In this episode we discuss the tricky mess of navigating information in a world filled with junk.

Oftentimes our perspective gets in the way of our perception. Every way of seeing, Kenneth Burke says, is a way of not seeing. In other words, whenever we pick a perspective, we lock ourselves out of other perspectives. The key, then, to using information in a scholarly way, it to acknowledge perspective and then to try to get around it. It isn't about finding discrete answers to specific questions.

I'll be honest, this lecture is a mess because my note taking time and my lecture recording time were separated by kids getting sick and not much sleep. I'll probably rerecord and upload it some other time after revising and revisiting my notes, but for now, here ya go.

I've got a few tips here, but you should also check out Sean "Day9" Plott's tips on stretching before working with a mouse and keyboard.

In this episode we discuss self-censorship on campus and free speech. While self-censorship is a real threat, the solution isn't to bully your detractors into self-censoring their own reactions to your speech. It's up to the speaker or writer to make sure that she or he has the courage to accept the consequences of speech.

In the larger context of researching and writing essays, it's important that we we are honest with our sources and with ourselves at every step. Too often I read student essays where the students are writing what they think they are supposed to write, a small set of opinions they believe I'm looking for. That kind of writing is stilted, boring, and prone to errors since so much cognitive energy is spent not saying things rather than saying them. If we trust that we've been honest with ourselves throughout the entire process though, and if we're willing to listen genuinely when people disagree, we should have nothing to fear from speaking our minds.

The Emma Camp piece is here; the Hepola piece here.

You can find the full Andrew Doyle interview on YouTube as well as the Rowan Atkinson speech and the Jordan Peterson interview.

We review the last few episodes and talk about broader application of an essay-like process.

Revision isn't about fixing mistakes; it's about looking at something with new eyes. When we look again (and again, and again), we begin to be able to tell new, better stories.

Conspiracies are fun. They're so fun, in fact, that sometimes we might think that if using information irresponsibly is wrong then we don't want to be right. But with over 5 million dead from Covid in the past two years, I think it's safe to say that the boring way is better.

What's the right attitude for doing research? Think about having a conversation and follow your hunches and you'll be alright.

What is "the conversation?" How do I add to it? Can I really trust the experts?

What does Hebrews 11, a chapter of the Bible famous for its discussion of faith, have to teach us about uncertainty? How does that relate to doing research for an essay?

Note: For more information on the study mentioned about fight or flight and counterevidence, follow this link: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/1369118X.2019.1566394