11 Types of Thinkers and Intellectuals (a little framework)

August 23, 2020

1. Ideators: generate novel ideas Ex: Einstein Strengths: creativity, insight 2: Investigators: vigorously investigate a topic in order to understand it Ex: Curie Strengths: truth-seeking, curiosity, systematicness, persistence 3. Provers: demonstrate that the ideas of others are sound, explore their limits, strengthen or work out the implications of existing theories Ex: Singer Strengths: consistency, logic, rigor, bullet-biting 4. Appliers: explo...

Do The Findings Of A Study Conducted In One Place Generalize To Other Places?

July 19, 2018

Do the results of studies generalize to new situations? For instance, suppose a study is conducted on a technique or intervention (e.g., providing health education to parents) and the study finds it to be effective for a particular outcome (e.g., improving the health of children). When the next study is conducted on (what appears to be) the same intervention and outcome, should we expect that study to ALSO find the intervention to be effective? There are a lot of reasons why it may NOT: ...

Is Math True?

January 18, 2009

Mathematics is often thought to be universally and unassailably true. Some people even argue that even an omnipotent God couldn’t make math false. But can mathematicians actually prove that math is true? If they can’t, does the fact that math is so useful in solving real-world problems provide evidence of its truth? And, if mathematics is not true, then does that imply that conclusions drawn from it are faulty or suspect? Let’s explore those questions. The first attempt we might take to p...