Scholarship
In Guide for the Perplexed, the twelfth-century Jewish scholar Maimonides recommends that people seeking to understand the universe should pursue studies in logic, mathematics, physics, and metaphysics, in that order. This has been, roughly, the progression of Zachary's journey as a scholar.
After graduating from McMaster University with an undergraduate degree in engineering physics, commerce, and mathematics, Zachary spent about eight years studying and influencing human behaviour "in the field" as a marketing professional. Additionally, he spent many evenings and weekends at McMaster University's DeGroote School of Business, where he conducted academic research on the growth of high-potential learners.
Following the discovery of some anomalies and curiosities in coded interview data, Zachary went independent and spent four years investigating the fundamental drivers of human growth across the lifespan. At the moment, he is busy connecting core concepts in physics and information theory to neuroscience, psychology, evolutionary biology, media ecology, and Jewish metaphysics.
Publications
The Bicameral Expert
- Paper, Self-Published (2021)
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ABSTRACT: Experts are becoming increasingly essential to the functioning of many aspects of modern society. However, the development of expertise reliably and at scale is still a challenge due to systemic educational failures and a lack of understanding of the general mechanisms that govern expertise. Building on areas of consilience between the works of Jordan B. Peterson, Julian Jaynes, and the expertise literature, general neuropsychological mechanisms that govern intuition are proposed. This understanding of intuition is then related to the manifestation and development of expertise, and implications for the role of experts in society are discussed.
Scaffolds & Sophistry
- Paper, Self-Published (2021)
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ABSTRACT: The proliferation of information in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, combined with the advent of electronic communications technology, has fostered a cosmopolitan and misinformation-rich environment that has left many individuals vulnerable to deception, sophistry, and ideological possession. Linguistic and developmental root causes of these vulnerabilities are examined, with a focus on the human language habit and ego development theory. Opportunities for the scalable development of misinformation-resistant human beings are outlined, and the necessity of faith in the context of education and human development is discussed.
Critical Thinking & Intellectual Virtues
- Paper & Framework, Self-Published (2021)
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ABSTRACT: Despite being one of the explicit goals of many Western educational institutions, a lack of critical thinking ability is endemic at all levels of education as well as in the adult populace. Furthermore, many educators lack methods to teach or assess critical thinking, which has long been an ill-defined concept. In response to these challenges, an approach to fostering critical thinking based on intellectual virtues is proposed. A framework of four “cardinal” intellectual virtues (Precision, Objectivity, Openness, and Humility) provides the basis for a comprehensive framework of ninety-six distinct knowledges, values, skills, and behaviors. This framework can be adapted to suit instructional needs at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels.
SUMMARY: Despite its status as a well-respected and influential field of science, a comprehensive review of psychology will reveal multiple catastrophic problems that have confused the public about human nature, enslaved them to the industrial machine, and degraded their quality of life. This treatise works from a first-principles perspective to develop a life-affirming psychological paradigm.