Don’t be mistaken!

Rumors, fake news, preconceived notions… Who can you trust? How can you tell if information is reliable? Le Quai des Savoirs is transforming into a gym… for your brain!

Sharpen your critical thinking skills in a fun and interactive way: that’s what the new exhibition at Quai des Savoirs has to offer.

Through everyday experiences inspired by research in behavioral and social psychology, cognitive science, and sociology, explore tricky situations, unmask preconceived ideas, and play at verifying information. You will come away knowing that you shouldn’t doubt everything, you shouldn’t doubt nothing, but that you should doubt methodically!

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Between the constant and absolute doubt of the conspiracy theorist and the pure naivety of the innocent, how can we see clearly, unmask preconceived ideas, and verify information?

Sharpening your critical thinking skills means becoming aware of what can make us vulnerable: our prejudices, our habits of thought, our emotions, and sometimes our unjustified mistrust. It also means admitting when we don’t know something. In short, it means learning to adjust our level of confidence.

To better understand the world in which we live, it is more essential than ever to be aware of the cognitive biases that surround us, to know how information circulates, is highlighted or, conversely, hidden.
This is the purpose of this exhibition, which aims to test our critical thinking skills, equip us with a number of tools and reflexes that can be used on a daily basis, help us discover the main cognitive biases we face every day so we can better circumvent them, understand the contributions of the scientific approach to these phenomena and, last but not least, restore our self-confidence!

An offbeat urban world

The city is your playground. It symbolizes our daily lives, with its landmarks, its frenetic pace, and its culture of immediacy. It also helps us realize that the test situations presented are not so far removed from “real life.” So we wander through a fictional city with its town hall, kiosk, theater, food truck, and mini-market. There is even a monument to dead ideas, dedicated to preconceived notions and outdated theories.

Each location helps us understand how our behavior and our way of thinking and acting can be altered by cognitive biases. Each situation encountered is an opportunity to test our reasoning abilities.

Throughout your journey, you will be confronted with false rhetoric and genuine arguments designed to persuade, media outlets that are not entirely objective, preconceived notions and mental manipulation, the secrets of clairvoyance, the fallibility of memory, the influence of the group on the individual, and the tricks and techniques of marketing designed to encourage consumption. You will wander through a world bombarded with images, shocking words, multiple solicitations, incentives, false advertising, and empty rhetoric: your judgment will be put to the test!

A connected journey

To play this game, you will be equipped with a connected bracelet. Your goal is to take on challenges and test yourself with different experiences. For each test, you will have access to an analysis allowing you to review and understand your mistakes and better handle these situations in the future.
So, are you ready to test your brain and sharpen your critical thinking skills?

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This exhibition was co-designed and co-produced by Cap Sciences, Quai des Savoirs, and Palais de la découverte. It was first presented to the public at Cap Sciences in Bordeaux from May 19 to November 14, 2021.

it was presented at the Quai des Savoirs from December 26, 2021, to November 6, 2022, then tour other cities in France before being presented at the Palais de la découverte in Paris when it reopens after renovation.
Casden is a partner of the exhibition.

Crédit : Emmanuel Grimault