Hello Thinkers,

Each week I present my letter 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: A critical thinking (CT) idea discussed originally by me. Today’s topic: Critical thinking: How to be an independent thinker in the information age

• Thought 3: CT actions to implement. You MUST put in the work to be a good thinker. Statistically speaking, out of the thousands of you reading, only a handful will put in the practice starting today.

*Underlines are links that take you to view people, places, talks, and books I decide to include. Check them out now. If you do not do it at the time of peak interest, your chances of doing it later statistically reduce.

THOUGHT 1: A QUOTE

"The unexamined life is not worth living." (Socrates 1561–1626, some people have said he is the Father of Western Philosophy).

I chose this quote because I believe it is the foundation of CT. This is about awareness of the self. Once you begin gaining it, it can only then elevate independent thinking.

You must always commit to examining your mind every day and forever. You do not truly know yourself without awareness of the point from which you view any idea. There can be no independent thought without time spent examining our dependent thinking.

ACTIVITY

Think about that deeply, using CT—“independent thinking versus dependent thinking.” What ideas do you depend on right now as the foundation for your thoughts? Start with the biggest influences over your mind. Maybe you read the Bible every day. Maybe you engage with ideas from a particular person repeatedly. Or perhaps you watch the news on a specific channel, hosted by a certain individual, each day.

Also, I want you to also critically think about Socrates. First, learn a little about him, then reflect on it against what you already know. He had some brilliant ideas that are seen as timeless. Think independently about why this has come to be. Why him and not others? Surely, there must have been plenty of brilliant minds of his caliber in his time that we simply have not heard about. Are there others?

THOUGHT 2

Critical thinking: How to be an independent thinker in the information age

In today’s digital spaces, our ability to think independently is being continuously tested.

Our minds are often inundated with human-curated content, pre-determined narratives, and a slow and undetected subconscious nudging that guides our choices and opinions. Even here, right now, I am doing it to you.

Am I worth trusting? How do we determine ethical thinking versus unethical thinking foundations?

While we have always been susceptible to manipulation by a multitude of people, institutions, and media outlets, the sheer TIME we now spend on information platforms where ideas are poured into our minds without much alone time may in fact mean we are slowly losing the capacity to form our own creative thoughts.

And we need creativity in order to see a progressing society.

We can combat this, but we must first acknowledge the gravity of the situation. It is the most serious of all things. If your mind is hijacked, how can you make decisions based on what is meaningful for you and those you love? Who do your actions/reactions benefit most? After all, what is the point of thinking in the first place?

PHILOSOPHY AND CRITICAL THINKING

Let’s go back to what the famous French philosopher and mathematician René Descartes said for a minute: "I think, therefore I am”, or more accurately in Latin, “cogito ergo sum.” He is also often referred to as the father of modern philosophy FYI. HA!

Descartes' words, have endured through time and continue to be regarded as important because they resonate with what many perceive as a universal 'truth.'

This is what philosophy is about: exploring fundamental questions concerning existence, knowledge, values, reason, and the nature of reality. I regularly bring up philosophy because all thinking is about figuring out something. We rely on philosophical thinking to anchor the new knowledge we create as scientists, enabling us to ponder over ideas across diverse scientific fields. Our goal is to understand the world and generate new knowledge to bring greater clarity to it. Or so that is what is supposed to be the ethical goal.

Critical thinking and philosophical thinking intertwine beautifully.

Descartes’ quote is important because it reminds us of our ability to think. This sets us apart; if we can think, then we are. Is this not surely the case?

Therefore, the ability to retain our capacity for independent thought, or at the very least, to increase the chances of independent thought, must be protected at all costs.

Throughout history, people and institutions have always played a role in shaping how we think and feel so this is not new. Remember some form of framework over thought is necessary or we would be cognitively chaotic. This is why the foundation for thinking our family gives us is so important. It follows us around for a lifetime.

From childhood, the household, our family members, our community, and the social institutions we belong to begin molding our ideas, thoughts, and values. This process has always been a natural part of our communal lives.

At some point, however, we must then decide which values we adopt, which we reject, and which we choose to challenge or rebel against. Our ability to make the right decisions will affect how socially and psychologically sane we are.

However, our ability to think independently also depends on whether we have been taught how to think, how to question, and what we need to do to understand ourselves.

INFORMATION AGE

Before the digital age, and more recently the information revolution, we might have found it easier to filter and categorise right from wrong, good from bad, and to organise our thoughts amidst the noise. Now, we must be more conscious of how we engage with the world around us to preserve that independence of thought. There is A LOT of noise.

How you filter it will be through your CT skill.

Suddenly, it seems as though the act of thinking is increasingly outsourced to external influences, arriving with little warning and seemingly beyond our control. It feels as if this shift is happening without our consent and that we are powerless to stop it. But I disagree. There is one powerful tool, it’s called CT.

It is the only tool we have that has been thoughtfully designed and pre-organised to a set of thinking rules iterated by a long history of very clever people.

I WAS NOT ENCOURAGED TO BE CURIOUS

I grew up in a society and community where independent thinking was constantly hijacked. No one let us think independently. In fact it is as though there was always a social competition about who knew more amongst the grownups.

In my particularly conservative minority community, the ideas and thoughts of parents, uncles, aunties, doctors, lawyers, spiritual leaders, and then anyone wealthy, were often valued more than my own.

While the wisdom they offered was sometimes significant, there needed to be a way to ensure they were ethical thinkers. But there was no valid process to assess this. They were given authority because of their social role, not because of the ethics of their character.

My ability to sift through these influences and make that determination only improved when I began to learn and teach CT. Suddenly within a few short years, my mind became a powerful tool.

I ask you today, can you know which thoughts are valuable and which are not? Are you confident to assess this truly?

“If we are to reclaim our ability to think for ourselves, we must consciously learn and create habits that encourage independent thought.”

SOME BASIC RULES TO THINKING

When engaging with any form of information, there are a few rules we should begin to follow. As we repeatedly apply these techniques, we begin to form healthy thinking habits.

We should start by questioning the context in which the information was created.

Who is providing this information, and what are their qualifications and intentions?

Are they experts in their field, or do they have a vested interest in swaying your opinion?

Consider also the value of the information: does it contribute meaningfully to your needs, or is it merely a distraction?

SKEPTICISM

Engaging with information critically means slowing down, asking the right questions, and being skeptical about accepting everything at face value. Skepticism does not mean rejection or chronic cynicism. There is a fundamental difference. Practice it, please.

While being skeptical is important for CT, we also have to reach a point where we can accept some versions of the truth. It becomes a fine line between forced thought upon members of society and the acceptance that human beings are allowed to hold diverse thoughts.

Assessing the validity of information from large institutions, which have the power to influence mass minds, is very different from evaluating the validity and the rights of the individual to hold their own thoughts to improve their subjective lives.

This is what CT truly is: Where you decide where to apply what forms of analysis, over who, what, and where.

A good place to begin learning how to think independently is by asking this question:

"What might be the underlying motivation behind this idea, thought, opinion, or message?"

By examining the motivations behind the messages we receive, we are already beginning a process of thinking objectively and critically about ideas. We can apply this question to any situation. By doing so, we can distinguish between genuine insights and manipulative content, thereby reinforcing our capacity for independent, self-directed thinking.

Also, we do not want to question everything to the point of being unable to believe anything. This is not the purpose of CT. Overanalysing every piece of information can lead to conspiratorial thinking, where distrust of all sources becomes a default mindset. This can happen to people who believe themselves to be critical thinkers but have fallen victim to the very cognitive trap they are most fearful of.

Critical thinking is about seeking a balanced, reasoned understanding, not rejecting all ideas or facts outright.

THOUGHT 3: ACTIVITIES TO PRACTICE THE HABIT OF INDEPENDENT THINKING

To become a critical thinker, there are some fundamental habits to develop, including exploring and researching information as you go, to learn more about any issue that piques your interest.

However, if you enter your research phases with a closed mind, the chances of interpreting information in a biased manner increase.

So this week, as you read or listen to new ideas, try to set aside your preconceived notions and engage openly, with a genuine interest in understanding a new perspective. This is the only way you can truly grasp the idea behind Socrates' famous words and advice which has become a beacon for the brilliant mind: "The unexamined life is not worth living." Living a meaningful and fulfilling life requires self-reflection, critical thinking, and an ongoing examination of one’s beliefs, actions, and values.

Make sure there is a point to your thinking.

Examining your mind begins when you allow yourself to consider a new thought that may challenge your current ones. This, by default, examines your own cognitive processes.

Secondly, to strengthen your ability to think critically and independently, here are a few questions to ask yourself as you interact with information this week:

1. Who is behind this information? Look into the source's background. Are they an authority or expert in the field? What might their motives be? For example, if you are listening to your neighbour, who has maintained an immaculately flourishing garden for the past 30 years, about how to grow the most nutritious carrots, then consider your neighbour's advice as well as the methods of the guy on TV who has a PhD in carrot growing. After hearing both, decide whose methods you will apply on your debut carrot planting day. P.S., the guy on T.V. has just finished his degree and has yet to showcase his carrot-growing skills. On the other hand, if you are considering the ideas of a political party delivered to you through a third-party media company, approach the analysis of this information in the same way, but strive to be as objective as possible. Ask the questions listed above and start there.

2. What is the context? Consider when and why this information was created. Does it fit into a broader narrative or agenda important for the organisation to uphold? Your neighbor telling you how to grow the best carrots this season is likely to be for genuine reasons, he or she simply wants to share a mutual passion for carrot growing and truly wants you to succeed. So, you can trust that they are probably telling you the truth or as close to the truth as possible. But if you are analysing a media company's motivations, you must go beyond easily accepting a flat narrative that they are providing you with this information for your benefit.

3. How does this information make me feel? Be aware of your emotional responses. Are you reacting, or are you reflecting? This is vital. Developing an awareness of your emotional reactions and taking the time to carefully navigate them will make the difference between whether you end up critically thinking or not. Algorithms, social media, and the people behind them carefully curate ideas that trigger our emotions because, when we are emotional, we are less likely to think independently and more easily guided down a predetermined path. So, the most powerful form of independent thinking is to be aware when you become emotional. You want to retain control over your thinking. If you feel angry, sad, annoyed, or happy, ask yourself why and think about what these emotions may make you do next. When we are upset or angry, we are less likely to think critically and will easily accept information without the intellectual skepticism required.

4. What is the value of this information? Ask yourself whether this adds meaningful knowledge or if it’s just noise. There is so much information we react to and comment on, even when doing so adds no value or benefit to our minds or lives. This ties back to the idea that much of the content online is curated to provoke reactions; the more control you have over your reactions, the better your thinking will be. Critical thinking is a solitary exercise with the mind. Work on refining that first, then return with the capacity to effect real change in the world. Critical thinkers become logical, reasonable, and emotionally fair communicators. It is from this position that true change can be made.

5. Am I being nudged? Consider the forces at play. The algorithms, the influencers, and the headlines crafted to grab your attention and guide your thinking in a specific direction. Understand that these influences are often designed to manipulate your emotions and choices. The goal of CT is to recognise these subtle pushes and decide for yourself whether to follow or resist them. Remember, the power to think independently begins with noticing these nudges and questioning their intent before allowing them to shape your views.

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Until next Sunday, take care.

Dr. Esha