Glossary

a logical fallacy where someone attacks the speaker rather than the argument, as a means of invalidating the argument

when someone claims a belief must be true solely because an authority figure said so, without critically examining whether the authority is relevant or reliable

in the context of logic, the claim that's being made, including how that claim is backed up

computer systems that are built to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence

something we hold to be true regardless of evidence and reasoning

the tendency to overestimate our ability relative to other people

the idea that it's the responsibility of the person making a claim to provide evidence for it

improperly shifting the burden of proof to distract from a lack of evidence for a claim

the systematic ways our minds can lead us to misjudge, misunderstand, or ignore information

the tendency to look for, notice, and believe information that supports what you already think, while ignoring or dismissing information that challenges your beliefs

a cognitive bias where people incorrectly assume that a specific combination of events is more likely than one of the individual events within that combination

any statistical relationship, whether causal or not, between two random variables

when we incorrectly assume that because there is a correlation between two things, one must be causing the other

the practice of carefully analyzing information, beliefs, and arguments in order to make well-reasoned decisions, form justified beliefs, and avoid being misled

the belief that people’s motives are always selfish, dishonest, or corrupt, and that nothing is really trustworthy or worth believing

when content obscures its origin, distorts meaning, or misrepresents reality, often to exploit cognitive biases or provoke emotional responses

the study of how we know what we know

information offered to support or refute a belief; strong evidence can be observed, measured, independently verified, and cannot be accounted for by other explanations

a rigid and inflexible commitment to an idea, characterized by a complete unwillingness to even engage with evidence

the assertion that all ideas are inherently equal and valid, regardless of their content or the evidence to support them

when someone frames a situation as having only a very limited set of choices -- usually two -- when more actually exist; (also called a false dichotomy)

a logical fallacy where someone is inaccurately equating two things as being equal

able to be potentially proven wrong through observation and experimentation

the mistaken belief that past random events can influence future outcomes in independent events

replicating flexible, adaptive human intelligence in a single AI system

how you view yourself in the context of a group you feel you belong to

a cognitive bias where we assume that because someone is good, smart, or credible in one domain, they must be equally trustworthy in others

when someone draws a conclusion about a group, trend, or idea based on a small or unrepresentative sample

mental shortcuts our brains use to quickly make decisions

the tendency to believe something is true simply because we've had repeated exposure to it

the use of words and phrases that suggest something is certain and unavoidable

the immediate sense that something is true or accurate without consciously thinking through reasons or evidence

something we hold to be true that's supported by verifiable evidence and reasoning; justified belief

a type of AI that has been trained on a vast amount of data so that what it generates is much more complex

the set of rules and principles we use to determine whether a conclusion correctly follows from the information or assumptions of an argument

an error in reasoning that undermines the logic of an argument

our tendency to feel the pain of a loss more intensely than the pleasure of an equivalent gain

any channel or method of communication

the ability to access, understand, analyze, evaluate, and create media in a critical and informed way

the awareness and understanding of one's own thought processes

false, inaccurate, or misleading information

a disproportionate reaction to a perceived social problem, where the fear is often greater than the actual threat

the tendency for people to process information in a way that reaches a conclusion they want to be true

smaller AI systems designed to perform a very limited and specific set of tasks

something about the world that can be observed and tested independent of personal feelings

how you view yourself as an individual

an assertion that something exists, is true, or has occurred

assuming the most reasonable and rational interpretation of someone's statement or argument, even if it's flawed, before criticizing it

the process by which we analyze and evaluate evidence and arguments

a logical fallacy where something irrelevant is introduced to distract from the actual argument

any deliberate technique a speaker or writer uses to persuade, influence, or shape how an audience thinks or feels about an issue

the process by which AI extracts large amount of data from online sources

selecting and focusing on particular stimuli while simultaneously suppressing irrelevant or distracting information

when someone asserts that accepting one idea or policy will unavoidably lead to a series of negative outcomes, without showing clear evidence for how or why those outcomes would actually follow

when faced with a decision involving change, we tend to choose the option that keeps things as they are, even if there may be benefits to alternatives

a logical fallacy where someone attacks a distorted, exaggerated, or oversimplified version of the argument that is actually being made

based on personal feeling and preference; cannot be "true" or "false"

a type of red herring, where someone deflects criticism or scrutiny by pointing to someone else’s wrongdoing