| Class Number: | 21217 |
| When: | 6 sessions, Wednesday 25 July - 29 August, 6 - 8pm |
| Where: | Room 202, Arts 1 Building, 18 Symonds Street |
| Fee (GST incl): | $117.00 International Fee (GST incl): $195.80 |
| Class Limit: | 25 |
| Course Description: | Some people think that Philosophy is all abstract thinking. However critical thinking is a set of philosophical tools that allow us to make informed and well-reasoned arguments towards particular viewpoints. In this course we will look at the application of philosophy to conspiracy theories, ranging from the authorship of Shakespeare’s plays, to the Da Vinci Code itself and to the North Head tunnels conspiracy. Through the application of critical thinking skills to the content of these theories you will experience first-hand the practical application of philosophy to everyday life. |
More information here.
Related Posts?
- CCE (UoA) - Conspiracy Theories: Philosophy and Critical Thinking 7 May, 2008
- CCE (UoA) - Conspiracy Theories: Philosophy and Critical Thinking 24 June, 2008
- Reminder of an Upcoming Lecture Series: Conspiracy Theories - Philosophy and Critical Thinking 22 June, 2007
- Critical Thinking 29 March, 2007
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[...] Upcoming Lecture Series: Conspiracy Theories - Philosophy and Critical Thinking [...]
[...] I am currently using what little spare time I have at the moment to work on the coursebooklet for the next Continuing Education lecture series. I have, thus, been ironing out a few of niggling bits of conceptual work, not just for my sake but also for that of my future students. Whilst I have a fairly clear idea of where the thesis is going, and how to pull bits out of it for public consumption, actually turning these ideas into cogent and coherent English sentences is another matter entirely. I mean, I can say such things like: ‘Basically, my PhD dissertation will advance a novel thesis that explains why we find contemporary Conspiracy Theories prima facie implausible (which is not to say that all Conspiracy Theories are implausible but that we can explain why our initial reaction to them is ‘Yeah, right…’) based somewhat around such theories being examples of the ‘Just So’ Fallacy.’ [...]
[...] One of the topics I am touching upon in my up-coming course (enrol now!) is the authorship question in re Shakespeare. I call it a literary Conspiracy Theory; some of the theories advanced to support, say, the de Vere claim to the ‘Shakespeare’ canon, claim that certain members of Elizabethian England deliberately hid the nature of the true author of the plays. It’s all very ‘The Da Vinci Code’ (or ‘Angels and Demons,’ which is a better book and yes, that isn’t saying much) (another topic I am touching upon in the course) and it usefully extends Conspiracy Theories into the domain of real academic research rather than the usual suspicion that it is only small men in anoraks who indulge such fantasies. [...]
[...] Blogging will be a bit sporadic for the next few weeks; the course is taking up more time than I imagined and I’m in the midst of tricky philosophising, which robs me of the will to spend even more time at the keyboard. [...]