‘What Is a Fact?’ a Humanities Class Prepares STEM Students to Be Better Scientists

No one comes equipped with a critical-thinking chip that diminishes the human tendency to let personal beliefs distort the facts. Regardless of your intelligence, Feynman’s adage holds true: “The first principle is that you must not fool yourself—and you are the easiest person to fool.”11 Instead of resenting their genetic wiring, scientists have c

Civilization needs citizens capable of openness and inquiry; these should therefore be the hallmarks of higher ed. The need for nimble thinking, creativity in both the posing of questions and the search for their solutions, an ability to return to first principles rather than rely on mnemonics and received wisdom—these are ever more important as we

The value of knowing something real about the physical world. When you have a sense of physical reality, you are less likely to be gameable by the social sphere. Never accept conclusions on the basis of authority; if you find that what you are being taught does not match your…

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Facts have to be interpreted or assembled into patterns of meaning not understood before. That is what makes thinking more of an art than a science.