Why Smart People Believe Things That Aren’t True

Conversation - B2-C1 | Advance Level

4.9 $

Jan. 27 Tue , 13:00 USA

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Description

In this class you will:
✔ Watch an insightful video about intelligence, bias, and false beliefs
✔ Learn advanced vocabulary related to reasoning, bias, misinformation, and belief formation
✔ Analyze why logic alone doesn’t always change people’s minds
✔ Practice expressing complex opinions using speculation, contrast, and cause-and-effect structures

You will:
• Develop language to discuss abstract thinking and reasoning errors
• Practice expressing disagreement respectfully and analytically
• Use advanced structures to explain why beliefs persist despite evidence

Session Activities

1: Do you think being intelligent means being right more often? Why or why not?

2: Have you ever believed something that later turned out to be false?

3: Why do people sometimes defend ideas even when evidence disagrees?

4: Is it easier to see mistakes in others’ thinking or in your own? Why?

5: Do emotions help or hurt logical thinking?

1: Why do you think smart people are not immune to false beliefs?

2: How do emotions influence what we accept as “true”?

3: Can intelligence actually make people better at justifying wrong ideas? How?

4: What role does identity play in belief formation?

5: Why is it so difficult to admit we are wrong?

6: How does social media contribute to intelligent people believing false information?

7: What’s the difference between being skeptical and being cynical?

8: After watching the video, which explanation surprised you the most?

9: How can people challenge their own beliefs without feeling attacked?

bias

a tendency to think in a certain way, often unfairly

misinformation

false or misleading information

confirmation bias

the tendency to look for information that supports existing beliefs

overconfidence

excessive confidence in one’s own knowledge or judgment

assumption

something accepted as true without proof

rationalize

to justify something in a logical-sounding way

critical thinking

the ability to analyze information objectively

belief system

a set of beliefs that shape how someone understands the world

evidence

facts or information that support a claim