🔘 Beyond Fake News
The “Baloney Detection Kit” is a set of tools and techniques that fortify the mind in defending itself from falsehoods both in the scientific field and in that of everyday life.
The kit was developed by Carl Sagan, within a chapter of his book "The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark"
The idea is to use this set of guidelines every time new concepts, ideas, theses are proposed or offered for evaluation. If a new idea passes both the tests and the questions of the Baloney Detection Kits, it is welcome and we move on to explore it further. Here is my summary of the first four elements:
1) Independent Confirmation
Whenever possible there should be independent confirmation of the "facts".
2) Multi-Perspective Dialogue
Check for an encouragement to create public debates where all points of view are represented.
3) Independence from the Authorities
Don't rely solely on official authorities or experts. Verify conflicts of interest and the possibility of "non-transparent behavior" of those involved. Listen carefully to the various parties and counterparts.
4) Multiple Hypotheses
Analyze more than one hypothesis. If there is something that needs to be explained, think about all the possible ways in which it can be done. Then think about how to verify systematically test each of these alternatives. What survives, that is, the hypothesis that resists this attempt at dismantling, has a high probability of being the correct answer instead of the first idea that is proposed to you or that tickles you
Source: Carl Sagan via Maria Popova
"The Baloney Detection Kit: Carl Sagan's Rules for Bullshit-Busting and Critical Thinking"
🔘 Looking is better than asking
To really learn something, observing is often much better than asking.
"Asking successful people what to do is less effective than watching carefully what they do. If you ask them questions you will get a confusing explanation of their behavior. If you observe them you will see their knowledge put into practice. "
Source: Scott H Young
🔘 Journalist by proxy
While it may not be immediately apparent to you, there is a growing void between those who report the news and those who seek information and wish to be informed.
“Those who curate the information are not on the front lines working on a particular news, scoop, or sector. But they respond to the needs generated by readers. With the avalanche of information coming from all active sources (blogs, mainstream media, social networks), a void has been created between the reporter and the reader, where the presence of a journalist, a trusted editor able to select from all this information the most relevant has become a necessity as great as having those who collect the news first-hand. "
Source: Josh Sternberg - Mashable
⚙ Automatic Indexing
Find everything you've read online: Footnote
Find any content you've previously read online. Ideal for anyone who reads a lot online and wants to easily find the content of an article or a web page they have previously browsed.
• Mini-review
• Footnote
⚙ Group videoconferencing
Free instant video conferencing with built-in screen sharing for small groups: Spike
Instant rooms for online videoconferencing. Zero download, zero install. Ideal for group video meetings that require maximum simplicity and ease of access.
• Mini-review
• Spike
Marco Cappellato
|
|
|
