Think It Through: the Clearer Thinking Podcast

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In this episode, April outs herself as being "bad at math;" but after researching, writing, and publishing this episode, she's taken a vow to become more numerate. You should, too! Listen to the episode to find out how.

Episode 46 Show Notes

Bio of British economist Geoffrey Crowther: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoffrey_Crowther,_Baron_Crowther

A great article about the history of innumeracy (honestly I don't know what "captive board" refers to): https://www.captive.com/articles/how-numerate-is-your-board-the-case-for-captive-board-numeracy

Here's the link to the download for Paulos' book on innumeracy: https://jirsresourcecentre.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/innumeracy.pdf

The OECD's discussion of numeracy skills among Americans: https://www.oecd.org/en/topics/adult-numeracy-skills.html

How many students need to take remedial math classes? Lots of them. I disagree, however, with the idea that the cure for this is to no longer require algebra courses in higher education, although something definitely needs to change: https://washingtonmonthly.com/2026/02/26/almost-no-one-needs-college-algebra-anymore/

Martin Gardner's home page: https://martin-gardner.org/#:~:text=First%20and%20last%2C%20he%20was,people%20all%20over%20the%20world

Math anxiety explained: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6087017/

Discalculia: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/23949-dyscalculia

Gender differences in math performance: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2138794/

The crazy story of the GoFundMe project to build the wall: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_Build_the_Wall

Why people misunderstand probability: https://untamedscience.com/blog/why-humans-are-bad-at-understanding-probability-and-what-science-says-about-it/

Diego Ribiero's excellent Medium article: https://neverforget-1975.medium.com/innumeracy-8b2112c5787b

A review of Innumeracy in the Wild: https://newbooksnetwork.com/innumeracy-in-the-wild

Plane vs. car accidents: https://www.fellermanlaw.com/blog/is-flying-safer-than-driving/

Career Addict article about becoming more numerate: https://www.careeraddict.com/develop-numerical-skills

Khan Academy website:  www.khanacademy.org

Duolingo website: https://www.duolingo.com/math

Tablet Class Math YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/tabletclass

Financial Literacy Resource Directory: https://www.occ.gov/topics/consumers-and-communities/community-affairs/resource-directories/financial-literacy/index-financial-literacy-resource-directory.html

The UK's National Numeracy Challenge page: https://www.nationalnumeracy.org.uk/

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In this episode, April debunks some common misconceptions and discusses why they are so "sticky" in our brains.

Episode 45 Show Notes

Definition of "factoid"--https://www.oed.com/dictionary/factoid_n?tab=meaning_and_use#4942990

Drs Carroll and Vreeman's great book debunking lots of health myths: https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Cross-Your-Theyll-Stuck/dp/0312681879

AOA's article discussing strabismus (crossed eyes): https://www.aoa.org/healthy-eyes/eye-and-vision-conditions/strabismus

Great article debunking several misconceptions your parents probably believed were true: https://www.uchealth.org/today/10-myths-you-may-have-heard-from-your-parents/

The five-second rule, explained: https://www.sciencefriday.com/articles/the-origin-of-the-five-second-rule/

The Cleveland Clinic's article setting the record straight about body heat loss: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/body-heat-loss

The truth about chastity belts: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/medieval-chastity-belts-are-myth-180956341/

Why you should be more afraid of your tray table making you sick than the air on an airplane: https://www.aarp.org/travel/travel-tips/safety/avoid-airplane-germs/#:~:text=%7C%20An%20airplane%20offers%20the%20perfect,soggy%20tissues%20and%20dirty%20diapers

What "vomitorium" really means: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/purging-the-myth-of-the-vomitorium/

An in depth-discussion of the term "Xmas:" https://eu.news-journalonline.com/story/news/2023/12/06/xmas-vs-christmas-why-offensive-origins-history-greek-chi-means-christ/71810050007/

https://www.yourdictionary.com/articles/xmas-origin

An extremely deep dive into the psychology behind misconceptions: https://philpapers.org/rec/DELIMA-3

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While it's always been the case that "A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still putting its boots on," it's exponentially more true since the rise of the internet, particularly social media. In this episode, April looks at how and why misinformation and disinformation (which are not the same thing, btw) travel so quickly around our media landscape and affect the way we view the world.

Episode 44 Show Notes

(I have so many sources I can't put descriptions on them because I would go over the character limit, but they're generally in the order they are found in the episode):

https://theonion.com/planned-parenthood-opens-8-billion-abortionplex-1819572640/

 https://www.freedomforum.org/misinformation-vs-disinformation/#:~:text=Misinformation%20is%20false%20information%20disseminated,intentional%2C%20whereas%20misinformation%20is%20unintentional.

https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/north-carolina-man-sentenced-four-year-prison-term-armed-assault-northwest-washington

https://campaignlegal.org/results-lawsuits-regarding-2020-elections

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/14/alex-jones-sandy-hook-settlement-supreme-court-appeal-00607361

https://shorensteincenter.org/research-initiative/the-hks-misinformation-review/

https://news.mit.edu/2018/study-twitter-false-news-travels-faster-true-stories-0308

https://som.yale.edu/story/2023/reimagining-social-media-news-sharing-research-finds-users-habits-key-safer-and-more#:~:text=One%20important%20aspect%20that%20contributes,professor%20of%20psychology%20and%20business.

https://www.imperva.com/resources/resource-library/reports/2024-bad-bot-report/

https://www.clrn.org/how-much-of-the-internet-is-ai-generated/

https://theconversation.com/how-ai-bots-spread-misinformation-online-and-undermine-democratic-politics-234915

https://www.heinz.cmu.edu/media/2018/October/troll-farms-and-fake-news-social-media-weaponization#:~:text=Russian%20%E2%80%9Ctroll%20farms%E2%80%9D%E2%80%94groups,%E2%80%94literally%E2%80%94divide%20and%20conquer.

https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/

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In this episode, April explains that ignorance and stupidity are not the same thing. But when doubt is deliberately created as a strategic ploy by powerful entities, the ignorance that results can be not only stupid, but dangerous.

Episode 43 Show Notes

Definition of "epistomology:" https://www.britannica.com/topic/epistemology

Good explanation of agnotology by Dr Mark Crislip: https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/agnotology-the-study-of-ignorance/

Dr Robert Proctor on Alie Ward: https://www.alieward.com/ologies/agnotology

The post-truth world: https://theconversation.com/scientists-have-a-word-for-studying-the-post-truth-world-agnotology-71542

Medium article https://medium.com/@porlando_84392/agnotology-the-study-of-ignorance-351ba8ae432d

Find out about, and buy, Merchants of Doubt here: https://www.merchantsofdoubt.org/

Great article on "the science of spin:  https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7996119/ 

Michael Facciani's website: https://www.matthewfacciani.com/

Agnotology explains why social media platforms don’t investigate the negative impacts of their messaging: https://www.cigionline.org/articles/social-media-platforms-and-upside-ignorance/

Changes to social media sites involving previously banned content: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/everything-to-know-about-meta-political-content-update/737123/

Yes, scientists do agree on climate change: https://science.nasa.gov/climate-change/faq/do-scientists-agree-on-climate-change/

Jake Scott's Senate testimony: https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/Scott-Testimony.pdf

Here are a few good sources I didn't have time to discuss:

How scientists deal with what they don’t know https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/evan.21303?msockid=1e22d990d6c764bc2523cc64d77d65db

How agnotology might work to fight disinformation https://www.wired.com/story/agnotology-misinformation-opinion/

Agnotology and political rhetoric https://www.aaronhuertas.com/invisible-messaging-the-power-of-agnotology-in-political-rhetoric/

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In this episode, April explains how this biased form of reasoning keeps our identities and emotions safe from the harsh glare of reality. Using justifications to support what we really want to be true lies at the heart of motivated reasoning, so the next time you eat a whole sleeve of Ritz crackers and wash it down with chardonnay, remind yourself that you exercised that morning, so it's ok.*

*note--when she says you, she means herself...

Episode 42 Show Notes:

The News Literacy Project article on motivated reasoning: https://newslit.org/educators/resources/in-brief-confirmation-bias-motivated-reasoning/

Science Direct is a scientific, health, and technical literature database containing millions of peer-reviewed articles on a wide variety of topics: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/psychology/motivated-reasoning

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S026137941400105X

Mental Health Matters is a website devoted to mental health conditions and disorders: https://mental-health-matters.org/2024/12/12/an-overview-of-motivated-reasoning/

Matt Grawitch's substack page, The Eel-Filled Hovercraft, is full of great information about psychology and decision-making: https://mattgrawitch.substack.com/

Information about climate change beliefs: https://epic.uchicago.edu/insights/2024-poll-americans-views-on-climate-change-and-policy-in-12-charts/

Excellent article about the link between conspiracy theories and motivated reasoning: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/ajps.12234?msockid=1e22d990d6c764bc2523cc64d77d65db

Nobel prize winner Gordon Pennycock talks about why conspiracy theorists think that their beliefs are widespread: https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/07/conspiracy-theorists-think-their-views-are-mainstream/

This Psychology Today article, also by Matt Grawitch, discusses the problems that can occur when goals and values collide: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/hovercraft-full-eels/202106/the-collision-among-goals-and-accuracy

Ivan Jureta's article about avoiding motivated reasoning when making corporate decisions: https://ivanjureta.com/motivated-reasoning-how-to-detect-and-mitigate-its-risks/

This vs That's article on critical thinking vs reflective thinking: https://thisvsthat.io/critical-thinking-vs-reflective-thinking

YouGov article about popular conspiracy theories and the numbers of Americans who believe them: https://today.yougov.com/politics/articles/48113-which-conspiracy-theories-do-americans-believe

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April confesses to being a "big ol' nerd" while discussing three sneaky fallacies that sidestep evidence and shut down discourse.

Episode 41 Show Notes:

It's a study guide about the No True Scotsman fallacy! Hey, they're good for adults too: https://studylatam.com/no-true-scotsman-fallacy-in-philosophy/

Another good article about No True Scotsman: https://practicalpie.com/no-true-scotsman/

Rational Wiki is always a good go-to for fallacies: https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/No_True_Scotsman

What's cognitive ease? Here you go: learning-mind.com/cognitive-ease/

Great article on the illusory truth effect: https://thedecisionlab.com/biases/illusory-truth-effect

Patrick Stokes' article in The Conversation on why he's so tough on his philosophy students: https://theconversation.com/no-youre-not-entitled-to-your-opinion-9978

Stephen Rainey's blog that discusses the concept of our "entitlement" to opinions: https://blog.practicalethics.ox.ac.uk/2019/03/entitlement/

*I have begun using ChatGPT to organize and outline my episodes--it does a great job clarifying my ideas. I still do the writing, though, so I can't say it saves a lot of time!

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In this episode, April talks about why good data (current, accurate, and trustworthy) is so important to good thinking. She is perturbed about the current administration's deliberate attempts to delete, change, or hide critical government data. However, she is also hopeful that the many efforts to protect and preserve this data will be successful.

Episode 40 Show Notes--just citations because my explanations took up too much data...

 https://www.getrightdata.com/blog/why-quality-matters-the-10-biggest-data-quality-disasters

https://www.smorescience.com/data-driven-life-how-information-shapes-our-daily-decisionsexamples-of-data-in-everyday-life/

 https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/airline-news/2025/05/06/newark-airport-radio-radar-failures/83471323007/

 https://abcnews.go.com/Health/white-house-covid-web-page-page-supporting-lab/story?id=120956514

 https://insideclimatenews.org/news/31012025/trump-administration-war-on-science/

https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-book/climate-change-transparency-project-foia/2025-02-06/disappearing-data-trump?utm_source=chatgpt.com

 https://www.rheumatologyadvisor.com/news/key-cdc-health-websites-vanish-following-trump-orders/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/public-health/removal-pages-cdc-website-brings-confusion-dismay?utm_source=chatgpt.com

https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/02/06/nx-s1-5288113/cdc-website-health-data-trump

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/20/trump-missing-murdered-indigenous-peoples-report-removed?utm_source=chatgpt.com

https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-lede/the-data-hoarders-resisting-trumps-purge

https://libguides.umn.edu/c.php?g=1449575&p=10778647

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Government_watchdog_groups_in_the_United_States

https://journalistsresource.org/home/researchers-rush-to-preserve-federal-health-databases-before-they-disappear-from-government-websites/

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In this episode, April attempts to unpack the complicated topic of propaganda, a form of persuasion used by corporations, advertisers, pundits, influencers, and political personalities. These days, it's important for critical thinkers to understand that there should be a delineation between propaganda and the kind of rhetoric used in democratic governance, to recognize propaganda and to avoid being influenced by it. If this sounds important--well, it is.

Episode 39 Show Notes

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/propaganda--this references the origins of the word propaganda and its original link to religious proselytizing

https://www.thoughtco.com/propaganda-definition-1691544--Dr. Richard Nordquist's excellent ThoughtCo article about the difference between rhetoric and propaganda

https://researchguides.uoregon.edu/medialiteracy/propaganda --University of Oregon's Media Literary Research guide's deep dive into propaganda has some great information about how to determine if something is propaganda

https://researchguides.uoregon.edu/medialiteracy/propaganda --the Naab Research Center gives examples of positive uses of propaganda

Emotional Campaigning in Politics: Being Moved and Anger …--a pdf of Gruning and Schubert's article about the use of emotion in political campaigns

https://www.yourdictionary.com/articles/glittering-generalities--YourDictionary.com has a great article with examples of glittering generalities

https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Loaded_language--the list of "snarl" words is at the bottom of this wiki page devoted to loaded language

https://www.allsides.com/sites/default/files/AllSidesMediaBiasChart-Version2.jpg--an updated version of the AllSides Media Bias chart

https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/--a great source for checking the bias of any news source, as well as whether it has failed any fact checks

https://disinformation-nation.org/combat-propaganda/--great article about ways to combat propaganda

https://www.shortform.com/summary/thinking-fast-and-slow-summary-daniel-kahneman?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=531475976&msclkid=704335b2e9371134f6f7526e8cdafb8c--a long web address leading to a short summary of Daniel Kahneman's book Thinking Fast and Slow

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/think-act-be/202003/can-you-be-abundantly-cautious-and-fearless--while this article was written about the Covid pandemic, the ideas in it still resonate

https://www.neuroandcounselingcenter.com/single-post/informed-protect-peace--good ideas from certified mental health counselor Amanda Levison, about how to keep your cool and not get overwhelmed with news

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In this episode April explains some very common relevance fallacies--Straw Man, Begging the Question, and Two Wrongs Make a Right. Let's all try not to commit these fallacies, okay?

Episode 38 Show Notes:

https://philosophyterms.com/fallacy-of-relevance/#google_vignette--a handy reference website that gives basic explanations of terms related to philosophy as well as short biographies of many famous philosophers.

https://www.historyextra.com/period/georgian/why-we-say-phrase-red-herring-hunting-origins/--a fun discussion of "red herrings" from the official website for the BBC History Magazine

https://www.etymonline.com/word/straw%20man--want to know the origin of a word or common phrase? This is the website for you.

https://www.rand.org/pubs/commentary/2023/10/protecting-free-speech-compels-some-form-of-social.html--a great article about why social media needs some kind of regulation.

https://effectiviology.com/begging-the-question/--this website always has clear, concise definitions and examples of fallacies.

https://helpfulprofessor.com/straw-man-fallacy-examples/--legit professors help you with your homework by answering almost any academic question you might have.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/whataboutism--hey it's an encyclopedia so...

https://human.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Philosophy/Introduction_to_Logic_and_Critical_Thinking_2e_(van_Cleave)/04%3A_Informal_Fallacies/4.03%3A_Fallacies_of_Relevance--this is an entire OER (Open Educational Resource) philosophy textbook, so anyone can access and read it.

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In this episode, April drags herself out of bed while recovering from a wicked case of Influenza A (you might notice her somewhat gravelly vocal quality) to record this episode about an important and timely topic--the language of demagoguery. While we tend to think of it as something politicians and other powerful people use, she discovers to her dismay that we are all capable of being "nascent demagogues" and using this rhetorical technique in our everyday discussions about politics. Hey, let's try not to do that, okay?

Episode 37 Show Notes

https://gordoncstewart.com/2023/12/05/the-language-of-demagoguery-2/
Social commentator and blogger Gordon Stewart discusses how language is used for social manipulation, referencing Senator Newt Gingrich.

https://feps-europe.eu/powerless-arguments-demagogue-and-populist-language/
Robert Feustel is a researcher at Friedrich Schiller University, and this article discusses the difficulty of arguing with someone using demagogic language.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02773945.2019.1610636
Skinnell and Murphy's excellent article on the pervasiveness of the language of demagoguery.

https://www.mediaethicsmagazine.com/index.php/browse-back-issues/209-spring-2017-vol-29-no-2/3999195-media-rhetoric-and-the-demagoguery-of-the-elite
Good article by rhetorician Patricia Roberts-Miller of the University of Texas at Austin, who also wrote the book Demagoguery and Democracy.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00963402.2024.2388461#abstract
I didn't really reference this excellent treatise about the way that demagogues destroy democracy by John Keane, but I highly recommend that you read it anyway.

https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/en/publications/demagoguery-technology-and-cognition-addressing-the-threats-to-de
Stephen Lewandowsky's paper on demagoguery and how it threatens democracy.

https://www.historyhit.com/culture/anti-jewish-propaganda-in-nazi-germany/
Some examples of how the Nazis used anti-Jewish propaganda to influence German citizens.

https://brainapps.io/blog/2025/01/stand-up-against-demagogy-protect/
This article contains some very helpful tips about how to recognize and stand up to demagogic rhetoric.