Part 7/10:
Challenging Bold Claims: The Power of Thought Experiments
One practical strategy Edmans recommends is to test bold claims by mentally flipping them. If a study claims that breastfeeding lowers IQ, consider the opposite. How would you disprove this? You might think about confounding variables, such as socioeconomic status—richer families may both breastfeed more and have children with higher IQs due to various factors.
By contemplating the opposite scenario, you can better evaluate the robustness of the claim and identify potential alternative explanations. This approach encourages critical skepticism and reduces susceptibility to accepting misleading narratives.