036 - Understanding Complex Social Phenomena: More Theories of the Causes of Social Polarization
Release Date: 08/28/2019
038 - Tribal Literacy and Emotional Intelligence
The Argument Ninja Podcast
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.
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037 - 3 Honest Updates: On Failure, Living With a Stutter, and Accepting My Comfort Zone
The Argument Ninja Podcast
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.
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036 - Understanding Complex Social Phenomena: More Theories of the Causes of Social Polarization
The Argument Ninja Podcast
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.
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035 - Updates and a Street Epistemology Interview
The Argument Ninja Podcast
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 "street epistemology".
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034 - Understanding the Causes of Polarization (Part 1): Depolarization Initiatives
The Argument Ninja Podcast
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 social phenomena like polarization.
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033 - Critical Thinking About Conspiracies
The Argument Ninja Podcast
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 introduction.
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032 - When Tribalism Becomes Pathological
The Argument Ninja Podcast
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 this continuous format.
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031 - New Cartoon Videos Plus a Fall 2018 Update
The Argument Ninja Podcast
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.
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030 - Behind the Scenes of My New Video Course
The Argument Ninja Podcast
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.
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029 - How to Raise a Critical Thinker
The Argument Ninja Podcast
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.
info_outlineOn 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 my survey of different theories of the causes of the increase in social polarization that we’re currently experiencing.
On this episode I look specifically at the work of two social scientists who have written extensively on this topic:
- Karen Stenner on the “authoritarian” personality type. Her 2005 book The Authoritarian Dynamic can be read as predicting the expansion of right-wing populism that contributed to the rise of Trump and Brexit. Stenner's work has been influential on Jonathan Haidt's analysis of polarization.
- Eric Kauffman on the effects of immigration on polarization in white majority countries. His latest book Whiteshift explores how demographic shifts are driving cultural conflict, and how this will likely play out in the longer run.
But before I get to these topics, I give some Argument Ninja Dojo updates, do a recap of episode 034, and present a conceptual model for how we should think about the epistemological challenge of understanding complex social phenomena like polarization.
Timestamps
00:00 - 01:22 Introduction
01:22 - 06:31 Argument Ninja Dojo Announcements
06:31 - 11:45 Recap of Episode 034
11:45 - 14:41 Outline of What's to Come
14:41 - 23:40 Argument Matrices and the Problem of Calibrating Our Knowledge
23:40 - 25:48 The Epistemological Challenge of Understanding Complex Social Phenomena
25:48 - 42:44 Karen Stenner: The Authoritarian Dynamic
42:44 - 01:04:35 Eric Kauffman: Whiteshift and "Multivocal" Nationalism
01:04:35 - 01:07:56 Reasons to Think We Know Less Than We Think
01:07:56 - 01:08:44 Reminder: Argument Ninja Dojo Discount Coupon Links
Links