Are Humans Rational?
This course complements the Introduction to Critical Thinking PSY 01(z), but can be taken independently. It focuses mainly on how our biased psychology makes us vulnerable to accepting unreasonable beliefs. We explore the fundaments of rationality, intelligence and learning processes from a psychological and biological perspective. In other words, we address the many processes of decision-making and the relationship between emotion and rationality. Furthermore, it addresses particular types of widespread and natural reasoning processes that result in reasoning errors and fallacious arguments. The course provides examples of cognitive bias, superstitious reasoning, magical thinking (a cognitive process in which individuals ascribe supernatural or mystical powers to objects, cognitive dissonance (when we hold contradictory beliefs), and the biological origins of prejudice and morality.