Critical Thinking. What it means to me.

Critical thinking has many detailed definitions.  Wikipedia lists several technical definitions, but I think the one I like the most is as follows:

A persistent effort to examine any belief or supposed form of knowledge in the light of the evidence that supports it and the further conclusions to which it tends.

I think that most widely covers the spirit of critical thought.  Any belief, any supposed form of knowledge, those are the key points.  It is a tool to be applied to all ideas and concepts we come across, whether they be our own, or those of others.  And it is also something that I feel strongly, should be encouraged and taught to others.

At its core, critical thinking holds to the following principles:

·         Willingness to criticize oneself

·         Reflective thought

·         Competence

While all three are clearly important, I think the one people struggle with, or fail to employ most often is the first.  To criticize ourselves is to acknowledge many key things, humility being one of the most important.  But also to realize that we as humans are prone to:

·         Bias

·         Arrogance

·         Ignorance

·         Self-deceit

·         Emotion

Of all of those, the hardest to deal with is often emotion.  We feel strongly about our ideas and beliefs.  We hold them dear.  We take exception, almost always emotionally, when our ideas and beliefs are challenged by others.  Emotion often leads to the dismissal of open and honest conversation and discourse.  And, I personally believe, is used as a crutch or a shield.

People have a tendency in our modern cultural landscape to shy away from offending others.  From challenging them at an emotional level about their ideas.  It is seen as socially rude to do so.  That we must honor, in a spirit of mutual respect those ideas people hold most dear.  And to honor them is usually to leave them be.  To “live and let live” as it were.

While I obviously believe in showing others respect, I think this idea has been distorted to the point where people will not openly discuss their beliefs.  That when discussion reaches a point where they must start to openly examine their motivations behind their own beliefs, that they become uncomfortable, and close down the discussion under the guise of emotional offense.  Or will internalize the belief and offer it protection behind ones emotional first-person perspective, “I believe what I believe, and I don’t need to explain or justify that to anyone in order to continue believing it.  You cannot feel what it is to be me, and the conviction I feel in these beliefs of mine.”

Critical thinking has its roots in the method of Socratic questioning.  This is used educationally to develop students to be active and independent thinkers and learners.  At its core, it consists of:

·         Clarify thinking

o   E.g., “Why do you/I say that?”

·         Challenge assumptions

o   E.g., “Is this always the case?”

·         Evidence as a basis for argument

o   E.g, “Why do you/I say that?”, “Is there reason to doubt this evidence?”

·         Alternate viewpoints

o   E.g, “Can anyone see this another way?”

·         Implications and consequences

o   E.g., “But if xxx happened, what else would result?”, “How does xxx affect yyy?”

·         Question the question

o   E.g., “Why do you think that question was asked?”, “Why was that question important?”

One of its main purposes is to get to the truth of things and to uncover assumptions.  The path of getting to the truth of things can be uncomfortable.  The truth may not be as we wish it to be, as we expected it to be.  We may lay bare the ways in which we have deceived ourselves, hidden behind ignorance or arrogance.  We may discover how we have been incorrect or illogical in our assumptions.

It is not easy to turn the scope of critical thought on ourselves.  It is something that takes persistence and diligence.  We’ve likely spent years building our biases and assumptions, and we easily slip back into them if we are not paying close attention.

But I believe there is a payoff to be found in that diligence.  That the benefits to deploying critical thought are well worth the effort.  That to not be taken in by our biases, by faulty logic and thinking, by unfounded assumptions and evidence, is to be brought always closer to the truth of things.  I feel strongly that it is always best to find the courage to face the truth.  That this is always the preferred path, rather than wrapping ourselves in the comfort found in ignorance.  Obviously we are not perfect.  Dealing with life and the questions surrounding our deepest beliefs can be hard, can seem unbearable and be very uncomfortable.  Sometimes we cannot find the will to face it.  That’s simply what it is to be human.  But to me, having acknowledged our faults as people, we should all still agree that it is always best to strive for truth, whenever we can.