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Gidday Friends, Welcome to this week's Sunday Synapse. Let’s trigger our synapses with fresh thoughts. This week's ‘Trilogy of Thought’ covers: Thought 1: We begin with a philosophical quote or idea. Thought 2: A new critical thinking (CT) idea discussed in an original way. Thought 3: CT actions to implement.
THOUGHT 1: A QUOTE “No matter what your ability is, effort is what ignites that ability and turns it into accomplishment.” —Professor Carol Dweck, The New Psychology of Success, 2007. This quote sums up a lot about my cognitive journey. Carol’s life work is about ‘the growth mindset’ and CT practice enables flexible, open and forward thinking. I only began my CT journey when I started my PhD 10 years ago. Learning CT not only helped me figure out potential answers to problems about the world, but it also helped me solve my own problems. This mindset has assisted me in accomplishing many things. THOUGHT 2 The Importance of Discomfort for Critical Thinking As author Ryan Holiday famously states, The Obstacle is the Way. However, most of us easily shy away from discomfort, preferring the safety of both physical and mental comfort zones. It’s instinct. (As a sociologist, I accept evidence that supports instinct. Diversity of knowledge delivered by multiple sciences deepens and extends science). We live in culturally interwoven societies, with diverse information, and thought. We become more resilient cognitively, when we voluntarily engage with foreign ideas. Except, our instinct to avoid and move away from ideas that challenge us is there for a reason. For example, if we do not withdraw from a real threat, we will suffer the consequences. However, we equally suffer mental consequences if we repeatedly avoid feelings which are necessary to face. Fear of Discomfort Fear of discomfort is one of the biggest barriers to CT and intellectual advancement. As soon as something feels uncomfortable, we shut it down, push back, or attack. We are seeing this a lot right now online, in our homes, workplaces, and in the community. There are phenomena in our external world (reality) that will trigger a reaction between our internal world (internal reality aka beliefs, values, and perceptions). The physical world is supposed to make us uncomfortable because that is how we receive the messages we need in order to learn. When faced with discomfort, we are forced to examine the discrepancies between these worlds and make decisions on how to address them. When such a trigger occurs, we have two choices: 1. Adjust our external world: This involves taking actions to change our environment to better match our internal world. While this can sometimes be necessary, it's essential to recognise when it's an avoidance tactic rather than a constructive change. Examples: running away, avoiding certain topics, changing jobs frequently, moving between social groups all the time, commonly severing friendships and ties, blaming and judging others often. 2. Adjust our internal world: This involves changing our beliefs, values, or perceptions to better align with the external reality. This path requires humility and openness to new information. Examples: Reflecting on our thoughts and ideas, thiking about our childhood/relationships with important people, acknowledging fears and character weaknesses, accountable for behaviour Determining whether to adjust to our internal world or our external environment is a deeply personal decision that depends on the specific circumstances and our individual well-being. It's crucial to engage in thoughtful self-reflection to understand which approach will lead to the most positive and sustainable outcome for ourselves and those around us. In the modern world, we are witnessing too many people severing relationships and cutting ties with family, friends, and colleagues as soon as they have been ‘triggered’. Sometimes its necessary, but mostly it is not. In philosophy, we learn that family and close friends play a very important role in our lives as they are the only people who are willing to tell us the truth without censorship. This keeps us humble and helps our tame our ego. They remind us that we are not all that we think we are. We just be able to call people out and make people THINK. Apply this one rule of assessment (internal vs external world assessment) to all uncomfortable feelings. It will increase your opportunity for critical thinking (CT). This practice, repeated, will also heal many personal grievances with your past. It did for me. How? Because I am consistently thinking about why I am thinking about it. It builds emotional resilience and leads to true CT, which I claim is the skilful balance between emotion and logic. Let’s discuss an example of avoiding uncomfortable feelings. People often connect with information that reinforces already-held ideas and beliefs. This cognitive bias is called ‘confirmation bias,’ and it is a very common bias. It can be dangerous for those in positions of knowledge-power (knowledge-power, a concept discussed by philosopher Michel Foucault— those who hold the most power, disseminate information to society with dominance despite alternative truths existing). An example of confirmation bias and someone with knowledge-power may be a social scientist who has spent their life studying and teaching feminist perspectives and Western patriarchal systems. They are now considered an expert in their domain. Given daily requirements to read and discuss literature that supports their ideas, there will be a higher chance of ongoing confirmation bias. If the person has little time or inclination to read outside of their own discipline, the chances of ongoing knowledge biases persist. This type of practice around knowledge also causes a bias called the ‘anchoring bias,’ where the person relies heavily on the first piece of information, and thus all subsequent information they hear, despite its logical or scientific validity, is rejected or adjusted to fit with the “anchor.” The social scientist may continue to believe all things are social constructions and be unwilling to discuss other objective observations. Philosophical and seminal references I suggest exploring philosophical and seminal works that offer valuable insights into discomfort and CT: Immanuel Kant: In his work "Critique of Pure Reason," Kant explores the limits of human understanding and the importance of questioning our perceptions. His philosophy highlights the need to embrace discomfort to expand our intellectual capacity. John Dewey: A prominent figure in educational theory, Dewey emphasized the role of experience and reflection in learning. He argued that encountering and resolving discomforting situations is fundamental to developing CT skills. Carol Dweck: In her book "Mindset: The New Psychology of Success," Dweck introduces the concept of the "growth mindset," where she states that you can improve your mindset and that intelligence is not fixed at birth.
THOUGHT 3 Activities to Implement to Improve Your Thinking Skills: Read about the following two cognitive biases discussed today that reduce CT: Confirmation Bias Anchoring Effect
As you move around taking in information, try to recognise if you or others are participating in confirmation bias. Become attuned to the discomfort you feel when exposed to an idea, thought, or opinion, and then try to sit in the discomfort no matter how challenging it feels. Do not react or blame, just take some time to think about why this triggered this feeling in you. Remember there is a caveat to this; there are times it may be logical to defend yourself against someone whose intent was to hurt you and purposefully upset you. In this case, you must make sure you stand up tall and demonstrate resistance. But if there was no intention of directly upsetting you but you feel offended, then you must practice emotional self-control and THINK. Buy one of the books I mentioned today. Read it like a short course. That is, take your time, reflect, jot notes in the margins, and look up new concepts and words.
Stay tuned for the Sunday Synapse, which will be delivered to your inbox every Sunday! Get ready to take on a new week better than you were last week! If it does not bring value to you, just hit the unsubscribe button below. Send me an email with feedback, what you like, don’t like, want more of, or just to say hi! Until next Sunday, take care. Dr. Esha.
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