Chitchat S'poreans lack critical thinking

[gsfosnis]

Analyzing Critical Thinking

To better understand the concept of critical thinking, and how you can better develop it
in your own life, let’s take a moment to analyze critical thinking.

There have been several incredible critical thinkers in history. Here is a list of a few of
the greatest:

• Isaac Newton
• Plato
• David Hugh
• Socrates
• Aristotle
• Buddha

Of course these are only to name a few. The list goes on and on with various doctors,
philosophers, gurus, and so on. There are two primary things that all of these men, along
with the rest of the critical thinkers in history, all have in common.

If you choose to study any one of them individually, you won’t have to look very hard
before you see that they all:

1. Were deep thinkers
2. Were independent thinkers

There it is again, if you noticed. That word, independent. The entire core of the idea ofcritical thinking is that it is independent.

We can’t emphasize enough in this book how important it is for you to learn to think for
yourself.

We live in a very privileged world. We have all the information in the world... quite
literally, in fact, right at our fingertips with the internet. If you wanted to, you can get
online, learn how to build an airplane, a light bulb, and why cardinals don’t migrate in
the fall, then follow it up with the best cake recipe to take to that party tomorrow.

We are given access to more information in less time than ever before. Anyone on the
planet with access to a computer literally has anything that they have ever wanted to
know right at their fingertips. There are a lot of pros to this, but there is also one major
con that stands out above the rest.

We have lost the need to think about things.

You don’t have to think or solve issues anymore. If something is in the way of your
progress, all you have to do is pull out your smart phone and Google it. There you have
your answer, then you work through the issue, and forget about it.

You didn’t learn anything, you just got through whatever it was that was holding you
back at that moment.

A lot is lost in this way of life. What happens is that we end up adopting the opinion or
solution of the person that we read about online, and we don’t gain the understanding of
how to solve the problem ourselves.

The ability to solve and understand the solution to a problem is key in learning how
to use critical thinking to solve your other life problems.

Remember when you were in school, and you were taking geometry? You were given
problems and theorems to solve those problems, which you did with ease. You knew
that if you followed the formula, you were going to end up with the right answer.

It was all relatively easy to figure out, until you were asked to prove why the theorem
worked. This opened up an entire new ballgame, because you weren’t going to just
figure out the answer, but you were going to figure out why the answer was what it was.

When you worked with these proofs, you became a master in the art of geometry. You
may not be able to build a building, and you may not be able to repeat every law of
geometry as it is written, but you do have an understanding of why things work the way
they do in the geometric world.

All of the sudden, circles and squares and triangles all mean something again, and you
can make sense of the areas and perimeters. It is more than just knowing that 2+2=4...
you know why 2+2=4.

Sure, this wasn’t fun for any of us to do, but at the end of the class, and at the end of the
day, we were learning how to solve a problem. You understood the why behind the
solution, and that is what set you apart as a critical thinker.


Don’t Be Afraid to Ask Questions

We have lost a lot of value in thinking these days. It is unfortunate, and it is a new trend
in society. If you look back into history, in the Roman Empire and the Greek Empire,
and even into the classical times with all of the composers, you are going to see that
they were all thinkers.

They didn’t write great music, and build empires, and give us all of those great life
quotes through Google. They thought about them, analyzed them, and drew up their own
conclusions.

You were held in high regards in ancient times if you were a thinker, in fact, that is what
many people tried to be. Let’s take a moment now to take a look at one of these great
thinkers, and see how his method can help us in this modern day not lose the art of
critical thinking.

Socrates was a great philosopher and thinker. It doesn’t really matter who you are or
what kind of education you have, if you are in the world today, odds are you know that
Socrates was an ancient man, and that he was a thinker.

Socrates had a method to his genius, and that method was simple: Ask questions.

Socrates was a teacher, and he taught his students to ask questions. He never spoon fed
them answers, and he never told them what they ought to think, but he did challenge them
in what they did think.

For example, if one of his students were to announce that he believed that music was the
way it was for a particular reason, Socrates would ask him why that was so. Or he
would ask him if that led to another thing, and the student was free to agree or disagree.

If he agreed, Socrates would ask him why, if he disagreed, Socrates would ask him
why.

Socrates wasn’t out to point out whether his student were right or wrong, he wanted
them to think about why they felt the way they did, and if their conclusions about their
subjects were on track or not. Socrates didn’t want a world of people that just spat the
answers he gave them back out, he wanted a society of thinkers, where each person
brought their own skills to the table.

Put it to work! How to apply Socrates’ method to your own life.

You can spend your entire day reading what the philosophers did with their students to
make them think, but then you have to take a moment and ask yourself how this applies
to your life, and what you can do to think better.

If you were sitting in Socrates’ class, what would you tell him you were thinking? What
questions do you think he would ask you? What would your answers be? You don’t have
to be in his class to ask yourself these questions, all you need to do is ask them.

Take the time to think about your problems, and any other thing in your life. Don’t just
blindly accept what you hear or read, think about it. Draw your own conclusions, and
see where you go from there.

You will be surprised at how many of your problems that seem to be crushing can really
be thought through if you sit down and do it.

This can apply to any way that you obtain information. Whether you hear a speakertalking, you watch a documentary, or if you are reading a book. You need to learn to analyze everything.

You don’t take a deep book and read it cover to cover without having to pause every
now and then to really think about what you have read. If you do this, you are going to
lose a lot of what the author intended for you to have.

Instead, read a couple of pages, and set the book down. Wait a moment, and think about
what you are reading. Ask yourself questions... think.

1. Is what I am reading true?
2.Do I agree with it?
3.Does it apply to me and my life?
4.How can I make it apply to me and my life?
5.Is there anything the author is trying to convey that I may have missed?
6.How do I feel about this?

Of course you will make the questions more personal to you as you read, and you will
find that your problems are going to be more suited to what you are reading, but the
method stays the same.

You need to make your life, and your thoughts, intertwined. Make everything you do
matter. Think about the information you are absorbing and how it applies to you where
you are right now, and how it applies to where you want to be in the future.

When you learn to view life with a questioning attitude, you are going to realize that you
can find a lot of the answers in your own mind, and that you can apply these answers toyour life.

It will become a cycle for you, but this time a good cycle that is going to lead to good
results.

to be cont'd

 

[gsfosnis]

How to Avoid Being a Target Audience

As we have already mentioned, there are a lot of businesses out there that prey upon
those that don’t think for themselves. These businesses all spend their time on elaborate
marketing, each with a specific person in mind.

They tell you that if you buy their product, you will be able to run faster, or longer, or
your hair or teeth will be prettier, or you will have more friends, or a happier life.

This product “gives you wings” that product “tastes like the rainbow”, this product
promises that all of your problems will be solved if you have prettier teeth. When you
read it in this kind of context, you can probably think of a few more catch phrases that
come to mind, and the products behind those promises.

If you have ever been a part of the ‘target audience’, then it is also likely that you fell
into the trap of purchasing whatever the product may be to make your life that much
easier.

You bought it, you opened it, and with high hopes you applied it. And waited. You may
have noticed some differences, you may not have, but all in all, you find that your life
stays mainly the same.

But you did everything that the company said you should, and you even bought their
product to achieve whatever it was you wanted to achieve. So what went wrong?

You bought into a gimmick, and became a part of a social group. You bought what
you were told to buy, without much thought to the actual results or consequences.

Don’t misunderstand, we are not saying that you can’t purchase things that you see
advertised, or that you can’t find things that are going to work for you. What we are
saying is that you need to think about the purchase, and think about the advertising.

Be a critical thinker when it comes to your purchases, and make wise decisions. If you
don’t, you will lose a measure of self-esteem and self-reliance as you only follow what
you were told to follow.

How to purchase a product and not be a part of the target audience.

There are some people that take this concept too far... they feel that they can’t purchase
anything without succumbing to the trap that corporate businesses set forth.

There are actually a few things you can do to ensure that you are thinking critically
about your purchases, and that you are able to shop without just mindlessly buying what
you are told to buy and shopping where you are told to shop.

Follow this list of questions and apply them to the things that you want to buy. You may
want to buy something that is popular, or that there is a lot of advertisement for, and that
is perfectly fine.

We are not telling you that you can’t ever do anything that is popular, or anything that
anyone else is doing, what we are telling you is that you need to think about what you
are doing before you do it.

You may want to buy something that is popular and that a lot of other people are buying,
or you may not. You can think about it critically, and make a decision based on what you
feel you need in your life. If that happens to be the same thing that other people are
buying, then that’s fine, if it doesn’t, that’s fine, too.

So here is the list of things that you need to ask yourself when you are buying anything.
You can do this when you are at your home before you are even at the store, or you can
do it before you make an impulse buy. Either way, it is important that you ask yourself
these questions before you buy anything, and you will be thinking critically.

1. What is the marketing of this item?

Before you buy anything, ask yourself how the item is being marketed. If you
see that there are a bunch of happy people, and that the implication is that you
need the item in order to be happy, then you may want to consider walking
away from it.

You don’t need anything that you don’t currently have to be happy, and the
marketing companies will play off of the fact that you want to be happy in
order to draw you into their schemes. At the end of the day, they don’t care if
you are happy or not, they just want to get your money.

Be smart when it comes to the packaging of an item, and ask yourself if you
want it, or if you want what they say you will get if you buy the item.

2. What is the company behind this item?

Remember that big name brands are good at what they do, and that they are
only after your money. To them, every dollar counts, but they don’t care
about the individual people that are dealing with the items.

The big name company could care less if you have whiter teeth or if your
dog’s coat is shiny, but what they do want is more steady customers. Do your
research when it comes to the company behind the product.

Ask yourself if there is a better company that you could be buying from, or if
you really do have to get it from them. If you are diligent with your research,
you are going to find that you have better choices elsewhere, almost every
time.

3. Am I happy now, without this item?

If you are purchasing an item to make you happy, you may as well pass it up
right now. There is nothing on this planet that is going to make you happy if
you have to buy it, only true happiness comes from within.

There are impulse buys that look shiny at the store, and if you stand there for
a few minutes, you are apt to think that you will be happy if you but it, but the
reality of it is you are just as happy without it as you will be with it, you just
have to find that happiness yourself.

4. Do I think that I need this item?

There are two different kinds of needs on this planet. There is the genuine
need that you have to have something in order to survive. Clothes,
medication, food, shelter... these are all genuine needs.

That new outfit that you think is cute... not so much. There is nothing wrong
with purchasing an item merely because you want it, but don’t get stuck in the
thinking that you need to have the newest and latest and greatest, when the
only true needs are very basic.

5. Is this an impulse buy?

If you didn’t have any intention of purchasing an item when you went into the
store, then it is an impulse buy. There are times when it is fine to purchase
something on impulse, but you have to be careful when it comes to these
purchases.

You only have a certain amount of money in your bank, and a certain amount
of space in your home, so do you really need that statue that you didn’t even
know existed before earlier today?

Make sure you are certain about the purchase before you make it. Save time,
space, and money.

6. Can I live without it?

This goes along with the same idea of deciding whether or not you really
need the item. There are all kinds of things that you will encounter that look
bright and shiny on the outset, but you need to think about them before you
purchase them.

Again, it isn’t wrong to buy something just because you want it, but you
would be surprised how many things you mindlessly buy in your week all
because of the good marketing that you become subject to in your daily life.

7. Will it make me happy?

There is nothing that you can buy that will make you happy if you are not
happy right now, so stop trying, and stop buying into that gimmick.

There are things that you can buy that will be fun, and things that you will
have good times with, but there isn’t anything you can pay for that is going to
bring you lasting happiness.

That is something that you need to have all on your own, and even though the
marketing companies all promise that you are going to be happy if you buythis,
that, or the other thing, it is all a ploy that they are using in order to get your money.

Don’t fall for it.

8. Who am I trying to impress?

Sadly, there are way too many purchases that we make to impress other
people. This may be friends, family, our boss, our partner, and the list goes
on.

Ask yourself, before you buy anything, if you are buying it because you want
it, or if you are buying it because you think it is going to make someone else
impressed with you or like you better.

If you have to purchase things to make other people like you, you need to re-
think the people that you are hanging around. The real friends in your life
aren’t going to be impressed with what you buy, they are going to like you for
you.

9. Will I regret it?

Buyer’s remorse is something that a lot of sellers have to deal with, but you
can ensure that you will never have to deal with that in your life if you are
careful with what you buy.

If you think about what you are buying before you buy it, then you don’t ever
have to worry that you are going to regret the purchase. You may need to
return it for a different reason, but that is different than you just didn’t want it
anymore.

Think carefully about what you are buying, and don’t be that person that has
to think of a reason to return your item.

10.Should I be using the money elsewhere?

There are a lot of people that spend money with other things they need to be
buying. They get caught up in the trap that if they buy this or that they are
going to be happy, regardless of other things not being paid.

You need to realize that you have your other responsibilities, and no matter
what else you buy, you will still have to pay for these as well. You are going
to be in a lot more trouble if you buy things on impulse when you still have
other things that need to be taken care of, so think these purchases through
carefully before you buy them.

Of course you are going to need to make this list your own, and ask yourself questions
that are more suited to you, but this is a great list to get you started. Even better, at the
end of the day, you have to decide what the answers are, and whether or not those
answers mean that you should purchase the item or not.

You might have a rule that says if you answer ‘no’ to any of the questions that you need
to walk away, or you may have another system worked out. Whatever the system is that
you are using, you need to make sure that is what you are sticking to when you are
purchasing an item.


to be cont'd

 

[hsienloong]

Great thread Scroobal.

Excellent post and contribution effort Gsfosnis.

Just to add a couple of points.

Like Socrates, always ask questions.
When you ask questions, remember these little helpers,

Why, When, What, Where, and How.

They are your greatest assistants in your quest for answers.

 

[gsfosnis]

Great thread Scroobal.

Excellent post and contribution effort Gsfosnis.

Just to add a couple of points.

Like Socrates, always ask questions.
When you ask questions, remember these little helpers,

Why, When, What, Where, and How.

They are your greatest assistants in your quest for answers.

You're welcome hsienloong aka wufung.
Enjoyed your posts and contributions as well.
Happy posting and contributing.

 

[mojito]

Silly eggheads. You critical think but wrong how? People say, you do! If wrong, it not your fault. If right, it thanks to you. Think? Think for what?

 

[scroobal]

It is not as complicated as some make out to be. Take the case of a simple picture puzzle that comes in a box. You have to assemble it by putting the right bits in the right order. You only complete the puzzle when all the pieces are in the right place. When faced with a situation, you make a series of assessments and sometime you ask the questions to resolve the lack of information or to clarify a point. Thats how you resolve a situation.

To a significant extent the Govt had done much of the thinking and they delivered in the past in many ways. We then became complacent and assumed that they will continue to deliver. Interestingly even the Govt had become complacent and failed in the area of critical thinking. Conversely they thought anything they throw out would be readily accepted by Singaporeans. The classic case was the White Paper on Population. They had made so many assumptions and it was clear that it was not critically assessed by the minders and their superiors. It was flawed at so many levels that it became an embarrassment.

Silly eggheads. You critical think but wrong how? People say, you do! If wrong, it not your fault. If right, it thanks to you. Think? Think for what?

 

[hugs]

Resulted of being replaced by FT. Perhaps it is not like that for you, you might say, but it is like that for many others.

Silly eggheads. You critical think but wrong how? People say, you do! If wrong, it not your fault. If right, it thanks to you. Think? Think for what?

 

[garlic]

If there is anything you can count on Sinkie kids, it is they have no questions in class whatsoever, from kindergarten to tertiary education. no one has questions to ask... any teachers/educators here can attest to that..

Hence, the "no-questions" culture cannot produce critical thinkers, but on the other hand, no one can beat us at efficiency, when everything is done on a no-questions basis... things get done fast.... no need to think, no need to ask, just do what was told, in this aspect, we are world's best...

 

[Papsmearer]

If there is anything you can count on Sinkie kids, it is they have no questions in class whatsoever, from kindergarten to tertiary education. no one has questions to ask... any teachers/educators here can attest to that..

Hence, the "no-questions" culture cannot produce critical thinkers, but on the other hand, no one can beat us at efficiency, when everything is done on a no-questions basis... things get done fast.... no need to think, no need to ask, just do what was told, in this aspect, we are world's best...

What you have just described is a sign of stupidity, not efficiency. Even the US army trains its soldiers to obey blindly, but they are always free to input any questions and suggestions to improve the mission.

 

[ginfreely]

If there is anything you can count on Sinkie kids, it is they have no questions in class whatsoever, from kindergarten to tertiary education. no one has questions to ask... any teachers/educators here can attest to that..

Hence, the "no-questions" culture cannot produce critical thinkers, but on the other hand, no one can beat us at efficiency, when everything is done on a no-questions basis... things get done fast.... no need to think, no need to ask, just do what was told, in this aspect, we are world's best...

But if you have questions to ask like why I cannot change seat and why students must sit on the floor and not chairs, the teacher/educators say you think this is your grandfather school?

 

[Patriot]

Good thread, scroobal and wonderful sharing by gsfosnis.

Thoroughly enjoyed reading this thread.

Thanks.