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Hello, People! For those who have been here for a while, I write these letters for free because I want to give you lessons in critical thinking (CT) so we can take our minds into our own hands. I received a free-er mind when I taught and learned CT at university. I will hand over how to have this power. Applying it is up to you. The words I give to you in this space right here will teach you how to think about your thinking. You can then take that and teach others who rely on your thinking. I believe in a thinking revolution. Its time! We have more opportunities to enable this than ever before with the way knowledge is being shared. Your mind does have the power to overcome problematic thinking habits. You just have to know how it’s done. Let’s get into today’s Trio of Thoughts! Thought 1: Philosophical Quote I always start with a good quote. In CT work, complex messages that can be communicated through a few short words have a profound way of encouraging deep reflective CT. The measure of intelligence is the ability to change."
— Jiddu Krishnamurti
These words bring attention to the power of reflection and its impact on changing our thought patterns. As we think deeply, the process enables us to be introspective and think about fresh ideas. Fresh ideas are what you need to engage with for CT! Nothing else will wake up your mind like a new way to look at the same thing can. I have changed the way I think more drastically since learning CT properly 10 years ago than the 30 years before that. Thought 2 A Process for Good Thinking We all have the ability to think. But we all differ in what we think about depending on a number of things. What you all can do equally is improve your thinking. That is a fact! You all have a range of different thinking abilities. Some people lean more toward rational thinking, while others are more emotional. Many of us shift between these modes—being rational in situations where our emotions aren’t involved and less rational when emotions take over. It’s as simple as that. The way we use our words and language, how we assess scenarios, and the actions we then choose will all have an impact on the outcome. Learning CT is powerful because it teaches us when to use our emotions and when to rely on more reasoned thinking. Unfortunately, most of us have never been taught this incredibly valuable skill. Our thinking is a blend of our biology, psychological tendencies, and the methods we’ve developed through our social experiences. If you’ve been here a while, you’ll know that I talk about this a lot. That’s because to improve your CT it starts with understanding how your thinking faculties came to be. This does not mean over-analyse the smallest historical events to their minute detail. But it does mean exploring the facts of your life that contribute to your approach to thought. To be a healthy thinker, the first step is to reflect on the foundation you have now and how you currently use your mind. One of the core aspects of CT is to (in a healthy way) think about your thinking. You turn the lens on yourself, over and over again. You observe how you view the world and think about why this is. Then you think about how others see the world and think about why this is. This is what philosophy is. You can be your own philosopher. But it’s important to avoid getting stuck in analysis paralysis where you get stuck in overthinking without finding any clarity. This will happen from time to time and it happens to intelligent analytical minds, more emotionally intelligent minds as well as conspiratorial thinkers. That’s why we have CT to keep us from spiraling into lonely rabbit holes of overthinking. Analysis paralysis and overthinking often happen to thinkers who obsess over information without clarity or focus, turning curiosity into something isolating and destructive. There are ways to avoid this. It’s very simple and that is getting your thoughts and ideas out of your mind into the world against other ideas. Sitting alone with piles of information which is causing you internal confusion and that you have no idea how to process is cognitively risky. Especially if you do it year after year. It wears down the mind. There are processes taught in universities and during PhDs that help us become critical thinkers and avoid dark holes of negative thought. Good therapists also teach similar strategies to their clients. For CT, I engage in this every single day, week, month, year. These are three steps: Reading Reflecting Writing/telling
Critical thinking teaches us to regularly reflect on our thoughts. With enough practice, this reflection becomes an automatic habit. Over time, it enables us to examine issues clearly and objectively, while also understanding the role of our values and beliefs—which are the guiding forces behind our thinking, biases, and assumptions. Values and beliefs are important. But you have to figure out what they serve to know if you need to update them or not. We all make assumptions every day. They’re the mental shortcuts that help us make quick decisions. Often, these decisions are necessary and don’t require deep research. For instance, when deciding which tomatoes to buy at the grocery store, you’re unlikely to open a book about the history of tomatoes and their nutritional value. You rely on what you already know, making a quick decision based on appearance, price, or convenience. Marketers and clever thought-capitalists, of course, take advantage of these mental shortcuts by making the most expensive tomatoes look the reddest, brightest, and juiciest—even if their nutritional value is lower than the less visually appealing ones. Now, here’s where critical thinkers differ. A critical thinker—trained to think more deliberately—is much more careful with their assumptions. While they might make quick decisions for simple matters, when it comes to more important topics that don’t require an immediate solution, their automatic response is to pause and take time to think through the issue. You can beat the thought-capitalists at their own game with CT. In contrast, those who aren’t trained in CT are more likely to jump to conclusions and fill in knowledge gaps. This is exactly how biases work. Depending on what we already believe, our mind tries to close those knowledge gaps to create a coherent picture. They take whatever information they have access to and fill it. The less knowledge you have, or the less awareness about the lack of knowledge you have, the more you will make problematic assumptions. A critical thinker doesn’t feel the need to close the knowledge gaps—they’re comfortable leaving it open until they have enough information to make a thoughtful judgment. If you want to test your critical thinking, by popular demand I have been working on an evidence-based CT test for the last 6 months. It is now built and ready. You can take it once you finish today’s lesson to find out what type of thinker you are and how it impacts your life and relationships. CLICK HERE FOR TEST The three-step process I mention reading-reflecting-writing/telling not only helps develop CT but also heals cognitive struggles. Interestingly, the more I learn about it the more I know it mirrors in many ways the method mental health therapists use with their clients to help shift problematic thinking habits. For example: Reading involves taking in information—absorbing and consuming ideas. This one reflects the process of hearing and consuming new information. For someone who isn’t trained to think critically, this influx of ideas might feel overwhelming, leading to cognitive confusion and mental clutter. A critical thinker, on the other hand, absorbs ideas and sees them as they are, without becoming entangled. They reflect on who they are as individuals and how engaging with this information affects them. For those who are in a phase of life where processing ideas and social phenomena is challenging due to their psychological state, seeking guidance from a qualified and experienced therapist can provide valuable support for this reflection. A person trained in CT learns to engage in this reflective process independently. If you are seeing a therapist, this is not a bad thing as many of us need more guided formalised help in different stages of our lives. You need some help to learn the skills and then you will at some point take the baton and be able to do it alone. Reflecting after you have consumed new information and on what you think you understand is a critical part of the process. As mentioned, you need to think about why you think the way you do. Reading or engaging with new ideas, and reflecting go hand in hand. When you encounter a new idea that triggers strong thoughts or feelings, it’s important to pause and reflect by asking yourself: What am I feeling? Why am I feeling this?
This process of self-honesty about your thoughts is incredibly powerful because it makes your biases and the reasons behind your beliefs transparent to yourself. The more you practice this, the more powerful the connection becomes between the phenomena you observe and the feelings you allow to control you. Writing and telling…this final stage is a fundamental step. It is the part that will mostly free your mind. It is the hardest as you are putting your thoughts out into the world. This step takes the thoughts outside of your head. It will help you organise your thoughts. During CT training, we focus heavily on both writing and telling. It’s essential to get your thoughts and ideas out of your mind and practice arranging them in a coherent order. Allow the people you’re sharing with to ask organic questions even if they feel uncomfortable for you. Discomfort is crucial if you want your problematic or not well thought out thoughts to improve. Don’t become frustrated if you can’t answer them—take it as a sign that you need to improve your explanation skills. It means you are not free from the thought yet and you need to come back and face it. Eventually, the thought will not control you. The more you practice this, the better you’ll become at compartmentalising and talking about almost anything without fear. CT reduces where there is fear. Thought 3 CT Activity for this Week This week think about being open to having a challenging conversation or reading a book that challenges you. By "challenging," I mean engaging with ideas or perspectives that are different from what you already know or think. Just talk to someone different for a change. This in itself will stretch your mind to think more deeply automatically, as unfamiliar ideas naturally provoke reflection. As you encounter these new ideas, slow down and take the time to process what they might mean. Then, try explaining what you’ve learned to someone else. Repeat this natural and curious way for everything. Keep it simple. You actually already have the ability to do this.
That’s it from me for today! Send me an email if you have any comments, ideas, epiphanies, stories, or feedback, or please just send mail to say hello as I love to hear that you are out there! Please note that I am now receiving a large volume of emails and messages. While I may not always be able to reply to each one due to the time it takes and my workload, please know how important they are to me. Your messages keep me motivated, and your words are wonderful—they give me insight into what you’re thinking and inspire new ideas. So please, don’t stop! Until next week… Esha.
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