Customer Reviews

Here Be Dragons: An Introduction to Critical Thinking

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I found this video quite informitive and has helped me better understand the critical thinking process.

Mr. Dunning uses real world situations and then disects the logic behind these in a easy to understand language.

This video is a must have for anyone interested in critical thinking

This video would be great to use in a classroom with young people, to teach them how to think straight when they are bombarded by misinformation from TV, unscrupulous practitioners, or simply friends or family who just don't know any better. Brian Dunning has an engaging delivery and speaks in understandable terms about these issues. There is also a great explanation of what a valid controlled clinical trial consists of, which is very illuminating in that it shows how much effort is needed to overcome the false perceptions and placebo effects that are the reason the supplement and "alt med" industries stay in business and have so many people who swear by their questionable remedies.

Brian Dunning has created an excellent resource for teaching the basics of critical thinking.

Here Be Dragons is a classroom appropriate alternative to Penn and Teller's: BS that creates a compelling case for science-based exploration of the natural world.

...could stay together a bit longer with a little critical thought.

Brian does an excellent job of showing how to approach advertising claims in a rational and critical manner.

We all want to live healthfully and to improve our quality of life. Yet we need to be able to discern legitimate products and services from those that based on wishful thinking and buzz words.

With the basics of critical thinking as presented by Brian, anyone can judge for themselves whether a product is likely to be useful, or just a donation to the seller's bank account.

This video offers a list of valuable tools to improve your ability to think and reason.

Brian Dunning takes the viewer through many common types of flawed logic and misinformation that we are exposed to every day. This video is an incredible tool for improving your ability to distinguish meaningful evidence from unfounded and misleading claims.

A must watch for anyone who wants to be able to avoid the scams and deceptions which are rampant in today's world.

Finally something smart comes around.

Brian did a very good job it this movie. I hope many people gets to see Here be Dragons. maybe we're gonna make the society smarter!

Brian, I am big fan of you and your work, you contributed a lot to my knowledge, I am now a smarter man.

keep up the good work.

I like this.

Seeing that there's a rather large amount of people quite incapable of critical thinking, I approve of this simple and straight-forward view of How To Do It.

I believe it should be shown in schools, too.

(Admittedly, his way of keeping your focus by changing clothing and background every few minutes is a bit over the top ;)

I'm going to fight the impulse to call Dunning's video "required viewing." What could be less appealing? But it's pretty much a given that everybody should know something basic about critical thinking, and this video is a painlessly entertaining introduction. The best thing about it, other than the solid science material it contains, is that it's completely appropriate for any age group and not likely to offend anybody--unless they have adopted one of the questionable beliefs or practices that Dunning attacks.

But those attacks aren't the point anyway. He only uses them as examples of how to use critical thinking to evaluate claims when you haven't seen them before and don't know what to make of them. Thinking for yourself, and not allowing people to fool you for their own gain, is the point, and Dunning makes that point in a simple and compelling way.

This video gets my highest recommendation based on the content. Even so, I have to say that some people might find Dunning's presentation skills just a tad on the dry side. I know I did. He's no Mythbuster, and he's no Bill Nye the Science Guy, but I know that a lot of people will find that kind of flash-free earnestness refreshing.

I've been a fan of Brian Dunning's "SKEPTOID" podcast for a long time now, and I'm delighted by the success of this video.

Dunning uses this video to explain, in common language, how people might be misled and how you can protect yourself as a consumer. He also addresses one of my favorite attacks: the Red Herring.

People using scientific instruments are not necessarily scientists! People wearing labcoats aren't necessarily doctors! (and people wearing chefs jackets aren't necessarily trained chefs, but that's a personal pet peeve...)

By the way, "kostas_the_ancient_priest", did you actually watch the video? Specifically, about 15-20 minutes in, where Dunning mentions "Proof by Verbosity"? He's talking to you! :-)

This is the type of video that should be shown to everyone--especially students at all levels of schooling, from grade school to university and beyond. Now more than ever, critical thinking and rational logic is in dire and short supply, and Brian Dunning has created an excellent, accessible means to introduce both the importance of these skills, and the methodology for dealing with those who try to ignore the arguments based on these skills.

Well done.