How to Think Critically: Question, Analyze, Reflect, Debate.

By Albert Rutherford

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

• Language: English
• Publisher: Publishdrive
• Release date: Jul 5, 2021
• ISBN: 9798531280688

Book preview

How to Think Critically

How to Think Critically

Question, Analyze, Reflect, Debate.

Albert Rutherford

ARB Publications

Copyright © 2021 by Albert Rutherford. All rights reserved.

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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.

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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.

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For general information on the products and services or to obtain technical support, please contact the author.

Contents

Untitled

Introduction

1. What is Critical Thinking?

What does a Critical Thinker Look Like?

Benefits of Critical Thinking

Reflection: Are You a Critical Thinker?

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

3. The Essentials of Critical Thinking

The 7 Steps to Better Critical Thinking

The Universal Intellectual Standards

The Elements of Thinking

Valuable Intellectual Traits

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

5. How to Understand More Deeply

Make Mistakes and Ask Questions

Asking Questions in Different Situations

Follow the Flow of Ideas and Embrace Change

6. Reasoning by Analogy

The Power of Words

Uncovering False Analogies

Analogy in Practice

Reflection: Practice Your Analogy Skills

7. Summary Guide

Conclusion

Before You Go…

Reference

Notes

Untitled

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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 they come up