Critical Thinking

SKEPTIC’s REVIEW: U.S. Congress Hearing on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena | July 2023

The Premise Expectations were high in the UFO-believers’ community regarding the July 26 U.S. Congress hearing titled “Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: Implications on National Security, Public Safety, and Government Transparency“. But, just like every other event that was supposed to bring about the much-awaited “we’ve made contact with the aliens” disclosure, the hearing failed to produce …

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SKEPTIC’s REVIEW: “Stutz” (2022) | NETFLIX Documentary | Movie Analysis

The Premise Jonah Hill’s documentary “Stutz” is an insight into the psychological practice of Dr. Phil Stutz. It shows the main techniques, called Tools, used by him throughout the years to help patients live healthier, happier lives. The kicker is that Stutz is Hill’s long-time therapist, and the focus of the documentary quickly shifts from …

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SKEPTIC’s REVIEW: “The Anarchists” (2022) | HBO Original Documentary | Movie Analysis

The Premise Anarchy is an ideology that appeals to many individuals with libertarian views. According to Dictionary.com, the term means “a state of society without government or law“. The individual is therefore under no influence from so-called authority figures or centralized systems such as banks. In anarchy, no one is in charge and there are …

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SKEPTIC’s REVIEW: “The Vow” (2020) | HBO Original Series | Movie Analysis

The Premise I wasn’t sure whether to cover this documentary in the SKEPTIC’s REVIEW segment. Even though the analysis of video materials regarding cults is a perfect fit for the category, I tend to see Keith Raniere’s NXIVM more as a dysfunctional group that brought together Hollywood rejects and entitled trust-fund kids with a puerile …

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How Striving to Be Happy Can Make You Miserable – The Science of Happiness

“I just want to be happy” is a goal that many people set for themselves. And then measure whatever happens in their personal and professional life based on this standard. “Am I happy?”, “Does this context make me happy?”. It may seem a clear objective to focus one’s attention and resources on. But that is …

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Why You Stay In Relationships and Jobs That No Longer Bring You Joy | What Is The Sunk Cost Fallacy?

Short psychological answer. No fluff. We sometimes keep pursuing relationships, options, or objectives that no longer serve us. Here is one of the main reasons why. We consider our previous engagement in the context that no longer brings us joy — be it a relationship, a job, the perspective of participating in a social event, etc — an investment. Time, …

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Justified vs. Unjustified Criticism: How To Tell The Difference And Not Take Things Personally

None of us likes to receive criticism. Even when the person delivering it means well and we understand their intentions. Let’s face it. Dealing with criticism is tricky. I created two courses on the topic and more than 6000 people have enrolled so far. This is how I came to discover even more subtle everyday …

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SKEPTIC’s REVIEW: “Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru” (2016) | NETFLIX Documentary | Movie Analysis

The Premise Over the years, I have heard Tony Robbins’s name but knew very little about his activity. I knew he is some sort of motivational speaker or life coach, but the only specific information I had on him until two days ago was the fact that he encountered some legal issues after participants at …

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SKEPTIC’s REVIEW: “Surviving Death” (2021) | NETFLIX Original Series | Movie Analysis

The Premise  As long as we cannot, yet, scientifically answer some of humanity’s biggest questions about life, death, and human nature, the door remains open for a variety of sub-topics and alternative explanations, some of which rather pertain to a Gothic realm than to the modern world. When we cannot answer what consciousness is through …

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