Michael Shermer, The Pattern Behind Self-Deception

How do we know what we know?

What heuristics (method of checking) can we use on ourselves?

Why is believing in something strongly not a good measure of believability in a writer?

The following TED Talk is by Michael Shermer, a skeptic and author who presents ideas about critical thinking in ways that continue to fascinate me.  Watch for the ways he includes examples and definitions, moving between particular and general.

What does it mean to be a skeptic?  How does Shermer’s definition of critical thinking differ from what you might have thought before watching the video?