Bo Bennett, PhD Blog

Political Violence Explained: Ethics, Extremes, and Social Forces

2025-09-11

Explore the moral and social complexities of political violence, examining arguments from extremes and ways to reduce harm in society.

The Beginning of the End of Misinformation?

2025-06-18

As the world wallows in doom and gloom about how the Internet—more specifically, AI—will bring about an age of lies, fake news, disinformation, and misinformation, I argue that we have reason for hope

Sparking Unity in the Face of Ideological Divides

2025-03-31

Explore how ideological purity affects community cohesion and the quest for unity in skepticism. Focusing on the impact of hot-button issues.

Consumer vs Creator: Finding Balance in Life

2024-12-14

Explore the roles of consumer and creator in life. Discover how creating more can lead to greater well-being and wealth.

The Rise of Persecution Claims Over Responsibility

2024-12-10

Explore the trend of replacing responsibility with persecution claims, its impact on justice, and the role of critical thinking in today's society.

Unraveling the Mysteries of Biblical Interpretation

2024-11-28

Discover how the Bible's meanings vary across contexts, translations, and interpretations, offering insights into its rich complexity and timeless relevance.

Protesting: Balancing Passion and Principle

2024-11-24

Explore the fine line between peaceful protest and illegality, emphasizing the need for consistency and fairness in how we judge these actions.

Becoming a Science and Reason Warrior: A Guide to Informed Dialogue

2024-11-20

Explore the concept of Science and Reason Warriors—individuals dedicated to promoting truth and accuracy in a world of misinformation.

Unraveling the Enigma: Faith, Science, and Divine Healing

2024-11-19

Explore the intersection of faith, science, and critical thinking in our latest podcast episode, delving into the mystery of divine healing and its implications.

How Media Manipulates with Outrage

2024-11-18

Explore how media manufactures outrage and its impact on well-being. Learn to navigate news with critical thinking and avoid sensationalist traps.

Understanding the Hierarchy of Evidence: A Guide to Critical Thinking

2024-11-17

Explore the hierarchy of evidence and learn how to evaluate claims using scientific methods. Avoid pitfalls of appeal to authority with critical thinking.

The Suburbanite's Dilemma and Toilet Paper

2024-11-15

Explore the suburbanite's dilemma—a modern twist on the prisoner's dilemma. Learn how logic and humor can navigate toilet paper shortages.

Understanding Statistics and Stereotypes: A Critical Examination

2024-11-14

Explore how data shapes stereotypes and learn how to challenge them through understanding, humor, and education with host Jerry Sage.

Justice and Fair Trials: A Rational Perspective

2024-11-13

Explore the significance of fair trials and critical thinking in today's media-driven world. Join Jerry Sage for an insightful discussion.

Understanding the Balance: Mental Health Awareness Without the Hype

2024-11-12

Explore the balance between mental health destigmatization and its unintended consequences. Learn how to approach mental health with logic and empathy.

The Perils of Judging by Worst Moments

2024-11-11

Explore the dangers of judging people by their worst moments and discover the value of empathy and understanding in everyday life.

The Mysterious "They": Unmasking a Linguistic Illusion

2024-11-10

Explore the manipulative use of "they" in language, uncovering its impact on communication and fostering critical thinking skills.

How to Avoid Becoming a Miserable Person: A Guide to Focused Positivity

2024-11-09

Discover how focusing on specific passions can lead to joy and meaningful change, avoiding the trap of negativity and becoming a happier person.

Exploring the Pitfalls of Alternative Media

2024-11-08

Unpack the issues with alternative media and discover guidelines for integrity. A humorous, informative dive into misconceptions and media responsibility.

The Miscalculation of Joy in Politics: Embracing Kindness

2024-11-07

Explore Kamala Harris's campaign theme of joy, its challenges, and why kindness may be a more effective political strategy today.

Understanding Correlation vs. Causation: A Guide for Better Decision Making

2024-11-04

Explore the importance of distinguishing between causality and correlation to improve decision-making and avoid being misled by false connections.

Understanding Cognitive Biases: Navigating Everyday Decision-Making

2024-11-02

Learn how cognitive biases impact health, wealth, happiness, and more, and discover strategies to improve your decision-making process.

Navigating Critical Thinking: Mastering Effects, Biases, and Fallacies

2024-11-02

Enhance decision-making skills by understanding effects, biases, heuristics, logical fallacies, and manipulation techniques.

Unveiling the Power of Reasoning: How to Foster Rationality in America

2023-06-08

Unleash the power of reasoning and dismantle fallacious arguments! Discover how to make America reasonable again with insights from "Logically Fallacious."

Compartmentalization: How Otherwise Rational People Believe Idiotic Things

2022-11-19

This article is about people who are otherwise reasonable who have managed to compartmentalize one issue that is immune from critical thought.

Stay Calm. Enjoy Life.

2021-07-07

Some poor, phone-less fool is probably sitting next to a waterfall somewhere totally unaware of how angry and scared he’s supposed to be.

White Fragility Quiz

2020-08-30

I came across this "white fragility" quiz and, as a white person, I decided to take it and share my answers with you. You're welcome.

The Coronavirus and Prosocial Manipulation

2020-06-23

What if you learned that you were manipulated into holding certain beliefs about and changing your behavior in regards to the Coronavirus?...

That A**hole Who is Right

2020-05-12

We all know that person. They are arrogant, abrasive, and don't possess one iota of diplomacy—or even if they do, they have chosen not to exercise any with us.

Reported Cases of Coronavirus is Increasing... and That's Not Necessarily Bad

2020-03-15

It is understandable how increasing numbers of known cases can be worrisome if not terrifying. At first glance, these numbers appear to represent the number...

The Jeep Scam: Critical Thinking in Everyday Life

2020-03-05

Scammers and con-artists are all over the Internet. Not all scams are easy to spot—at least not at first...

The Anatomy of the Analogy: When Weak is Not Weak and False is Not False

2020-02-18

The analogy one of the most useful tools in argumentation as well as one of the most helpful aids in effective reasoning. It allows us to compare something ...

Choose Kind... and Right

2019-08-04

Dr. Wayne W. Dyer wrote, "When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind." I say,...

Reductio Ad Consequentia - Reducing the Argument to the Consequences

2019-04-20

Reductio Ad Consequentia is the use of a rule to support a position without realizing that the same rule would require that support for other positions...

If You Could Only Save One, Would You Save a Child or a Thousand Embryos?

2017-10-23

This is a response to the abortion argument by Patrick S. Tomlinson and the response by Ben Shapiro.

It's a Conspiracy!

2017-08-21

The interesting thing about conspiracy theories is that some of them are actually true. This gives all conspiracy theories a hint of legitimacy in that no matte

Arguing with a Presuppostionalist

2017-07-31

A trick of the presuppositionalists is to hold others to impossible standards while using special pleading to excuse themselves from such justification.

Welcome to the Upside Down

2017-07-18

Our passions, desires, and biases (i.e., emotions) can be so powerful that it can make us believe that what is clearly true to others, is clearly false to us.

Women, Rape, and Responsibility

2017-07-11

This exchange is ripe with fallacious reasoning—at least the response is. This is often what happends when emotion or idiology trumps reason...

Top Five Logical Fallacies in the Social Justice Movement

2017-07-04

There is a disturbing trend in the social justice movement where science, data, facts, and reason are sacrificed for ideology. Critics of the social justice mov

Arguing with Social Justice Activists and Conspiracy Theorists: You Can't Win

2017-06-27

Uncomfortable Idea: Interpreting feedback or an argument that refutes your ideas as evidence for your ideas, is a flaw in reasoning similar to that of...

Do I Really Want President Trump To Succeed?

2017-05-22

In the first version of the book, I wrote an article about giving the winner of the presidential election a chance and supporting him or her no matter who...

Close Encounter of the Non-Existent Kind

2017-01-25

I was six years old when I involuntarily chased my first alien spaceship. Wait, perhaps you need a little context to this story before I jump right into it.

Age of Consent and Sex

2016-12-08

Uncomfortable Idea: If you are past your mid-twenties and engaging in sexual activity with people younger than their mid-twenties, you are likley, knowingly...

Mental Illness Should Not Be Treated the Same as Physical Illness

2016-11-16

Uncomfortable Idea: We should not treat mental illness like physical illness.

The Concept of Equity is Not That Simple

2016-11-15

Uncomfortable Idea: Equity is synonymous with fairness, but not with wealth distribution or giving people who don't have a lot of stuff, free stuff...

Allowing Private Businesses to Discriminate

2016-11-14

Uncomfortable Idea: Allowing private businesses to discriminate is not as horrible as it sounds.

Is the Existence of God an Uncomfortable Idea to the Atheist?

2016-11-06

Uncomfortable Idea: If atheists are wrong, according to some Christian beliefs, they will be tortured for all eternity.

When People Die, Their Strengths Live On But Their Weaknesses Die With Them

2016-11-06

Uncomfortable Idea: When people are telling you all about your loved one who has passed away, you are almost certainly hearing a highly fictionalized...

We're Getting Sicker

2016-11-05

Uncomfortable Idea: In our efforts to save the sick, we are creating generations of people who are more likely to have genetically health-related issues.

How To Win the Temptation Game

2015-01-25

When faced with temptation, we can either give into it, or not. The reason we choose one way or another has to do with how we deliberate.

Bright and Shiny: Rethinking Positive Thinking

2015-01-25

There has been much research conducted in the last few decades attempting to demonstrate statistically significant benefits of positive thinking.

Don't Let Rationality Sabotage Your Success

2015-01-25

The journey to reason is a wonderful one comprising countless moments of understanding fueled by passion.

How To Be More Resilient: Bouncing Back from Life's Curveballs

2015-01-25

Stop blaming dad for your sexual timidness because when you were three years old he smacked you on the behind for eating rat poison under the sink...

Achieving Optimal Physical Fitness Through Science, Not Wishful Thinking

2015-01-25

Gallup just released the results of their latest poll on adult obesity in the United States, finding that obesity increased from 25.5% in 2008 to 27.7% in 2014