In this episode of Good Is In The Details, hosts Gwendolyn Dolske and Rudy Salo are joined by philosopher and author Bill Tomlinson to explore the foundations of critical thinking and the practice of philosophy. Drawing from his book Dialogues with Artificial Intelligence: On the Tools of Philosophy, the conversation offers an accessible introduction to how philosophers think — and how anyone can develop clearer, more rigorous reasoning.

What is philosophy, and how do philosophers approach complex questions? What is the difference between inductive and deductive reasoning? How do definitions, distinctions, and paradoxes shape philosophical thinking? This episode addresses these commonly asked questions while guiding listeners through the essential tools used in philosophical inquiry.

The discussion also explores a timely question: Can artificial intelligence support critical thinking rather than replace it? Tomlinson explains how students, educators, and curious learners can engage with AI as a tool for reflection, questioning, and deeper reasoning — without surrendering the work of thinking itself.

Listeners will explore:

• what philosophy is and how philosophical thinking works

• the foundations of critical thinking and clear reasoning

• inductive vs. deductive reasoning explained

• what a paradox is and why paradoxes matter in philosophy

• how making distinctions improves understanding and argument

• how educators and students can use AI to strengthen, not replace, thinking

Blending philosophy, education, and accessible explanation, this episode offers a clear introduction to philosophical inquiry while inviting listeners to think more carefully about how they reason, question, and understand the world.

Get your copy of Bill's book: Dialogues with Artificial Intelligence: On The Tools of Philosophy

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In this special mini-episode of Good Is In The Details, hosts Gwendolyn Dolske and Rudy Salo step away from their usual expert interview format to pause and reflect on the current cultural and political climate and the emotional weight many of us are carrying right now.

Rather than taking a political position, this conversation acknowledges something more fundamental: the news, public discourse, and lived reality are affecting all of us, including those of us who spend our time thinking, teaching, and talking about ideas. With particular attention to what's unfolding in Minnesota and ongoing conversations around ICE, Gwendolyn and Rudy share a candid, intentionally unpolished dialogue about how they themselves are processing what they're seeing and hearing.

The focus of this episode is critical thinking as a lived practice. Together, the hosts explore:

• how observation and context shape understanding

• why considering multiple causal factors matters

• how bias — conscious and unconscious — influences interpretation

• and what it means to think carefully in emotionally charged moments

This episode offers listeners concrete tools for engaging the news thoughtfully and for navigating difficult conversations with others — not by retreating from complexity, but by slowing down and paying closer attention to how meaning is constructed.

Good Is In The Details is dedicated to helping us learn what we didn't know we didn't know. This conversation is an invitation to think together — honestly, imperfectly, and with care — when clarity feels hardest to come by.

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On this anniversary of the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, Good Is In The Details revisits one of history's most consequential moments in engineering, ethics, and public trust. On January 28, 1986, the Challenger broke apart just 73 seconds after liftoff, killing all seven crew members and shocking the world.

In this encore episode, Gwendolyn Dolske, Rudy Salo, and Engineering Professor Phil Rosenkrantz explore what really happened behind the scenes, the technical causes of the catastrophic O-ring failure, and the deeply human decisions that led NASA and its contractor to proceed with launch despite known risks.

We dive into engineering ethics and professional responsibility, discussing how engineers' concerns were raised and then overruled, and what that teaches us about risk, organizational pressure, and moral reasoning in high-stakes contexts.

Whether you're interested in spaceflight history, engineering ethics case studies, or the broader public philosophy of how societies make and justify risky decisions, this episode offers a thoughtful, philosophically framed examination of one of the most studied disasters in aerospace history.

🎧 Listen as we unpack the technical details, ethical dilemmas, and lessons for leaders, engineers, and citizens alike.

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