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Hello Thinkers, Welcome to my weekly critical thinking (CT) Newsletter, presented as a trilogy of thoughts. Thought 1: Philosophical quote. Reflecting on philosophical ideas helps us become critical thinkers as they hold a profound depth of meaning just through a few words. Thought 2: This week’s topic - Critical Thinking: Why and How Thought 3: Activities to practice CT. You must put in the work if you want to be a more skillful thinker.
THOUGHT 1: A QUOTE “We must think of the human mind as a delicate plant that needs tending and nurturing. Knowledge is a garden that must be cultivated with care.” (Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, Indian Philosopher and the second president of India).
I consciously choose to offer insight from all corners of the world in recognition of our shared humanity. Or more accurately, our shared potential cognitive functionality. While some believe our cognitive functions vary greatly, we are, in truth, more alike than different. Our biggest differences often stem from the influences of culture, politics, and society, which shape our beliefs. This week, I’ve chosen to highlight a South Eastern philosopher. Just as with any skill—whether it’s kite surfing, motocross, or cake making—practice makes you better. When you actively train your mind, you too can become a more skilled thinker and use your mind in a profound way. In Hindu philosophy, this is referred to as The Superior Mind, or the eye which “can see”, through the acquisition of wisdom. THOUGHT 2 Critical Thinking: Why and How Why do you need to learn critical thinking (CT)? To learn how to think means you will be able to act effectively in the world. Acting effectively means being able to make decisions that improve your life, not worsen it. One of the main problems affecting people who think they are effectively thinking is that they are too certain. In many Western societies, we are in a time of greater privilege than ever before. This means that our basic needs are abundantly met, and we often have more than enough, leading us to overlook what we cannot see or don’t need to confront. There’s always a solution, product, or quick fix available, making it easy to bypass deeper reflection fundamental for CT or to learn how “to see”. Of course, we all view economic and political privilege as a tremendous advantage, and without question, we must be grateful for that. But are we actually grateful? If we really think about it, we should be able to collectively say in many spaces we are economically and socially in the best time in history. However, this period of abundance has also dulled our CT. When we have everything at our fingertips now, there is no reason to think with depth. Today, we’ll talk about why it’s important to think and some basic steps on how to learn to think properly. Some people have said to me that there is no way to learn ‘how’ to think. At this point in my thought exploration, I must disagree, because, just like children, we will make decisions that negatively impact our lives if we do not develop healthy thinking habits. I developed healthy thinking habits when I entered academia and was taught how to think. Then when I stepped away full time I made sure I applied those CT skills with intellectual honesty. So, yes, you need to learn HOW to think as well as how NOT to think. Tools for the mind, like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) used by good therapists, are a good example of learning how to confront the cognitive distortions that cause emotional distress and, instead, choose more deliberate and rational active thinking habits. These are all methods which address the same issue in different ways. So, why do we need to learn good thinking habits? Good thinking habits guide us in the process of making complex decisions. We also need to make smaller, less important decisions that still require deliberate thought to reduce potential long-term chaos. Critical thinking is deliberate thinking, and it matters to be deliberate about some of our thinking. If you want to learn more about our systems of thinking and when to use which type of thinking faculty see last week’s letter by clicking here. When we practice CT, we develop the ability to approach conversations, thoughts, and ideas with clarity, knowing what questions to ask and how to engage meaningfully. In our online-dominated world, many people lack the skill or practice to engage in any meaningful way; instead, they often just want to say what they know with no opportunity for conversation or nuance. CT also gives us tools to compartmentalise and organise problems in our lives. It builds confidence, helping us prioritise and categorise issues, break down problems into manageable parts, and avoid getting stuck on irrelevant details. Learning to think improves your mental health and social well-being. It all connects and starts right here inside your mind. The difference between CT and other cognitive tools is that CT training is good for the everyday person. If you are mentally unwell, you should seek professional, more guided help initially. For the rest of us, we can develop these skills in a more self-directed way. It helps us become not just healthy thinkers, but also more intelligent thinkers. I believe these two are intrinsically related. I mean, it’s pretty smart to think in healthy ways. SO HOW DO WE DO IT? Here are my four steps to CT: Step 1: Exploration – Learn how to find information. To learn how to think, you need something to think about otherwise you will just think about what you already know. Usually, unless we make deliberate choices about what we want to know, we rely on whatever happens to cross our path. When this happens, our biases tend to focus on what we already know and are interested in. We are naturally drawn to ideas that serve our own benefit, often unconsciously attracted to what we think we already understand. The difference between critical thinkers and everyone else is that they deliberately break the patterns our biases unconsciously push us toward. Some biases that come into play when we don’t make deliberate choices about what information to engage with: Confirmation Bias: Focusing on information that confirms what we already believe. This is most common and happens all day! We do not even realise we are doing it. Once you learn CT you are more likely to realise. Availability Bias: Relying on information that is most readily available, rather than seeking out diverse sources. This means if something is popular, you are more likely to adopt the idea simply because of frequency; this is why we take on the beliefs of our parents or a religious group without question for many years or forever. Anchoring Bias: Being overly influenced by the first piece of information encountered. This happens for example if we read something that makes sense because of ‘confirmation bias’, we then use that as a reference for everything we assess afterward despite logic or reason. Status Quo Bias: Preferring to maintain current beliefs or decisions rather than considering alternatives. This bias leads people to favour options that reinforce existing social conditions such as those constructed through ‘availability bias’. Even if the evidence points to a change that could be beneficial, the bias remains steadfast driven by comfort with familiarity and fear of the unknown. It makes individuals resistant to new ideas, methods, or alternatives.
My biggest CT tip: You must deliberately seek out information and ideas that challenge what you already believe. For example, if you support the policies of a particular political party, try reading a critique of that party and explore opposing views. If you have strong beliefs about biological explanations for personal experiences, look into psychological or social explanations. Those who think sociologically about experiences should seek credible science or books that provide insights into biological or psychological factors. Learning to seek diverse information broadens your knowledge base and challenges what you already think. It does not mean you will adopt new ideas it means you become better informed and might be even more influential with your existing ideas seeing you have sought to know the inside of the mind of the opposition. Step 2: Comprehension – Learn how to understand ideas coherently. Learning to understand ideas coherently. Coherence is key. Due to our biases, when we engage with information, we often misunderstand the true meaning behind knowledge, ideas, or opinions. When interacting with new ideas, you need a system to ensure you truly grasp what you’re reading or listening to. This means not making assumptions too early. Take your time with each word, look up definitions and concepts, pausing to explore those branching paths of understanding before returning to the main idea. Connect each word to the next, and read the message in its entirety multiple times. Make sure you pause and reflect, thinking quietly about what you think you are reading and what you think you know. Ask yourself questions as you read, challenging your own thoughts. Step 3: Synthesisation – Learn how to formulate your ideas coherently. This is crucial for CT and becoming a more confident communicator. A strong way to organise your ideas is to write about them. When I read, I usually take notes, annotate, and highlight throughout the book. Then I step away and write newsletters like this one to order my thoughts. As I write, the ideas often come out quite differently from how they were in my head. Writing helps me see coherence and flow in all the diverse information I’ve engaged with over the past week during my journey into learning about CT. These letters represent my own synthesis of the ideas I explore. If there’s a topic you want to be knowledgeable about, or even seen as an expert, I suggest you read and write about it, laying out the specific parts central to your main point. Another way to formulate your ideas coherently is to speak about the. Try explaining your thoughts to someone else in detail so they can understand. Step 4: Articulation – Learn how to communicate your ideas coherently. You might have a lot of information in your head, but if you’ve never expressed it outside your own mind, it often comes out jumbled. This may be why introverts, who may be knowledgeable and considered clever, often have less practice articulating their thoughts compared to extroverts, who tend to talk more and, in doing so, practice falling on their face. Extroverts learn faster by constantly engaging and correcting their articulation, while introverts excel as observers, often catching what extroverts miss because they’re too busy talking instead of listening. But, I digress. The best way to become articulate and organise your ideas coherently is to try explaining your thoughts to someone else. They’ll likely have questions about the parts they don’t understand, which will often include elements you’re deeply interested in. This back-and-forth exchange helps you refine your articulation. It’s easy for our biases to flare up in these moments, making us irritated or annoyed when others can’t grasp what we’re saying. But this is often a signal that we need to practice our explanation skills or revisit and refine our understanding of the topic. Use these moments as opportunities to improve your communication or go back and research the topic a little more and apply Steps 1,2 & 3 and come back to Step 4. You need to develop your ideas to communicate them. This process will also improve your ability to formulate your ideas more coherently. Practicing by telling others about your thoughts and using their responses as feedback on your ability or inability to articulate an issue well is a powerful exercise. If you stay quiet and don’t share your ideas, it doesn’t matter how great a thinker you are, no one will listen. This is why people with higher IQs might know how to solve the world's biggest problems, but it's often the person with high EQ who gets heard and believed. People are drawn to those who can communicate effectively. Practice these skills and become the best thinker in the room so that people feel good talking to you, or more importantly, listening to you. Thought 3: CT Activities to Implement Book recommendation 1: “The Brain That Changes Itself" by Norman Doidge (psychiatrist and psychoanalyst). Through his experience and expertise, he shares neuroscientific research in discussing how the brain can rewire and adapt itself, even in adulthood. The book is a popular, easy-to-understand read as Doidge uses compelling stories and case studies to explain complex topics engagingly, making it a great introduction for those curious about how our brains shape our thinking and behavior. If you learn how your brain works, you may be more willing to accept its flaws. Choose a topic, book, or concept, and apply my Four Steps above in the coming weeks, and do so deliberately. You cannot develop these skills without conscious and intentional practice. Over time, with consistent effort, these skills will become habits or methods you rely on almost unconsciously, as your brain begins to naturally incorporate them into your thinking process. Book recommendation 2: Read behavioural psychologist, Daniel Kaheman’s book “Thinking Fast, and Slow”, for more knowledge on the two modes of thinking. He won a Nobel Peace Prize, so we can assume his perspective is worth a good look. Check last week’s Newsletter here for Kahneman’s Systems 1 and 2 Thinking.
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, thoughts, ideas, or just to say hi! Until next Sunday, take care. Dr. Esha
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