Welcome to the Skeptic’s Toolbox, a collection of resources and training events developed to equip you with the tools and techniques needed to guard against deception and evaluate the validity of claims using critical thinking, skepticism, and the scientific method.
Skeptic’s Toolbox Resources
Get the practical tools & resources you need to be a better skeptic and critical thinker! This is a “living” Toolbox and will be expanded as new resources are identified/developed. Resources include videos, training guides, and links to additional resources. If you have suggestions for resources we can add please let us know!
Upcoming Skeptic’s Toolbox Events
Skeptic’s Toolbox events feature presenters who are experts in their respective fields and will focus on practical tools to use in applying critical thinking and skepticism. Videos of past Skeptic’s Toolbox events are available below and in the Toolbox Resources. Check out our upcoming events below and sign-up for CFI’s email list to be notified of future events.
Past Events
Five Ways to Inoculate Against Viral Nonsense: Practical Lessons from the Science of Mental Immunity
Presented by Andy Norman, Author, Mental Immunity: Infectious Ideas, Mind Parasites, and the Search for a Better Way to Think
Thursday, June 17, 2021 7:00pm – 8:00pm EST
Online Event – Free Registration Required
The emerging science of mental immunity points to many ways to improve our thinking. In this talk, cognitive immunologist Andy Norman will describe five powerful ways to develop mental immunity in your family and friends.
Andy Norman directs the Humanism Initiative at Carnegie Mellon University. He studies how ideologies short-circuit minds and corrupt moral understanding. Then he develops tools that help people reason together in more fruitful ways. In his book Mental Immunity, he lays out the conceptual foundations of cognitive immunology—the emerging science of mental immune health. You can learn more about Andy and his new book, Mental Immunity at his website andynorman.org/.
Tools for Non-Confrontational Discussions
Presented by Anthony Magnabosco, Executive Director, Street Epistemology International
Webinar Recorded: Tuesday, March 9, 2021
Street Epistemology is a technique based on Socratic questioning to help people reflect on the reasons and methods they use to conclude their deeply held beliefs are true. This skill is incredibly important to enable you to have productive and non-confrontational discussions with friends, family, or in online discussions. Anthony Magnabosco will explain how to use the techniques of Street Epistemology to guide those you are talking with to engage their critical thinking skills and apply them to their own beliefs about the world and help them assess whether or not their beliefs are true.
Anthony Magnabosco is a skeptic and atheist from San Antonio Texas who has been practicing and promoting Street Epistemology since 2013. Anthony has had several hundred chats (many of them on camera and uploaded to his YouTube channel) on a variety of claims including Gods, ghosts, karma, law of attraction, and a variety of social and political topics. Anthony has been interviewed on countless podcasts. He is also a Founder and the current Executive Director of the new nonprofit organization called Street Epistemology International. Anthony has given dozens of talks and workshops on Street Epistemology at conferences and events domestically and internationally.
Effective Teaching of Critical Thinking: Reducing Epistemically Unwarranted Beliefs
Presented by Ray Hall, Professor of Physics, California State University – Fresno
Webinar Recorded: Wednesday, February 24, 2021
Can teaching critical thinking classes really help students learn the difference between science and pseudoscience? To find out Ray Hall conducted and published a study to find out if Fresno State’s GE course Natural Science 4 (NS4) delivers on its desired learning outcomes. College students (n=806) were surveyed at semester’s beginning and end. Epistemically unwarranted beliefs in pseudoscience were found to be pervasive among our student population. NS4, a course that specifically and directly addressed pseudoscience produced a large and significant reduction of those beliefs, but scientific research methods classes and unrelated general education classes used as controls did not. This talk will describe our study and our findings, and highlight a few strategies we have found effective for changing epistemically unwarranted beliefs, and the importance of teaching critical thinking.
Dr. Ray Hall is a professor of Physics at California State University – Fresno. The majority of his published research involved his work in the DØ Collaboration, a 700+ member experimental particle physics experiment at Fermilab, which discovered the “top quark,” a fundamental particle of nature. His current research centers on understanding best practices for teaching critical thinking and the methodologies of science, and how to best assess student learning outcomes in these areas. He also shares his love for science and physics through his @PhysicsFun Instagram that has nearly 2 million followers!