How to Boost Your Critical Thinking?
Nowadays, we are surrounded by a myriad of information from different sources. The issue is that many information sources are unreliable and try to manipulate public opinion. What is critical thinking, how do we do it, why is it important, and how can we get better at it? The main task of critical thinking is to differentiate the texts you can trust and you cannot trust. Through critical thinking, we see inconsistencies and contradictions, and separate facts from their interpretation.
Critical thinking is one of the key skills of the 21st century, which allows you to analyze information, draw conclusions, and make decisions based on your analysis. It helps you to form your own opinion and defend your position. Critical thinking is not about criticism. This is about the navigation of a huge information flow.
The recent research by the Oxford Internet Institute has found that social media manipulation is getting worse, with rising numbers of governments and political parties making cynical use of social media algorithms, automation, and big data to manipulate public opinion at scale — with hugely worrying implications for democracy.
Why does critical thinking matter?
- It helps you make hard decisions. Equally important in the decision-making process is the ability to think critically. Critical thinking allows you compare the pros and cons of your available options, showing that you have more options than you might imagine.
- People can and will manipulate you. At least, they will if you take everything at face value and allow others to think for you. Just look at ads for the latest fad diet or “miracle” drug–these rely on ignorance and false hope to get people to buy something that is at best useless and at worst harmful. When you evaluate information critically (especially information meant to sell something), you can avoid falling prey to unethical companies and people.
- It makes you more employable (and better paid). The best employees not only know how to solve existing problems–but they also know how to come up with solutions to problems no one ever imagined. To get a great job after graduating, you need to be one of those employees, and critical thinking is the key ingredient to solving difficult, novel problems.
How to boost your critical thinking?
- Be thirsty for knowledge
It is impossible to think critically without sufficient knowledge about the world. The more knowledge you have, the easier it is to compare and analyze. Before critically assessing the problem, it must be considered from all sides.
You can constantly update your knowledge in a wide variety of fields by
- reading fiction and popular science literature
- watching documentaries
- subscribing to Youtube channels of specialists in various fields
- observing people and their behavior. Then, trying to understand the reason for their actions
- talking to different people and asking their opinions - this will allow you to develop your position on any issues
2. Learn to ask questions.
When you’re not sure, always ask questions. Start with what you already know and confirm you have all of the details correct. Ask to have points repeated or consider rephrasing in your own words to determine whether you’ve accurately understood. Consider asking follow-up questions to get details that may have been left out or misheard. Follow up by asking yourself if something is a fact, an opinion or an idea. This step can help you assign purpose and value to a piece of information.
Here are few key basic questions you can ask when approaching any problem:
- What do you already know?
- How do you know that?
- What are you trying to prove, disprove, demonstrated, critique, etc.?
- What are you overlooking?
3. Read the proper literature.
We have prepared a list of books recommended by NAWA workers to boost your critical thinking!
- Thinking fast and slow - by Daniel Kahneman
Thinking, Fast and Slow is a best-selling book published in 2011 by Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences laureate Daniel Kahneman. Thinking Fast And Slow shows you how two systems in your brain are constantly fighting over control of your behavior and actions, and teaches you the many ways in which this leads to errors in memory, judgment and decisions, and what you can do about it.
- Factfulness - by Hans Rosling, Ola Rosling, Anna Rosling Rönnlund
When asked simple questions about global trends - why the world's population is increasing; how many young women go to school; how many of us live in poverty - we systematically get the answers wrong. The books gives us answers based on facts. Bill Gates says this book Is 'One of the Most Important' he's ever read.
- The Choice Factory: 25 behavioral biases that influence what we buy - by Richard Shotton
The Choice Factory is an essential read for anyone who wants to learn. Taking us through a typical day of decisions, from trivial food choices to life-changing career moves. The focus throughout is the marketing potential of knowing what makes us tick.
- A Field Guide to Lies: Critical Thinking in the Information Age - by Daniel Levitin
We are bombarded with more information each day than our brains can process—especially in election season. It's raining bad data, half-truths, and even outright lies. New York Times bestselling author Daniel J. Levitin shows how to recognize misleading announcements, statistics, graphs, and written reports revealing the ways lying weasels can use them.
- Wait, What? And Life's Other Essential Questions - by James E. Ryan
The wisest people have said true happiness comes not from having the right answers, but from asking the right questions. So your first question is probably: what are the right questions? That’s where James E. Ryan’s book comes in to help. His five simple prompts promise profound answers and a more fulfilling life.
Learning to think critically will benefit you both in the classroom and beyond. Remember: learning to think critically is a lifelong journey, and there’s always more to learn.
Sources:
https://collegeinfogeek.com/improve-critical-thinking-skills/
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/how-to-improve-critical-thinking