On this episode I use a recent episode of Sam Harris's podcast (#87 - "Triggered: A Conversation With Scott Adams") as a springboard for exploring a variety of topics related to critical thinking and persuasive communication. When it comes to

Tribal Literacy and Emotional Intelligence

Oct 31st, 2020 1h 21m

On this episode of the Argument Ninja podcast I share the audio from an interview I did with Brittney-Nichole Connor-Savarda for her for a new podcast, Living and Leading with Emotional Intelligence. Brittney-Nicole's show coincides with the pu

3 Honest Updates: On Failure, Living With a Stutter, and Accepting My Comfort Zone

Apr 5th, 2020 1h 7m

On this episode of the Argument Ninja podcast I talk openly about why this is the first new episode I've produced in 7 months, and the lessons I'm learning as a life-long stutterer. https://kevindelaplante.com/3-honest-updates Timestamps 00:00

Understanding Complex Social Phenomena: More Theories of the Causes of Social Polarization

Aug 28th, 2019 1h 9m

On this episode of the Argument Ninja podcast I talk about the difficulty of judging how much we really understand about the causes of complex social phenomena—even if we do lots of research and self-study. To help make the case I’m continuing

Updates and a Street Epistemology Interview

Apr 17th, 2019 1h 14m

On episode 035 of the Argument Ninja podcast I share updates on new course development over at kevindelaplante.com, and I share both the audio and the video of a one-hour interview I did with the hosts of the Epistemic podcast, which focuses on

Understanding the Causes of Polarization (Part 1): Depolarization Initiatives

Mar 6th, 2019 50m 30s

In episode 024 of the Argument Ninja Podcast I'm starting a series of episodes that will explore different models of the causes of social and political polarization, and introduce some general principles for thinking critically about complex so

Critical Thinking About Conspiracies

Jan 11th, 2019 56m 50s

On this episode of the Argument Ninja Podcast I'm presenting edited versions of last three episodes of my first podcast show that I produced in 2010-11. These were the last episodes I produced of that podcast series, and I discuss why in the in

When Tribalism Becomes Pathological

Dec 19th, 2018 40m

On this episode of the Argument Ninja podcast I share the audio for the three videos I recently produced on Cognitive Biases, Tribalism and Politics. It was designed as one long video presenting one long argument, so the audio works well in thi

New Cartoon Videos Plus a Fall 2018 Update

Dec 11th, 2018 26m 12s

On this episode of the Argument Ninja podcast I talk about the three new videos I recently produced on Cognitive Biases, Tribalism and Politics, and I give an update on what's been keeping me busy this fall. Timestamps: Intro 00:00 What have

Behind the Scenes of My New Video Course

Sep 10th, 2018 16m 15s

On this episode I talk about the genesis of my new video course, "The Vocabulary of Science: First Steps to Science Literacy", and my decision to start producing the Argument Ninja podcast in both audio and video formats. Next episode will be a

How to Raise a Critical Thinker

Aug 3rd, 2018 52m 37s

On this episode of the Argument Ninja podcast I talk about the importance of critical thinking education for kids and teens, and what parents can do to help their kids become better critical thinkers. *** In This Episode: (0:00 - 4:57) Introduc

Tribalism Isn't the Problem

Jun 12th, 2018 52m 23s

On this episode I’ve got an interview lined up for you that I did with Bob Froehlich, who hosts the Thinking Clearly radio program and podcast over at KMUD community radio in Redway, California. Our topic was critical thinking and tribalism, ve

Updates: Finances, Projects and Plans

May 8th, 2018 32m 40s

Over the past month almost every email conversation I’ve had with someone about my projects and plans has ended with “I’m going to talk about this on the next podcast”. In this episode I’m going to answer the most common questions I get about t

Feminism, Marxism, Postmodernism and Jordan Peterson: Sometimes the Only Winning Move is Not to Play

Mar 26th, 2018 1h 16m

On this episode of the Argument Ninja podcast I offer a perspective on Jordan Peterson's criticism of left-wing ideology (what he calls "cultural Marxism") by sharing some of my intellectual history with feminism, Marxism and postmodernism. The

Why Tribal Literacy?

Mar 1st, 2018 50m 11s

On this episode of the Argument Ninja podcast I talk about TRIBALISM and the challenges that our tribal psychology poses for critical thinking. This episode includes the audio for two sketchbook videos I've done on this topic, "The Dangers of T

How Commerce Became a Tool For Getting Outside My Head

Jan 10th, 2018 19m 31s

At the beginning of a new year it’s customary to reflect on events of the past year in order to set new goals and chart a course for the future. This is the first in a three-part series where I discuss the lessons I've learned in 2017. In this

The Argument Ninja Difference: Why Critical Thinking is a Martial Art

Oct 31st, 2017 49m 53s

I’m not the only one talking about the failings of traditional schooling. I’m not the only academic talking about developing online courses for the public that they can’t find anywhere else. I’m not even the only one using the language of marti

022 - Thinking Clearly About Critical Thinking: Interview with Kevin deLaplante

Sep 11th, 2017 53m 9s

For this episode I’m going to share an interview I did for Thinking Clearly, a radio show about critical thinking hosted by Bob Froelich and Julia Minton. On this live broadcast I answered questions about - my particular take on what critical t

020 - Critical Thinking in China

Jul 24th, 2017 55m 40s

This past month I was fortunate to be a guest of Xidian University in China for two weeks. On this episode of the podcast I share stories and reflections from my adventures as a first-time visitor to China, and I give an overview of some of the

019 – Understanding Your Divided Mind: Kahneman, Haidt and Greene

May 31st, 2017 1h 1m

Argument Ninjas need to acquire a basic understanding of the psychology of human reasoning. This is essential for improving the quality of our own reasoning, and for mastering skills in communication and persuasion. On this episode I take you o

018 - Why We Need the Argument Ninja Academy (Interview)

May 27th, 2017 58m 27s

A bit of a departure for episode 018. I hope you enjoy this interview I did with Jason Vidaurri over at the StoryHinge podcast. He was kind enough to let me repurpose the audio of our interview for the Argument Ninja podcast. On this episode I

017 - White Belt Curriculum (Part 2) - The Tao of Socrates

Apr 3rd, 2017 1h 8m

In episode 017 I give an update on what's new at the Argument Ninja website (argumentninja.com), and I complete the overview of the white belt curriculum for the Argument Ninja Academy program. The third and fourth learning modules in the white

016 - White Belt Curriculum (Part 1)

Feb 19th, 2017 32m 57s

The Argument Ninja training program that I'm developing is inspired by martial arts training principles. The curriculum is spread over nine belt ranks (white belt, yellow belt, orange belt, etc. ) In this episode I give an overview of the learn

015 - The White Belt Experience

Jan 13th, 2017 50m 12s

In this episode I explore learning and teaching techniques used in the martial arts, from the perspective of the beginning student and from the perspective of the experienced instructor. I extract a number of important training principles from

014 - Curiosity and Critical Thinking

Dec 23rd, 2016 35m 27s

On this episode I talk about the various ways that curiosity is an undervalued resource for critical thinking. I explain how curiosity plays an important role in generating the kind of background knowledge that supports critical thinking, and w