The Rational Apprentice Newsletter No.11
So much of good decision making comes from having good information. And good information comes from having a clear and precise understanding of the situation. For example, can you spot the difference between the notice:
“Please do not eat or feed your children in the examination room”
and
“Please do not feed your children or eat in the examination room.”
Those notices—the cannibal versions—were in each examination room at the doctor’s office I (used to) take my son to. And when I passively pointed it out, not only did they not fix the signs, but the entire office gave me the cold, Puritanical shoulder.
How about this one? Have you ever been at the airport and the guy from security asks you:
“Has someone placed something in your bags without your knowledge?”
I mean—Okay, I get the intent here, but really? If someone placed something in my bags without my knowledge, how would I know?
What about the road sign that says:
“Drive Safely!”
Well, what does that mean? The concept of safe to a 16 year old is going to be very different from the concept of safe to a 65 year old.
So, If we’re looking to convey ideas, we have to be clear and precise in the language that we use or else we could be communicating something completely different from what was intended.
Remember: It doesn’t matter what you say. It matters what they heard.
The same goes for when we are receiving information.
It’s only our ability to think critically about what we are hearing, seeing, reading, and saying that allows us to sift through information and determine what is worthy and what is bunk.
But this can be hard, it takes practice. And that is exactly why I do what I do at The Rational Apprentice.
For this week’s Mind Over Murder, we are going to take a puzzle break so that we can continue on the topic of Evidence—specifically when it comes to witness testimony.
I am going to give you a number of witness statements and it’s your job to determine whether they are statements of fact, inferences drawn from facts, opinions, or some combination of the three.
We’ll go over each of the types in detail during this week’s podcast.
Here we go:
Sergeant Malony: “What happened here?”
Mrs. Ramult: “While I was window shopping, I turned around and I saw that man run a red light and hit the motorcyclist who was in the intersection. I was shocked to think he did it on purpose.”
—
Candidate giving a speech: “Crime is out of control. It’s the highest level of crime ever and this crime wave is happening all over the country. We need to do something about this or we will be overrun with criminals taking over our cities.”
—
Bad Guy to Policewoman: “I had to do it; I shot in self-defense. I admit I was robbing the bank, but then the teller threatened me and said, “You won’t get away with this. That’s why I shot her. I thought she was going to kill me, I shot in self-defense.”
When you’ve finished solving the mysteries, click the button below to hear my analysis.
For this week’s Mind Over Murder Kids, we are also going to take a puzzle break so that we can talk about informations sources: Can You Believe Everything You Hear?
I am going to give you a number of statements and it’s your job to decide whether what they say is coming from a primary (direct) source or a secondary source.
We’ll go over both types and each of the statements in detail during this week’s podcast. Here we go:
Where would you learn more about the Declaration of Independence:
Your American History Book?
The Declaration of Independence?
—
Salesman: “This car is a great bargain. It has a smooth ride and uses less gasoline than most cars. Believe me, you should buy this car.”
—
Guard at the parking area at the shopping mall: “I suggest you don’t park here because it is a no parking zone, and if you park here I’ll have your car towed.
—
Man strolling in a shopping mall parking lot: “Lady, are you having trouble finding a parking space? You certainly can leave your car with me, and I’ll park it for you. I’ll even get it for you when you’re finished shopping. Only $1.00 for as long as you want to shop.
—
Librarian at the library: “The book you want is on the second floor, in aisle 5.”
—
Prosecutor: “You’re under oath. Tell me what happened during your 20th birthday.
Young woman: “I was standing with my friend outside the bakery where we picked up my birthday cake. All of a sudden a man with a gun in his hand passed us and ran into the bakery. We saw the baker hand over money from the register to the robber. Then the robber ran out with the gun in his pocket and a sack full of money.”
Prosecutor: “Did you see what he looked like?”
Young woman: “No. It happened so fast. Whoosh, and he was gone!”
When you’ve finished solving the mysteries, click the button below to hear my analysis.