forecasting quotes How to move data around Get to know your data Inflation adjustment (deflation) Seasonal adjustment Stationarity and differencing The logarithm transformation 2. Statistics review and the simplest forecasting model: the sample mean (pdf)Notes on the random walk model (pdf)Mean (constant) model Linear trend model Random walk model Geometric random walk model Three types of forecasts: estimation period, validation period, and the future 3. 4.

Notes on linear regression analysis (pdf)Introduction to linear regression analysis Mathematics of simple regressionRegression examples - Baseball batting averages - Beer sales vs. price, part 1: descriptive analysis - Beer sales vs. price, part 2: fitting a simple model. The AskHistorians Master Book List : AskHistorians. Paul Greenberg - Outlook Web Access Light. Stimulating Lectures. George E. Vaillant's: Aging Well: Surprising Guideposts to a Happier Life from the Landmark Harvard Study of Adult Development.

George E. Vaillant's "We all need models for how to live from retirement to past 80--with joy," writes George Vaillant, M.D., director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development. This groundbreaking book pulls together data from three separate longevity studies that, beginning in their teens, followed 824 individuals for more than 50 years. The subjects were male Harvard graduates; inner-city, disadvantaged males; and intellectually gifted women. "Here you have these wonderful files, and you seem little interested in how we cope with increasing age ... our adaptability, our zest for life," one of these subjects wrote to Vaillant, a researcher, psychiatrist, and Harvard Medical School professor, about how he was using this information.

Vaillant took this advice to heart. In Aging Well, he presents personal narratives about people from these studies whom he interviewed personally in their 70s and 80s. We also learn what makes old age vital and interesting. Other reviews. Watch Noam Chomsky - The Purpose of Education | Learning Without Frontiers Episodes | Learning Videos. Psychology Home. Critical Thinking Class: Grading Policies. Critical Thinking. Course Description: Critical Thinking is an introductory course in the principles of good reasoning.

It covers pretty much the same subject as what is usually taught in practical logic, informal reasoning or the study of argumentation. This means that the main focus of the course lies in arguments, their nature, their use and their import. In this regard, a course in Critical Thinking comes very close to the study of classical Logic as it pertains to our natural language. However, there are two major differences. The above features make Critical Thinking at once less formal and more dynamic than Logic. The present course is designed to serve as a methodical preparation for more effective reasoning and improved cognitive skills. The course includes the following areas of study: Introductory: Concepts, Propositions. Course Texts: The course is based on these textbooks and their incorporated or accompanying materials.

Format: Objectives: Requirements: Exams: Grading: Critical Thinking can be controversial, but fun? - Michael Aparicio. The Path to Critical Thinking. Few of us are effective critical thinkers—who has time? The good news, says Stever Robbins, is that this skill can be learned. by Stever Robbins Can you write a refresher on critical thinking?

We business leaders so like to believe that we can think well, but we don't. What's logic got to do with it? Purely emotional decision making is bad news. Critical thinking starts with logic. We also sloppily reverse cause and effect. There are many excellent books on logic. The trap of assuming You can think critically without knowing where the facts stop and your own neurotic assumptions begin. When we don't know something, we assume. Finding and busting "conventional wisdom" can be the key to an empire. Assumptions can also cripple us. Some assumptions run so deep they're hard to question. Next time you're grappling with a problem, spend time brainstorming your assumptions.

The truth will set you free (statistics notwithstanding) Have you ever noticed how terrified we are of the truth? Help! The de Bono Group - Six Thinking Hats. Education - Challenge Based Learning.