Everyone can master critical thinking, but only the masters can develop it systematically. Learn how to improve it and you can handle difficult decisions and fake news
Modern man is constantly bombarded with information. Not just what someone tells him directly, but everything he sees and hears around him. In advertisements, on posters, public transport announcements, in the news and, of course, on the internet and social networks. Being able to evaluate information and reflect on its truth or relevance is a skill that anyone who wants to deal with life effectively simply cannot do without. Moreover, with the rise of fake news known as fake news, the need for this skill is even greater.
What you need is critical thinking. But the art behind those two words is more than just the ability to spot false information. It's a skill that has as many applications as you can think of in life situations. Need to decide between something? Then you automatically start the critical thinking process and you probably don't even know it yourself.
What is critical thinking
Critical thinking is the ability to think clearly and rationally, the ability to understand the logical connections between ideas and information. It is the ability to think independently and rationally. A critical thinker looks closely at whether the information available to them is true and relevant. He wonders if they provide the whole picture of reality or if there are other perspectives to be known. It is the ability to objectively evaluate what is at stake in a given situation based on the facts. And then to make a decision accordingly, for example.
To think critically means:
- understanding the relationships between ideas and information
- to be able to determine the importance and relevance of available arguments
- to be able to identify arguments (pros and cons), to formulate them and to appreciate them
- detecting ambiguities, flaws and errors in reasoning
- approach problems systematically and carefully
- reflect on the validity of one's own opinions and beliefs
Beware of emotions and bias
Everyone has the ability to think critically, but the trick is to be able to recognize when it is needed or when it will benefit us, and then to start applying it. We don't have to turn over every action in our lives like a hot potato, but it's good to catch ourselves early when we slip into the rut of our own beliefs and emotions in an important situation.
Sometimes we think critically almost not at all. That's when we are under the influence of anger, joy, sadness, or even love. But we can almost always recognize that we have some such emotions, and we can therefore recognize that our ability to judge and evaluate situations impartially is limited. For example, when we are asked to judge the opinions of a person we don't like. It is very difficult for us to accept, for example, that his idea is good and meaningful and perhaps even beneficial to ourselves.
But our own biases and self-interest are also treacherous for critical thinking. Note, for example, how difficult it is sometimes to know whether we are really proposing the best solution to a client or colleagues at work, or just the solution we personally like best. Fortunately, there are many ways in which the ability to think critically can be cultivated.
Critical thinking skills
Several skills are needed for effective critical thinking. But as you can guess, the point is not to apply them separately, but to be able to combine them. These skills are observation, interpretation, analysis, evaluation, inference (the ability to apply expert knowledge of a topic to understand a situation, e.g. medical knowledge to determine possible diagnoses), explanation, problem solving and decision making.
In the process of critical thinking, these follow more or less in sequence, but at the same time, no such process is purely linear, and we need to be prepared for the possibility that we may learn new information in the course of the process and have to re-evaluate existing conclusions.
Zdroj: GiphyHow to improve critical thinking
Now for some specific advice on how you can improve your critical thinking, practice it and learn to apply it better and more often. As we have already discussed, the initial step is to notice situations where critical thinking will benefit you. Then practice the following:
1. Evaluate information. - View all new information with caution and healthy doubt. Think about where it came from, who the author is, the circumstances under which you learned it, whether it is complete and something was left out, whether it was left out by mistake or on purpose, or what evidence is being presented at the time to support the information.
2. Imagine other perspectives. - Each situation can be looked at from different perspectives. What is a win for one is a loss for another. Consider why someone acts as they do and remember that everyone is only human and is subject to emotions, personal opinions and biases. And they may not even realize it.
3. Just as others are subject to the humanity described above, so are you. Observe whether you are acting on your emotions or your desires, and if so, look for whether they are relevant. They may well be relevant! For example, when you buy food, it is perfectly okay to consider whether you like it.
4. Focus on the goal. - Before you start thinking, you need to establish what you want to achieve in the first place. Is it brainstorming and creativity, or rational conclusions? Is the goal to debate and open up a palette of possibilities, or to pick one and determine the next course of action? Setting a goal will help you avoid unnecessary steps and, as a result, work efficiently with your time and resources. Maybe even your human ones, like the desire and energy to pursue something.
5. Consider the consequences. - You don't exactly have to consult a deck of cards, but good critical thinkers never stay in the present. Virtually all decisions will be better if we stop at the moment of reaching a conclusion and think about what that decision would lead to. What will be the impact on us and on those around us? If you want to be careful, think mainly about the negative impacts. And know that if you think of something someone might do, someone else will surely think of it too. And then they'll do it, too.
