How to Think Like a Philosopher – a course on critical thinking tools

Good thinking is obviously a good thing. But how often do you actually think that well? How to spot fallacies? How to think in terms of probabilities? How to use abductive logic? How to make clear and distinct definitions? How to apply intuition in useful ways?

Philosophers have developed a whopping set of tools for good thinking from analysis of concepts and meanings to logic, thought experiments and beyond. With this course you will have a chance to familiarise yourself with several of them. You will learn critical thinking and might even experience heureka-moments with your fellow students.

Lecturer: Severi Hämäri, MA, licensed English as a first language philosophy teacher and doctoral student. Hämäri is also the head teacher of the School of Rhetoric at Kriittinen korkeakoulu. Hämäri is a practitioner of philosophy whose dialogic, learner centred teaching methods have been praised by former students.

3 times 45 min lecture and practice each evening with 15 min coffee break.

1. 10.4.2024 Basic tools of philosopher, introduction
2. 17.4.2024 Argumentation
3. 24.4.2024 Assessment of situation
4. 8.5.2024 Making distinctions
5. 15.5.2024 Critique and limits of knowledge
6. 22.5.2024 Critical thought on ethics, and ethics of critical thinking

Further reading:

Baggini and Fosl: The Philosopher’s Toolkit. A Compendium of Philosophical Concepts and Methods. Blackwell Publishing, Malden, MA. 2003.

Information

Time: 10.4.-22.5.2024, 17:30-20:00

Place: Tekstin talo, Lintulahdenkatu 3, 00530 Helsinki

Price: 150€

Register at 28.3.2024. Cancellation without fee by this date. After the registration date but before the course starts the cancellation fee is 50% of the full price. If no prior cancellation, the full price will be billed.