The Critical Thinker

On Not Knowing What We Know

Plus, the Big Five US publishers over time

Mar 31 • Ali Almossawi

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1

You Must Leave the Cave to See the Cave

In Book 7 of Plato’s Republic, prisoners are chained inside a cave, forced since childhood to stare at a wall. Behind them, a fire casts shadows of…

Mar 5 • Ali Almossawi

19

2

2

February 2026

Arguments Drawn on Napkins

The napkin snatcher strikes again.

Feb 15 • Ali Almossawi

7

3

4

January 2026

Groupthink

Conformity at the expense of independent thinking

Jan 22 • Ali Almossawi

11

3

3

Moral Exclusion

Plus, what's the Mandela Effect?

Jan 8 • Ali Almossawi

13

1

4

December 2025

The Hidden Lives of Quiet People

An apocryphal story in three scenes

Dec 11, 2025 • Ali Almossawi

10

2

2

November 2025

Wishful Thinking: Why We Believe What We Want to Believe

And is that always a bad thing?

Nov 25, 2025 • Ali Almossawi

8

2

2

What if Kurt Vonnegut Had Done “Shapes of Thinking” Instead

Plus, what's a halfalogue?

Nov 4, 2025 • Ali Almossawi

5

2

October 2025

What’s the #1 Cognitive Bias That Derails Investors? (With Barry Ritholtz)

Guest: Barry Ritholtz / Video + Transcript + Summary (28 mins)

Oct 2, 2025 • Ali Almossawi

12

1

2

28:08

September 2025

The Endowment Effect: Owning Something Makes It More Valuable?

Plus, revisiting a picture book for grownups thanks to a nudge by Veo 3

Sep 18, 2025 • Ali Almossawi

8

3

2

August 2025

Self-Fulfilling Prophecies: Our Invisible Sidekick

Plus, what's so interesting about Torpenhow Hill?

Aug 21, 2025 • Ali Almossawi

7

2

July 2025

Why We Think Only Others Get It Wrong

Plus, San Francisco’s little libraries, writers throwing shade, and the strangest cafe in town

Jul 10, 2025 • Ali Almossawi

13

2