Each New Form Repeats
A skeptical mind takes in ideas and information but seeks out alternative sources of proof. A closed mind applies a negative filter without first assessing. Reliance on what’s shown to exist and what likely exists is typical, but reliance on what should exist implicates a different form of reasoning. Legal arguments are most effective when […]
A Higher Activity
Two colors almost identical. Two words almost synonymous. Two sounds almost indistinguishable. How to distinguish? When we set about to “distinguish” two or more items or objects, thoughts or ideas, we’re looking for what separates them, some way of placing them into separate classifications or categories. Some questions to ask when you’re about to distinguish […]
Witness Questioning and the Framing Effect
How questions are phrased makes all the difference. The specific words used, the tone and undertone of the question, the subject matter emphasized––depending on how a question has been phrased, one can pretty much predict the answer. Psychologists have long understood this concept, referring to it as “the framing effect:” “The framing effect provides another […]
On Loyalty
Loyalty. We don’t hear too much of this word anymore. But it’s time for it to make a comeback. What precisely is loyalty? Webster defines loyalty as “the quality or state of being loyal; a loyal feeling; a feeling of strong support for someone or something.” Loyalty can be defined as follows: A willingness to […]
Any Fact Becomes Important When It’s Connected to Another
Most have some familiarity with the immediate consequences of a common injury. A back or shoulder strain, for instance, will produce pain in those areas. Less well known, however, is how one injury can lead to the development of a completely unrelated disease process. Take, for example, a traumatic brain injury. Most would readily associate […]
Unmasking the Third Face
The Japanese say you have three faces: the first, you show to the world; the second, you show to your family and friends—and the third, you never show to anyone. It seems clear that in a lawsuit all witnesses voluntarily permit only their first face to be revealed. The first face is that which is […]
Nature Exposed to Our Method of Questioning
One would think that merely observing something would not work a change in that which is being observed. But scientists have long known of “the observer effect.” This refers to changes and alterations that the act of observation makes on that which is being observed. The observer mistakenly believes that his observations, and the information […]
