Critical Thinking Club - Is Short Form Content Strengthening Our Creativity or Weakening It?

​New Yorkers argue a lot, about where to eat, what to wear, and how to find the “right” person(s). Disagreement can bring us closer together, but most of us never learned how to disagree. Somewhere along the way, speed replaced clarity, and certainty replaced curiosity. The result: we're more polarized, and less understanding.

​Critical Thinking Club aims to reverse that trend by providing space for busy New Yorkers who want to think more clearly and communicate more thoughtfully. The goal isn’t to "win" an argument, it’s to improve how we listen, disagree, and express our opinions without distancing each other.

​Our next theme will be: Is Short Form Content Strengthening Our Creativity or Weakening It?

​We’ll use this topic to practice critical thinking skills like…

• ​Articulating views you disagree with

• ​Separating personal experience from broader evidence

• ​Noticing hidden assumptions, in yourself and others

• ​Revising your position without compromising your values or credibility

​What to expect

• ​A structured debate moderated by an expert critical thinker

• ​Small-group conversations with guided prompts

• ​A psychologically safe environment for disagreement

​The evening centers on a moderated discussion between two everyday New Yorkers who take opposite sides. A trained moderator keeps the conversation on track and steps in when reasoning breaks down, or a common fallacy appears. The moderator pauses to explain the fallacy, and invites the speaker to restate their idea more clearly. Mistakes are expected and useful. The goal is for all of us to share in the learning. Then, everyone practices in small-group discussions.

​Agenda

• ​6:30 - 7 PM - Arrive, grab a refreshment, chat, find a seat

• ​7 - 7:05 PM - Summarize goals for the evening, introduce the moderator and speakers

• ​7:05 - 7:35 PM - Opening statements, Q&A, and closing statements

• ​7:35 - 8:05 - Small group discussions (4-6 people) to practice sound critical thinking skills

• ​8:05 - 8:10 - Wrap-up, participants can share key takeaways from their group discussions

• ​8:10 - 8:45ish - Socialize with the speakers and participants

• ​9 - sodas at Rocka Rolla after

​Speakers

​We’re excited to have Greg Nirshberg moderating our next discussion. Greg is the Professor of Philosophy at Iona University, an advisor for the university’s interdisciplinary neuroscience program, and he received his Ph.D. in philosophy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2023, https://www.iona.edu/faculty/nirshberg-gregory

​Our next speakers will be Tori Morancay, bold, French stand-up comedian debuting her solo show 'Le French c’est Freak' @torimorancay, and Alex Yang, regular improviser at UCB and member of Asian AF @tragicyang.

​If you want to understand others better, and be better understood, join us!