(Online) Discerning Truth in a Time of Strong Opinions

Do you ever wonder how people can believe wholeheartedly in ideas that to you seem stupid and make no sense? Many believe “critical thinking” means being critical of others’ thinking, but this class teaches how real critical thinking works: how and why humans, especially yourself, come to believe something is true and why we differ. We will also examine how the fields of math, natural science, social science, history, art, ethics, and religion determine what is true. This is not a class on current issues or debates about them, nor a class to tell you what you should think. It seeks to make you aware of how human knowledge works and help you know yourself better—an invitation to think about thinking. It is similar to the Theory of Knowledge class in the International Baccalaureate program.

Sally earned her BA in Social Sciences and a M Ed at Colorado State University. She taught history, world humanities, and language arts for 26 years for the Poudre School District and has led National Endowment for the Humanities Institutes and other workshops for teachers. Sally has extensive training in world humanities, specializing in Asia, Europe, Africa, Middle East, and Latin America. She has also studied religion and culture in Japan, China, India, Peru, and Europe. Sally currently teaches humanities courses for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute program at Colorado State University.

Notes

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