Critical Thinking Club - Is Online Dating Helping or Hurting Our Culture?
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 first theme will be: Is Online Dating Helping or Hurting Our Culture?
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, two rounds of guided back-and-forth, closing statements, and Q&A
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, grab a refreshment or snack and head home
Speakers
We’re excited to have Hekmat Aboukhater moderating our first discussion. Hekmat is the Director of YV Debates, a NYC nonprofit that brings youth voices into conversations that pertain to them. He also founded Project Onwards, a network of Syrian Americans advancing education, development, and culture in Syria, and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Public Policy at Yale, LinkedIn: Hekmat Aboukhater.
Our speakers will be Tatiana Frank, stand-up comedian and writer extraordinaire, Instagram: @tatianafranknyc, and Delmar Dualeh, NYC improviser with a talent for keeping the conversation playful and human, Instagram: @delmarfromthegroupchat.
If you want to understand others better, and be better understood, join us!