Learning the Art of critical Thinking

When people explain things to you try to summarize in your own words, what you think they just said. Four recommendation   which when applied result in a mind practicing skilled thinking.

• Clarify your thinking. When people explain things to you, summarize  in your own words what you think they just said. You should neither agree nor disagree with anyone until you clearly understand them.
• Stick to the point. When you are working through a problem, make sure you stayed focused on what sheds light on the problem. Don’t allow your mind to wander to unrelated matters and don’t allow other to stray from the main issue.
• Question Question

As good thinker we should routinely ask questions in order to understand and effectively deal with the world around them.

• Be reasonable

Listen to what people say and look closely at what they do

I learnt  that the best thinkers are those who understand the development of thinking as a process occurring throughout many years of practice.

Thinking gets us into trouble because we often

• Jump to conclusions
• Fail to think through implications
• Are poor communicators
• Think irrationally
• Fail to notice contradictions
• Cannot see issues from points of view other than our own
• Accept inaccurate information

Skilled thinkers actually want to change their thinking when they discover even better thinking

Strategies for becoming more reasonable

• Practice saying in your own mind.”I am willing to change my mind when given good reason” Then look for opportunities to make changes in your thinking.

Realize that you are being close-minded if you

• Are unwilling to listen to someone is reasons
• Are irritated by the reasons people give you or
• Become  defensive during a discussion

In closing

The recommendations presented herein are but a few of the myriad ways in which critical thinkers can bring intellectual discipline to bear upon their thinking. In the end the best thinkers are those who understand the development of thinking as a process occurring throughout many years of practices.

They recognize the importance of learning about the mind about thoughts feeling and desires and how these functions of the mind interrelate. They study the mind and they apply what they learn to their own thinking.