The Albatross

Hello and welcome to The Albatross! If you have not already read our about section, The Albatross is a project with the purpose to educate and persuade the general public about important issues, political or otherwise. Now before you jump the gun and assume we are a propaganda machine, I want you to give me a chance to explain what this is all about. So please, follow along and wait until after you have read this piece and asked questions to formulate your opinion.

Here at The Albatross, we are committed to dialogue, critical thinking, and honesty. We use the phrase, “Democratizing Academia” in our logo to highlight our endeavor, but what does this mean? A quick google search should land you with a definition similar to this: the environment or community concerned with the pursuit of research, education, and scholarship. Universities are typically associated with academia for having these qualities. What makes universities special is that they are a free space to learn and explore ideas―at least it should be, more on this in a future article and podcast. This is a privilege few have experienced.

In sum, we are trying to bring the pursuit of knowledge to everyone by first priming our audience with academic principles and values. These principles are what keep us honest and guide us to become a little bit more enlightened as we explore and learn together.

Why is this important? Why should anyone spend so much time and money in helping others grow intellectually? My answer is that far too many people suffer needlessly by preventative harms associated with a lack of a proper education. An example of this is how people get scammed and even die because they refuse to listen to their doctor.  They instead refer to alternative medicine, which is more snake oil than medicine. This happens because individuals lack the proper intellectual tools to process information. A person with a serious illness hears their cousin’s friend’s coworker say something about alternative medicine which causes them to distrust their primary doctor, who is trained and licensed. This is a person who studied for 12 years in medical school and worked for 15 years in medicine. Had this person been able to process both streams of information properly, they would have likely trusted their doctor and lived. Now this not to say that it is always a life or death situation, however, education plays a more significant role in these situations as it involves your very existence. Big Pharma conspiracy advocates, please stay tuned for a future article regarding the subject.

How relevant is this in other areas? Very relevant! Context does not matter. Everything boils down to information and tools which help process this information. So what “tools” are necessary to analyze information and come to a proper conclusion? There are many. Just like an experienced carpenter has several sharp tools  with specific functions, you too need to have tools and maintain their sharpness through practice. An intellectually poor person is the equivalent to a carpenter with one blunt tool. Just imagine how terrible their craft would be if they only used a hammer!

Most of these points that I will be mentioning fall under critical thinking. This is an aspect of philosophy that is focused on the careful analysis of information, or in other words, it is a powerful bullshit detector. Someone highly skilled in critical thinking will be able to spot inconsistencies, illogical statements, poor arguments, and again, bullshit. If you want to reduce the chances of being bamboozled, this is your best line of defense.

A critical thinker’s tool belt:

1. Facts ― Before you read or listen to an argument or enter a debate, please make sure that you are in agreement on what the facts are. Two people in a windowless apartment arguing over whether to wear rain boots will get you nowhere.  They both think that if it rains, then they should wear rain boots, but disagree on the fact. A simple solution: go outside, agree that it is raining, and go back inside. With both in agreement that it is raining, the argument subsides as they each put on their rain boots. Hint: Remember to agree on the facts before engaging in an argument. Hint: If unsure, ask questions.
2. Truth ― This is a fuzzy area as people disagree on the nature of truth. In simple terms, you need to be able to identify the reliability of truth claims. By using the previous example, physically looking up at the sky is a reliable method for finding the truth to the question, is it raining outside at this moment? However, this is a terrible method for predicting if it will continue to rain until nightfall. A more accurate method is using your smartphone linked to a weather station run by meteorologist who use complex math and science to make more reliable predictions. Hint: gauge truth claims by the method used to to uncover that “truth”. Hint: The scientific method is objectively the best form for obtaining truth, at least when secular knowledge is concerned.
3. Reason ― Arguments are made about things all the time, but what makes one better than another? The answer: reasons. If I argue that we should eat at So&So Place because it is expensive, you will say that it is not a good enough reason for you to go there. Compare that to, “albeit pricy, we should go to the restaurant because they serve the best lobster in town and we both love lobster; it will be a new experience for both of us!”. The argument with the better reason wins in this battle of the “War of Ideas”. Hint: analyze the reasons that support the argument being made. Well supported arguments are better than poorly supported arguments.
4. Consequence ― Acknowledge that our actions permeate beyond the present and onto the future. If someone gives a good reason to jump off the roof because it will be fun, first consider the consequences. Jumping off a roof may cause permanent injury such as losing the ability to walk. Now, factor that in as a reason. One reason supports the argument to jump off the roof (it will be fun) the other goes against the argument (paralysis: the possible consequence). In this tug-of-war, which reason wins? Hint: Always factor in consequences as reasons to support or oppose arguments.
5. Bias ― Acknowledge that everyone is biased. Also, that we are biased in differing degrees. For example, a salesman is heavily biased in arguing for me to buy his product, whereas a scientist warning the public of this same product has little to no bias. However, if this scientist works for a competing company, then there is much room for doubt since this scientist may be just as biased as the salesman. Hint: Bias is problematic because it is an inherent prejudice that is usually not based on good reasons or facts. Hint: always look to see who are the advocates in a debate, know their bias, then reassess their argument in light of their bias. You might think differently about smoking after realizing the only people advocating for it are cigarette companies who have lots to gain from getting you to smoke.
6. Beliefs ― Beliefs are ideas that you believe in. The stronger you believe in something the more likely you are to act on that belief. For example, have you ever believed that the glass door is open only to realize that it wasn’t after running into it? This occurred because you strongly believed the door was open, had you been skeptical, then you would have likely checked before walking through the doorway. This is a very important topic that will be discussed in the future. For now, just know that actions are heavily influenced by the degree by which you believe in a particular idea. Hint: Having a good BS detector helps you not believe in BS and prevents you from having those “glass-doorway” experiences in life.
7. Cognitive Dissonance  ― This is a psychological term for the stress caused by the clash of inconsistent or competing beliefs. It is a struggle to process ideas that are mutually exclusive or inconsistent. For example, you have a belief that your car is out in the parking lot because you parked there this morning. As you approach the parking space after work, you see it empty. Now you are feeling stress because this new idea conflicts with your existing idea that your car should be at that parking space. This struggle of competing ideas is called cognitive dissonance. We all believe in things that are not true or inaccurate to some degree and we feel stress when we come head on with the facts. The farther from reality you are, the stronger the cognitive dissonance is when you are inevitably confronted with reality. Hint: We can become better at this by challenging our ideas through learning and understanding ideas that are contrary to our own and going through this cognitive dissonance experience. In this process you either find out that you were right all along or that you had it wrong and are glad that you have been corrected.
8. Logical Consistency ― Formal logic is like math for sentences. If someone argues that 1 + 1 = 2 then argues that 2 + 2 = 22, they are being inconsistent and therefore wrong. There are many ways of being logically inconsistent, one is by syllogism. So if I say, IF it rains, THEN I will wear rain boots. Yet when it does rain and I refuse to wear the rain boots, then I am being inconsistent in my argument. There is also informal logic which has its own inconsistencies often referred to as “fallacies”. Have you ever heard of ad hominem, red herring, or strawman arguments? These are poor arguments and often strategies used for deception such as responding to someone’s argument by calling them fat. That is an ad hominem meaning that you are attacking the messenger rather than responding to the argument he or she is giving. This is a reason why most people go nuts over Trump’s statements since it is hard to believe that he gained popularity despite giving poor arguments, especially ad hominems. Hint: Before you read into the context of an argument, first look into the underlying logic to see that it is consistent. If so, then proceed with the discussion. There’s no point in continuing the discussion if their “math” is wrong.
9. Humility ― You need to realize and accept your own flaws. No one is perfect and even the most intelligent and well trained people get things wrong or fail to relieve themselves of their own bias. That is why at universities and other professional settings they utilize peer review and why scientists actively try to disprove their own ideas. You must not be quick to judge or believe. Ask questions, actively challenge your own assumptions, play devil’s advocate, listen to contrary ideas and try to understand them as they see it not as you see it. Hint: Allow for the possibility that you may be wrong and that they might be right. Furthermore, acknowledge that you should not feel ashamed for being wrong or threatened because they are right.
10. Compassion ― We must acknowledge not only that our beliefs and attitudes can cause harm, but that we must not be dismissive of people’s lack of knowledge, comprehension, or moral fiber. Instead we must work to understand why things are a certain way and find a solution. “Listen to contrary ideas and try to understand them as they see it not as you see it”. For this you will need intellectual empathy. By this I mean that, along with placing yourself in another person’s shoes to know how they feel, do so to know how they think. Hint: Don’t be a dick. Practice both types of empathy, emotional and intellectual.
11. Purpose ― Although it may be true that Pluto is not a planet, why would anyone argue with someone who does think it is a planet? What is the purpose of that confrontation? This is something that needs to be asked before engaging in a debate. Hint: Don’t debate if you are doing so to feel superior, or if there’s no positive outcome to that event.
12. Nuance ― Rarely is something black-and-white. This is because the world and our problems are complex; complex problems require complex solutions. Sometimes a subtle difference of understanding is enough to persuade someone or destabilize a discussion. Hint: Realize that more grey exists in between the black and white and this acknowledgement will open you up to a greater understanding of the subject at hand. This will also allow for greater flexibility in negotiations such as a debate on policy.