How to Think Critically: The Critical Thinker, #6
()
About this ebook
Science-backed directives to think critically, make smarter choices, and become a seasoned fact-checker.
You've been manipulated before by advertising tricks. You've overlooked important details and made mistakes in your thinking. You haven't been fast enough to detect opportunities and others snatched them from you. We've all been in these scenarios. But we don't have to stay there.
Transform your thinking to solve complex problems, overcome obstacles, discover opportunities, and think more clearly and accurately.
How to Think Critically is not your average "change your thoughts change your life" book. It is a step-by-step manual that presents the core principles of critical thinking and gives practical guidance on how to re-program yourself for deeper insights and a more conscious living. Here you will find research-proven, actionable tools that will help you to apply critical thinking practices immediately until they become a habit.
Improve your understanding and gain mental clarity.
Albert Rutherford is an internationally bestselling author whose writing derives from various sources, such as research, coaching, academic and real-life experience.
Ask better questions to find more accurate answers and draw more profound insights.
•The essential steps in developing critical thinking skills.
•What deep thinking and analysis really look like.
•How to debunk cognitive shortcuts, manipulations, and biases.
Evidence-based practices for optimal decision-making.
•How to avoid marketing manipulations and make optimal decisions.
•How to ask questions that are free of subconscious suggestions.
•Tips for creative thinking – reasoning by analogy.
Start developing better critical thinking skills today by reading How to Think Critically!
This is the sixth book in the "The Critical Thinker" series as listed below:
- Elements of Critical Thinking: A Fundamental Guide to Effective Decision Making, Deep Analysis, Intelligent Reasoning, and Independent Thinking
- Lessons From Critical Thinkers: Methods for Clear Thinking and Analysis in Everyday Situations from the Greatest Thinkers in History
- Neuroscience and Critical Thinking: Understand the Hidden Pathways of Your Thought Patterns- Improve Your Memory, Make Rational Decisions, Tune Down Emotional Reactions, and Set Realistic Expectations
- 10-Minute Social Psychology: The Critical Thinker's Guide to Social Behavior, Motivation, and Influence To Make Rational and Effective Decisions
- The Art of Thinking Critically: Ask Great Questions, Spot Illogical Reasoning, and Make Sharp Arguments
Read more from Albert Rutherford
The Art of Statistical Thinking Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Build a Mathematical Mind - Even If You Think You Can't Have One Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsInternational Relations - For People Who Hate Politics Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Statistics for the Rest of Us Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPractice Game Theory Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to How to Think Critically
Titles in the series (6)
Elements of Critical Thinking: The Critical Thinker, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLessons from Critical Thinkers: The Critical Thinker, #2 Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Neuroscience and Critical Thinking: The Critical Thinker, #3 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings10-Minute Social Psychology: The Critical Thinker, #4 Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5How to Think Critically: The Critical Thinker, #6 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Art of Thinking Critically: The Critical Thinker, #5 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related ebooks
Elements of Critical Thinking: The Critical Thinker, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow to Think Critically: Question, Analyze, Reflect, Debate. Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Lessons from Critical Thinkers: The Critical Thinker, #2 Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Neuroscience and Critical Thinking: The Critical Thinker, #3 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCritical Thinking: The Concept and Power of Thinking Critically Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Critical Thinking: Beginners guide to advanced critical thinking concepts for problem solving, decision making and goal achievement Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow to Think Differently: 7 Easy Steps to Master Mental Models, Critical Thinking, Decision Making & Problem Solving Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMaster Analytical Thinking Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Critical Thinking: Common Questions, Answers, and Examples Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Critical Thinking Junkie: How to Develop Critical Thinking Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Critical Mind: Enhance Your Problem Solving, Questioning, Observing, and Evaluating Skills Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Guide to Learning the Art of Critical Thinking: Conceptualizing, Analyzing, Evaluating, Reasoning & Communication Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Critical Mind: Cognitive Development, #2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCritical Thinking: How to Guide your Life with Good Decision Making and Problem Solving Skills Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Master Critical Thinking Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Systems Thinker - Analytical Skills: The Systems Thinker Series, #2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Systems Thinker - Mental Models: The Systems Thinker Series, #3 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCritical Thinking: How to develop confidence and self awareness Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCritical Thinking: Fallacies, Benefits, and Other Crucial Aspects Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Think in Models: A Structured Approach to Clear Thinking and the Art of Strategic Decision-Making Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Psychology For You
No Bad Parts: Healing Trauma and Restoring Wholeness with the Internal Family Systems Model Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How to Talk to Anyone: 92 Little Tricks for Big Success in Relationships Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Becoming Bulletproof: Protect Yourself, Read People, Influence Situations, and Live Fearlessly Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Art of Letting Go: Stop Overthinking, Stop Negative Spirals, and Find Emotional Freedom Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression – and the Unexpected Solutions Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Changes That Heal: Four Practical Steps to a Happier, Healthier You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Self-Care for People with ADHD: 100+ Ways to Recharge, De-Stress, and Prioritize You! Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Art of Witty Banter: Be Clever, Quick, & Magnetic Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life: Life-Changing Tools for Healthy Relationships Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How to Win Friends and Influence People: Updated For the Next Generation of Leaders Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Introverted Leader: Building on Your Quiet Strength Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhat Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5101 Fun Personality Quizzes: Who Are You . . . Really?! Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, HER Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Running on Empty: Overcome Your Childhood Emotional Neglect Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Covert Passive Aggressive Narcissist: The Narcissism Series, #1 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Laziness Does Not Exist Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5ADHD: A Hunter in a Farmer's World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5What Every BODY is Saying: An Ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Speed-Reading People Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Your Brain's Not Broken: Strategies for Navigating Your Emotions and Life with ADHD Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Denial of Death Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for How to Think Critically
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
How to Think Critically - Albert Rutherford
How to Think Critically
Question, Analyze, Reflect, Debate.
By Albert Rutherford
Copyright © 2021 by Albert Rutherford. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without the prior written permission of the author.
Limit of Liability/ Disclaimer of Warranty: The author makes no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifically disclaims all warranties, including without limitation warranties of fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales or promotional materials. The advice and recipes contained herein may not be suitable for everyone. This work is sold with the understanding that the author is not engaged in rendering medical, legal or other professional advice or services. If professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. The author shall not be liable for damages arising herefrom. The fact that an individual, organization of website is referred to in this work as a citation and/or potential source of further information does not mean that the author endorses the information the individual, organization to website may provide or recommendations they/it may make. Further, readers should be aware that Internet websites listed in this work might have changed or disappeared between when this work was written and when it is read.
For general information on the products and services or to obtain technical support, please contact the author.
Logo Description automatically generatedClick here for your FREE GIFT: The Art of Asking Powerful Questions in the World of Systems
Table Of Contents
Table Of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1: What is Critical Thinking?
What does a Critical Thinker Look Like?
Benefits of Critical Thinking
Reflection: Are You a Critical Thinker?
Chapter 2: Why is Critical Thinking so Challenging?
Noncritical, Weakly Critical, and Strongly Critical Thinking
The Linda Problem
The Problem with Eyewitness Accounts and Memory
Bayesian Analysis
Chapter 3: The Essentials of Critical Thinking
The 7 Steps to Better Critical Thinking
The Universal Intellectual Standards
The Elements of Thinking
Valuable Intellectual Traits
Chapter 4: Emotions, Assumptions, and Biases
Moods and Thinking
The Science Behind Our Biases
Jumping to Conclusions
Types of Biases
Marketing and Manipulation
How to Detect Biases in Data and Information
Minimize the Impact of Your Biases
Chapter 5: How to Understand More Deeply.
Make Mistakes and Ask Questions
Asking Questions in Different Situations
Follow the Flow of Ideas and Embrace Change
Chapter 6: Reasoning by Analogy
The Power of Words
Uncovering False Analogies
Analogy in Practice
Reflection: Practice Your Analogy Skills
Conclusion
Summary Guide
Before You Go...
Reference
Introduction
I FIRST MET THE CONCEPT of critical thinking in my early thirties. Without entertaining you with how many centuries ago this encounter happened, let me tell you this: I thought I could never master this seemingly ungraspable way of thinking. When I heard the words critical thinking,
I imagined astute diplomats, cunning politicians, and other kinds of geniuses practicing it, taking advantage of the rest of us.
But I was approaching the art of critical thinking in a narrow-minded and uncritical fashion. It’s not a secret cognitive practice reserved for a select few. In fact, everyone can learn to use critical thinking to their advantage if they are somewhat curious, creative, and clever. In other words, most of us can practice this type of thinking. Yet not so many of us do. My mission in this book is to unveil the mystery of critical thinking and help you adopt its basic principles.
Before I engage in the presentation of the nitty gritty, please read the following statements and decide if you’d like to become better at doing each or any of them.
- Interpret others’ needs by assessing their behavior, words, and body language and offer them proper help or support.
- Settle arguments as objective as possible by validating each party and presenting alternative, fair solutions to each party.
- Organize ideas for an essay, story, or news article, paying attention to the complexities of the motivation of each character—real or fictional.
- Gather and analyze data with precision and conduct valid experiments.
- Based on data, assess and anticipate consequences of various decisions and take action to mitigate their negative impacts—for example, in your business.
- Scrutinize your or your competitors’ strengths and weaknesses to optimize your strategies.
- See through marketing schemes and be an informed customer.
- Ask clever questions for new insights.
- Investigate, examine, and evaluate information to reach more accurate conclusions.
- See yourself in a more objective way and use this knowledge to present your skills in a relevant and advantageous way at, for example, job interviews.
Strong critical-thinking skills will help you do better in the areas mentioned above and more. And this book will tell you how to develop those skills. Without further ado, let’s start our journey!
Chapter 1: What is Critical Thinking?
AT ITS CORE, CRITICAL thinking is the ability to look at things logically, to put together to form judgments and make decisions.
Critical thinking was popularized in the Critical Thinking Movement
of the 1980s, which was born from the belief that the rote memorization methods in schools were not the best way to teach students. Instead, the movement suggested that children learn better when they can be hands-on, learning by doing and discovering concepts themselves. From that point onward, education became not just about imparting information through incantations and repetition and expecting it to be absorbed, but about teaching the students how to find their own connections and meaning from lessons, making them active participants in the process of learning rather than just recitation machines. The results were improved long-term memorization and strengthened skills that would be valuable for employers, ensuring that students graduated not just with knowledge but with the tools to build that comprehension even further and grow and learn for the rest of their lives.
Clearly, the movement was on to something, as the evolution to schooling was lasting and remains apparent in education even today, showing no signs of going out of style anytime soon. From teachers to business executives and political leaders, most people continue to see critical thinking as an essential skill that students need in order to be successful in the workplace and in life.[1] But some people are much better at it than others.
Those who look at solving problems with hard facts and statistics, who listen to people’s wild stories with a critical ear, who fact-check and source their material, and who ask frequent questions are good critical thinkers. These people are stronger at debating because