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Your Deceptive Mind: A Scientific Guide to Critical Thinking Skills
- Narrated by: Steven Novella
- Series: The Great Courses: Professional
- Length: 12 hrs and 39 mins
- Categories: Health & Wellness, Psychology & Mental Health
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Publisher's Summary
No skill is more important in today's world than being able to think about, understand, and act on information in an effective and responsible way. What's more, at no point in human history have we had access to so much information, with such relative ease, as we do in the 21st century. But because misinformation out there has increased as well, critical thinking is more important than ever.
These 24 rewarding lectures equip you with the knowledge and techniques you need to become a savvier, sharper critical thinker in your professional and personal life. By immersing yourself in the science of cognitive biases and critical thinking, and by learning how to think about thinking (a practice known as metacognition), you'll gain concrete lessons for doing so more critically, more intelligently, and more successfully.
The key to successful critical thinking lies in understanding the neuroscience behind how our thinking works - and goes wrong; avoiding common pitfalls and errors in thinking, such as logical fallacies and biases; and knowing how to distinguish good science from pseudoscience. Professor Novella tackles these issues and more, exploring how the (often unfamiliar) ways in which our brains are hardwired can distract and prevent us from getting to the truth of a particular matter.
Along the way, he provides you with a critical toolbox that you can use to better assess the quality of information. Even though the world is becoming more and more saturated information, you can take the initiative and become better prepared to make sense of it all with this intriguing course.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
What listeners say about Your Deceptive Mind: A Scientific Guide to Critical Thinking Skills
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Martin
- 2018-01-15
Great book worth a listen but maybe I'm bias.
Narration was good but don't like the clap track that seems to be added in.
6 people found this helpful
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- Justin
- 2018-05-03
Incredible course!
Anyone who is looking to expand their perception on critical thinking skills in a way that will be better your life, this is the course.
3 people found this helpful
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- Richard Galambos, C.E.T.
- 2019-06-13
Critically Acclaimed
Well, I believe that this is one of the best lectures I have listened to, to date! Everyone should have some sort of critical thinking skills, this lecture show how to develop such skills. We are saturated with information by the minute. Wouldn't you like to be able to sort it all out? This lecture can help! Have a listen...
2 people found this helpful
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- Darrell Bigelow
- 2018-09-20
Exceptional Lectures
Dr. Steven Novella, is a master at explaining how our minds are deceptive to ourselves. How our minds trick us into thinking things that aren't really reality. And what to look out for in deception of marketing, relationships, how we are deceived by others and how we deceive ourselves and others without consciously being aware of it. Dr. Novella uses a multitude of great examples that all of us can easily relate to from our past experiences. By bringing his knowledge and insightfulness to our conscious awareness, we can see and live in a world whereby we recognize deception for what it is. To not be fooled again. To understand that most of our previous beliefs, about virtually everything, are often deceptions without having scientifically based evidence to support them. Dr. Novella has certainly opened my mind, and I'll be buying up all his audio books to learn more. It is / was a great listening experience. #Audible1
2 people found this helpful
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- Shawn Ricker
- 2017-11-30
A great learning experience!
thinking about thinking. A great view into the science of the mind. enjoyed every segment
2 people found this helpful
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- JG
- 2018-01-30
My favorite audible book
You don’t often find a really good audible but this was certainly one of them enjoy every minute
4 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 2020-06-14
interesting
some really cool insights into how you think. i will be listening to this more than once.
1 person found this helpful
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- Robert Godin
- 2019-12-10
A great summary of how we trick ourselves
This was a great tour of some of the ways we often trick ourselves. The examples used are great and his explanations are even better. My only gripe is that there isn't enough time spent on how to avoid these common mistakes, or how to convince people that it also happens to them.
1 person found this helpful
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- Jim elkington
- 2019-08-27
Excellent course
Even if you have some experience with critical thinking, this course is worth a listen.
1 person found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 2018-10-09
Worth listening
Great lectures, in the Information Age these lectures gives one great tips how to filter the information and get to bottom of what’s right information. Another well put program by Great Courses. Thanks Great Courses.
1 person found this helpful
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- J. Seidell
- 2017-07-17
Great discussion and review of topics till he becomes preachy
Book does a great job of reviewing critical thinking and many of the pitfalls and common traps that majority of society falls into. Very detailed on subject of thought and operation of the mind, a worthy and enlightening read.
However, the author would then take time each chapter to promote his liberal ideas and debase contrary opinions. Almsot laughable that a book about critical thinking, which at its core should be empahazing personal thought and reflection over group think and societal accepted truths would then preach liberal and anti-religious views in nearly each chapter because they conflict with his personal views. I was not surprised with this coming from a professor in the liberal dominated college acedamia. No problem for me to differentiate subject matter versus author's personal opinions and not take offense, but I could see how others may not be able to. This could be a potential pitfall to this book for people with similar views to glide past subject matter, nod in agreement with his espoused views, and then consider themselves critical thinkers.
56 people found this helpful
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- rkeinc
- 2014-09-21
Same Material Different Title
Would you try another book from The Great Courses and/or Professor Steven Novella?
Yes, I would try another book from The Great Courses but "No" I would not listen to another book by Professor Steven Novella. This is the 2nd Great Courses I have listened to by Professor Novella/
What do you think your next listen will be?
Great Minds of the Western Intellectual Tradition, 3rd Edition
What aspect of Professor Steven Novella’s performance would you have changed?
The information he presents is almost identical to his Great Course on Medical Myths.
Was Your Deceptive Mind: A Scientific Guide to Critical Thinking Skills worth the listening time?
Yes, I enjoy the information presented in "The Great Courses".
Any additional comments?
I listened to "Medical Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths: What We Think We Know May Be Hurting Us" by Professor Novella as part of "The Great Courses" a couple of weeks before. I felt that this book was just a rehash of the same information under the guise of a different topic (the mind) as opposed to the Medical Profession. I recommend that users/members take one of Professor Novella's courses and not both since you will be frustrated he just goes over the same information. I do appreciate his "skeptic" approach to issues pertaining to the mind as well as medical profession but once you have heard him once you will understand his approach. I hope this review helps.
710 people found this helpful
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- Allan
- 2017-05-29
Ok summary
For me personally, nothing really new here. Listening to podcasts from Sam Harris and "you are not so smart" will more than adequately cover the subject but in and of itself it is a good collection of ideas that one is well served to listen to if you have not spent much time looking into this domain before.
74 people found this helpful
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- samuel gherman
- 2015-11-10
A boring, long, less educational Brain Games
This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?
Someone who wants a brief overview of a lot of quirky things the mind does, but doesn't really want to know why or how it does those things.
What was most disappointing about The Great Courses’s story?
I don't see how this is a "Guide to critical thinking", he literally just tells you stories of times the mind has done strange things contradictory to logic. It was all stuff I've heard before, several times, from other sources. There was no delving deeper into the why our minds do the things he says in the numerous examples. It was more stories of strange things our minds do, with a one sentence recap of why the mind did it (possibly), and then on to the next story. Literally I think almost everything in the first two chapters was in the Nat Geo show Brain Games.
173 people found this helpful
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- Jason
- 2013-09-23
Clear thinking is valuable beyond measure!
First off, let me preface this review by saying I was already familiar with Steven Novella through his podcast, The Skeptics Guide to the Universe.
When I heard he had this series of lectures available on Audible, I was quite excited!
I was hoping for a clear, detailed and thorough treatment of Critical Thinking - and Novella delivers in spades, covering topic after topic with a treatment that is brisk, peppered with examples, constructed in a logical and understandable manner and order, and delivered eloquently.
The content is exactly what is says on the tin: if you are interested in Critical Thinking, in knowing how you think and how TO think -- there is no fat here. Logical fallacies and cognitive biases are examined, illustrated and explained.
I would caution the potential listener that this is a series of lectures on a specific subject; I enjoyed it immensely because I happen to be interested in the topic. If I didn't have that interest or I was expecting more of a narrative-type production, I think I would be disappointed.
A further caution: if you have a set of "alternative beliefs", prepare to be challenged! Examine the unfavorable reviews to see this side of things.
However -- and in summary -- if you desire to develop your Critical Thinking skills, to build the sharpest reasoning possible for yourself, or just to explore a scientific approach to understanding how your brain plays tricks on itself, then I give this work the highest recommendation!
403 people found this helpful
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- Michael
- 2017-06-13
Mostly good with some biases
Most of this was good, although at times it seemed like the author had an axe to grind against his pet world-view peeves. I enjoyed the logical fallacies section, but he never really addressed 'group-think', probably because of his 'love' for scientific consensus. Perhaps he's never considered that his sceptical, critical, logical self could get swept up in such a thing? I would have liked more information on dealing with others who are in deceptions - what are their typical responses, symptoms, and what are the methods for dealing with them. He spoke on it for about 2 minutes, so it hardly touched on it. Some anecdotes about his own errors in life would have been poignant, but perhaps he's never made any, a bit like me....
15 people found this helpful
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- Emily
- 2015-02-15
Great flow
The organization of these lectures was very good. The material was not new for me - if you have read Dan Ariely, Daniel Kahneman or Michael Schermer, etc. then the concepts will not be new - but it was a great reminder and I particularly liked the way the material flowed and was organized. Very logical.
The narration by the professor was excellent. Great diction and pace.
These are essential concepts that are good for me to remind myself of at least once a year.
75 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 2017-08-18
good course a litle to much about conspiracy theor
First part was much more interesting for me. It focused on explaining how mind works with some examples of cognitive biases. Second part was dominated by examples of sudo science and conspiracy theory and author was focused to explain why this claims are wrong instead explaining why it appears so often in society.
9 people found this helpful
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- Ralph Wiggum
- 2013-10-02
Common sense guide to skepticism
What did you love best about Your Deceptive Mind: A Scientific Guide to Critical Thinking Skills?
The Professor did a very nice job of breaking down some modern-day myths and deconstructed them in such a way that there's little room for anyone to argue against it
Who was your favorite character and why?
Marianne? No Ginger. Kidding...this is a series of lectures narrated by the professor who provided the lecture
Which scene was your favorite?
I don't know that there was any one scene (lecture) in particular that was more compelling than the next. I did enjoy the lectures that discussed scientific greats throughout history that alllowed their biases to derail or misguide further achievements.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
meh...this is more of an academic excercise than a suspenseful thrill read. The material was good, but nothing I couldn't put down
Any additional comments?
the key to the title of this book is A "SCIENTIFIC" guide to critical thinking. Shame on me for not figuring this out, out of the gate, but I originally downloaded this due to an interest in "strategic" thinking in the workplace. While there are undoubtedly parallels in terms of the process of thinking and good information with respect to recognizing biases and how the brain/memory work...this is very much a discussion on debunking or veryifing scientific evidence versus any non-scientific business process.
It's a very good listen nontheless but not what I was expecting and not overly applicable to a corporate business setting (which again, is my own mistake). I only point this out in case anyone else struggles with reading comprehension like I did.
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- Marc
- 2014-03-27
well worth the time to listen to, good roundup
What did you love best about Your Deceptive Mind: A Scientific Guide to Critical Thinking Skills?
Most of the facts and ideas presented in this course are well known to everyone who has read a bit about or heard from modern "mind science" or "how our brain works" talks. Yet, Novella's roundup is great to listen to, well paced, always interesting and well worth both time and energy spent.
I really enjoyed, for once, a scientist to remind the listener that he, the scientist, does not know it all and will probably not be right all the time. For one time a tutor explains, in detail, that using your own brain and mind means to check the facts and not just play along. A fair approach.
What other book might you compare Your Deceptive Mind: A Scientific Guide to Critical Thinking Skills to and why?
M. Shermer's "The Believing Brain" is quite similar in general approach, but concentrates too much on personal vendetta of the author and/or believe system. There are more comparable titles, but most, in my eyes (ears), suffer from the same basic problem: Scientists that want to make you BELIEVE that they do not need to believe, because they know all the facts for fact, are ... wretched(?).
Most comparable books start of with or repeat sentences like "well, we know for a fact that ..." - and that, exactly, is not scientific thinking. It's religion.
Novella does not fall for this.
What does Professor Steven Novella bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Most books that cover the same topic come up with the ever repeating "experiments" that "scientists" have done, some of which date back to the 1930s or whatever. These experiments as well as the conclusions drawn from them are not that convincing, in setup, target and evidence. Yet, "science" seems unable to come up with new studies, new experiments and new approaches, so most books chew through the same data over and over again, almost in religious circles.
Novella gets around this quite well by just shortly pointing towards those experiments, but explaining thought processes and prejudices in more "today's" contexts, seemingly being still in contact with the real world and not lost in "scientist's drinking clubs". His narration, wit, pointyness (does that word exist?) and personal involvement make you believe he actually means what he says, yet has the distance to always remember you: He might be wrong.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
There are a few "funny" side notes that are funny enough to make you giggle or even laugh for a moment, but overall the pace (30 minute lectures) and dedication is just about right to not NEED jokes or horror stories.
Any additional comments?
Can you expect "new insights"? No, if you have ever read anything about modern brain science or mind theory. Are you looking for a sumup of the current "believe" in why we believe and how we err in making up our minds: This is a great approach that won't even harm a religious listener (and those are often the targets of pity for so many other authors/teachers).
Not that I am of that kind anyway :-)
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