Critical Thinking Guide

A Guide to Critical Thinking

Taking the necessary time to contemplate and analyze one’s ideas and decisions is the basis of critical thinking. This high level, self-awareness goes beyond simple cataloging of alternate perceptions. There is required capacity for curiosity to examine individual beliefs or thought processes in the face of preservation instincts. In such that, utilizing decisive understanding of selective or distorted attributions helps cultivate the mind in avoiding these pitfalls. Meanwhile, attaining detachment from personal myopia assists in cultivating a “critical thinking” mindset when discovering the weight of subjective thoughts.

Julia Galef explains during her TED talk conference how mindsets define the aptitude to utilize this ideology. Motivated reasoning can lead to tunnel vision, bypassing any conscious effort to seek feasible alternative outcomes. If providing a superficial outlook when given situations of high risk, results can be devastating. Such as in the possibility of a friend subtly asking for help during a depressive state of mind. Ignoring these warning signs or worse, being contrite to the individuals needs or situation may lead to an attempt at suicide. Critical thinking is not just a tool for questioning a person’s reasoning, it is an empathetic needle that pierces through the thick skin of our judgements.

One of the first concepts that initiates empathy supported analysis, is the usage of the question “What if?”. This helps aid the mindset to interpret information from an alternative point of view while maintaining a level of personal connection. What if you had been born in another country? How would your priceless on life be different from how you think now? This line of questioning guides us towards the curiosity based mindset and set the route towards curiosity without bias. By imagining the situation is personal, it is possible to avoid any previous cultural myopia. This amount curiosity is mandatory for critical thinking to exist. As previously stated, playing with words that have attachments to personal schemas, will not lend valid credence to the questioning mindset.

It is with these concepts in mind, that one can develop and utilize critical thinking in any situation given the available resources. However, one cannot expect to reach abridged decisions on matters that require snap judgements, such as in the case of a soldier facing a treacherous situation where every second spent deciding an outcome could be a person’s life. So, while we can strive to reasonably understand every situation, comprehending that critical thinking has its own set of limitations prevents wasted time, effort, and resources.

Overall the practice of curiosity-based contemplation and empathy supported analysis deliver concise exploration and deliver a guide to critical thinking. Progressing concepts corresponding with “What if?”, and isolating roadblocks that encourage selective or distorted attributions are key techniques in developing the level of awareness needed to effectively discover the missing picture. Critical thinking can be a priceless weapon in any mental arsenal, the ability to see beyond what is shown and buck the trend of least resistance provides a view even the highest mountain cannot provide.

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