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by Maria Popova
09 February, 2012
www.brainpickings.org
Australian outfit Bridge 8, who have the admirable mission of devising “creative strategies for science and society,” and animator James Hutson have created six fantastic two-minute animations on various aspects of critical thinking, aimed at kids ages 8 to 10 but also designed to resonate with grown-ups. Inspired by the animation style of the 1950s, most recognizably Saul Bass, the films are designed to promote a set of educational resources on critical thinking by TechNYou, an emerging technologies public information project funded by the Australian government.
The animations — which are part Minute Physics, part The Dot and the Line, part 60-Second Adventures in Thought — are released under a Creative Commons license and cover the basics of logic and the scientific method, as well as specific psychological pitfalls like confirmation bias and Gambler’s Fallacy.
Critical Thinking Part 1: A valuable argument
Critical thinking Part 2: Broken Logic
Critical thinking Part 3: The Man who was made of straw
Critical thinking Part 4: Getting Personal
Critical Thinking Part 5: The Gambler's Fallacy
Critical Thinking Part 6: A precautionary tale
For more on the art and science of critical thinking, see the excellent primer Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing: A Brief Guide to Argument.