This is a course about thinking designed by Meg Tufano, one of the founders of SynaptIQ+. Unlike other courses you may have taken in critical thinking, this course delves into some of the major thoughts that have changed world history to discover how and why thoughts can be so powerful. We rarely think of our thoughts as powerful, but they can be so powerful they can change lives or even lead to the saving of a life or lead to the ultimate change, death.

    The many students who have studied thinking with Meg describe the experience as a surprising one. One of her students said, "I have been an 'A' student all of my life and I realize this is the first time I have ever had an original thought!"

    Original thinking:  that is the purpose of the course, to bring people together who would like to sharpen their thinking skills, or who would like to understand why some ideas seem to create such a lot of controversy and/or emotion.  Be forewarned that most of us are used to taking courses that teach us what other people think and so memorizing their answers to life's questions.  This course is one about learning how to change our own minds, challenging our own ability to think and discover what we really think. Opinions matter, of course, so be sure to share your opinions! Even Plato said that one has to begin somewhere so as to have at least some idea about whatever is the problem at hand (he actually invented the word "idea" too!)

    So, we will begin wherever we find ourselves.  And our "course objective" is to end up finding ourselves again, possibly at some place new.  We will have readings, watch videos, take surveys, have LOTS of discussions and do a little writing. May we all discover new ideas and new friends to share them with.

    These are some of the critical thoughts we will be discussing together:

    1.  “There is a conflict between science and religion.” 

    2.  “There is a lot that is right about America,”

    3.  “All history is the history of class struggles.”

    4.  “Free speech doesn't matter anymore.”

    5.  “There is a spiritual dimension to reality.”

    6.  “Truth is relative.”

    7.  “God is dead and we killed him.”

    8.  “Price is a form of free speech.”

    9.  “Music is a barbarous expression of the soul.”

    10. “There is no such thing as human nature.”

    11. “The concept of evil has no place in a modern society.”

    12. “Americans live in the most oppressed sexual culture in world history.”

    13. “We are bits of matter forming a big machine that turns and whirs in pre-determined ways. The universe is entirely material, mechanistic and deterministic and the here and now is all there is.”

HOW TO BEGIN THIS COURSE:

To enter this course, you will need to have a gmail account.  Gmail is free.  If you do not already have a gmail account, you can create one by clicking on the following link:  Create a gmail account.

To begin the course, merely fill in your gmail address in the form below and you will receive a link to begin the course within a few days.