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Hello Readers, Some nihilistic people think there is no point practicing critical thinking as the world will be as the world will be. I vehemently disagree with those people. The world needs people who believe they can be better than they are. Our children and those we love deserve it. Let’s get into today’s Trio of Thoughts… Thought 1: Philosophical Quote In CT work, complicated ideas communicated through a few short words profoundly encourage deep reflective CT. True wisdom lies in recognising our own ignorance and in opening our minds to what we have yet to understand.
— Nicolas of Cusa, De Docta Ignorantia (On Learned Ignorance).
Nicolas of Cusa (1401–1464) German philosopher, theologian, and mathematician. This quote brings attention to the limitations of human knowledge. There are things beyond human comprehension and once you accept that you are better positioned to begin your journey in understanding. Take a few moments to think about the concept: “learned ignorance”. Thought 2 How to Practice Intellectual Humility Today I will talk to you about one of the intellectual virtues of CT: intellectual humility and how to practice it. Before I start, I want to remind you that CT is also about learning to take into account human intuition. You will never stop feeling intuitively—and you shouldn’t want to. It is very powerful. It is a good idea to:
A. Know this.
B. Tame it. Intuition is part of being human and it is the part of our minds which will reject humility. But you should not want to lose touch with human intuition, because without it we are less human, less able to connect or feel comfort from the little that feels good in this world. Many people react based on feelings (intuition) rather than careful, deliberate analysis (reason/logic). Your goal should be to manage your feelings as they arise. THE WORLD AS OUR TEACHER To hold our thoughts accountable we must use the natural tools around us to promote and sustain CT as a companion to human intuition. Resisting intuition, rather than taming it, only adds to the mess in our minds which is what we can see online and in the modern world. Feeling-based reactions are geared to trump more considered thinking. You don’t need a degree, a PhD, or years of mathematical training like Nicholas of Cusa to use CT effectively. All you need is to respect and voluntarily engage with the natural mechanisms in your environment that encourage reflection and deeper situational analysis. One of the most natural ways to cultivate CT is by learning to embrace opportunities for intellectual humility in our lives. We can be very humble, but we can also be very arrogant. Once you understand what pulls you toward each, you can gain some power over the flaws of the human mind. What is intellectual humility?
It’s the ability to recognise the limits of your knowledge, stay open to new ideas, and accept the possibility of being wrong. Intellectual humility is the same as humility, but in CT the intellectual part means you actively reflect on what grounds your humility and intentionally trigger it through deliberate thought and practice. In today’s world, many people believe they know everything. The internet—the primary source of our ideas—is dominated by the cultural and intellectual advances of the Anglophone West. Yet here, intellectual humility is often overshadowed by a brazen cognitive confidence. It is quite sickening to watch in fact. Intellectual humility is nowhere to be found, especially among the loudest most arrogant voices and those most determined to force their ideas on others. More common to Eastern thinking, there remains a deep understanding that the human mind must be tamed, or it will deceive its master. In contrast, the West, with its abundance of everything, has seen people become slaves to the mind's evident weaknesses. This is not good. When we learn CT during a PhD, ideas, and thoughts are routinely challenged by peers and supervisors. This constant critique strengthens thinking because we are forced to face the discomfort of being wrong and we can not physically run away. It’s painful—I often felt the sting deeply and wanted to hide, or worse, quit. This is the moment where you will either lash out in anger and drive away the wolves, or you will understand that there is a purpose to this battle. Despite not yet understanding why the struggle would become my most valuable lesson, I kept returning, day after day. At the time, I simply wanted the degree, and of course, back then after a lifetime of social struggle, my ego craved the status. But to become the best I could be, I had to confront the truth about my work—or at least the truth as it was perceived by those judging it. All of this was intellectual humility in training. HOW TO DEVELOP INTELLECTUAL HUMILITY ORGANICALLY To develop intellectual humility, it can only be done through peer review. You need to make sure you place people and mechanisms in your environment to hold your ideas accountable. Think about it now: who in your life is most likely to tell you the truth despite the discomfort it brings? Who in your life has said something—or perhaps many things—that made you angry, annoyed, or upset, but also triggered reflection, and deeper thinking, and ultimately led to positive cognitive evolution? Generally, it is our family and close friends who are most likely to tell us the truth. We get annoyed, irritated, and lose our cool. Some might be wrong and some might be right. Unfortunately, we live in a time in the Anglophone West where it has become normal to cut off anyone—even family—who brings any negative emotion into our lives. Let me clarify: I’m not suggesting you tolerate abuse or toxicity or not defend yourself. It is up to you to evaluate whether the discomfort is constructive or crosses a line. But this is exactly where it gets tough because most people don’t reflect well at all. Which discomfort is beneficial, and which crosses the line? This is something you must work out. Intellectual honesty is also another CT virtue. OVERCONFIDENCE AND ARROGANCE In the Anglophone West we are at risk of losing vital opportunities for intellectual growth. We are living in what could be described as the greatest Dunning-Kruger effect in history—a time when this generation has unprecedented access to information compared to those before us. While it’s true we may know more in certain areas, it’s intellectually arrogant to assume this makes us superior to past generations. Knowledge and education alone do not grant us wisdom, and dismissing those who came before us diminishes the lessons and insights their experiences offer. We don’t have to agree with them, but can we really disregard the progress they made within the context of their time? For example, when I began my PhD, in the early years I became cocky and overconfident—a textbook case of the Dunning-Kruger effect. My husband, a particularly disagreeable person (in the best way) who often thought very differently from me (luckily), was there to challenge my raw ideas. Because I loved him and wanted him in my life, he was a suitable person to engage in these oral-battles. He held the unique advantage of being close enough to me not to be removed from my life, yet bold enough to push back in a way that ultimately benefited my thinking. He challenged my ideas, forced me to explain myself, and pointed out flaws in my thinking—not obviously, but through the vulnerability I felt when he asked me something I couldn’t explain. It was frustrating, even maddening, but it kept my feet on the ground. Strangely, within academia, my academic peers were not able to hold me as accountable as those outside of it. And that was because, in the university faculty, most people thought the same way and we were too similar in our thinking, leading to an echo chamber of ideas. For me, true CT or free-thinking happened outside academia. It happened between me, the range of books I was reading (not just in my discipline), my husband, my family, and my friends who knew me long before I became “Dr Esha.” They treated me just as Esha, pushing back on my ideas and allowing me to push back on theirs. Even today, my in-laws care far less about my degree and far more about how I treat their son and their grandchildren. My parents still talk to me like I’m their little girl. My brother and I still banter as we did when we were kids. My children see me in all my vulnerability, as they should—the good and the bad—and they often point out my flaws. How I respond as their mother will always be the greatest lessons (for me and them). As we approach the Christmas season, many of us will find ourselves around family and friends. Remember, it is often those cognitively closest to us who hold us most accountable and teach us the humility we need to grow. The internet, with its curated communities designed for comfort, can turn us into intellectual egotists if we’re not careful. And many of us are not even aware. This is a lesson for all of us: to ensure that, in every space we frequent, our ideas and thoughts are held accountable. Intellectualism thrives and sparks up when ideas are challenged. Humility comes from cognitive discomfort. The social world, when engaged thoughtfully, can organically breed CT. To close, let me remind you: as Western societies have grown more economically prosperous and science-driven, we rely less on family for economic and intellectual support. While it’s wonderful to live in an era where poverty and ignorance are less pervasive, we’ve also lost the natural accountability that once came from those close to us. Studies show rising mental ill health and dissatisfaction despite material progress. Those of you reading this can make a choice: engage meaningfully with your community while also enjoying the benefits of science and prosperity. It’s all about balance. Thought 3 CT Activities for this Week It’s the 22nd of December, and in a few hours, we’ll be spending time with the people closest to us—our family, friends, and community members. This is an opportunity to practice intellectual humility, develop it, and improve critical thinking skills. Family and close friends are often the hardest to engage with critically, as they are experts at triggering our emotional intuition and we are more comfortable to be emotionally reactive. Practice cognitive control and good faith as those who care about you in their own way will be the most likely to ask the most difficult questions. Believe me, there is no other place in your entire existence that will teach you this better. You can apply this in any space—work, community, or home. Allow your ideas to be challenged by others. Challenge doesn’t mean tension and argument; it simply means allowing people to question your thoughts without resistance. You may even let people speak without reacting with any words at all. When discussing something you believe you know well, be open to others’ questions and set the tone by responding humbly and openly to their curiosity. Remember, we often reply with irritation when we are emotionally triggered—perhaps it’s just an insecurity speaking.
Okay, that’s it from me for today! As always, send me an email with any comments, ideas, recommendations, requests, epiphanies, stories, or feedback, OR please just send mail to say hello as I love to hear that you are out there! This will be the last Sunday Synapse for 2024. The next Synapse will arrive in your inbox on Sunday the 12th of January, 2025. As some of you know, I now live in Croatia. In just a few days, my husband and I will be driving to Bulgaria to take our children skiing during the European winter Christmas break. Along the way, we’ll stop in Serbia to visit my Serbian friends who are traveling from Australia. Once we arrive in Bulgaria, we’ll spend the week with my husband’s family, who are driving in from Germany. I’m looking forward to hearing their stories, shared in whatever way they choose to tell them. *Please note I receive 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 give me insight into what you’re thinking and inspire new ideas. So please, don’t stop! Esha. NEW: CRITICAL THINKING TEST!! We need to understand how our mind operates before we can attend to it. I have designed a critical thinking test specifically for you to self-assess how your thinking style impacts your social/work life, communication style, and relationships. This test is evidence-based and assesses you in 6 CT domains based on your day-to-day social interactions. It takes about 20 minutes. CLICK HERE FOR CT TEST
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