clair073

Some readers may think you have to be smart to think critically. But a corollary is that learning how to think critically makes you smart. The assumption is that one can learn to think critically (that is, be smart). The assumption is correct. Here, I hope to show you how you can  become smarter by learning critical thinking skills. Require Yourself to Think Critically When you read or listening to others talk, force yourself to become more attentive and engaged with the information. Asking questions assures engagement. Learn and Look for Common Thinking Errors Unfortunately, most adults are not taught formal logic, even in college. College logic courses are electives and are made confusing by obtuse premises, propositions, and equations. But c ommon-sense logic can suffice. I have posted a list of common thinking errors elsewhere  (1).  Here are some of the more serious thinking errors: APPEAL TO AUTHORITY OR CONSENSUS: attempting to justify the conclusion by quoting an ...

Improving learning and memory entails developing learning and thinking competencies. Chief among these competencies are logical analysis, insightfulness, and the ability to remember what has been learned. Most of my posts have dealt with improving memory. Here, I start a two-series posting on the other two basic learning competencies: critical thinking and creativity. In this post, I will summarize the more common thinking errors that corrupt analysis. Most of the thinking errors below can be described as "specious," which means superficially plausible but actually wrong. AD HOMINEN ARGUMENT : discounting a position or conclusion on the basis of the credentials of the person who makes it, rather than the merits of the argument itself. Example: Your professor has no credibility to teach on cognitive neuroscience, because he is a veterinarian. Such statements not only fail to acknowledge whatever truth is in the teaching, but also fail to consider that the person has more exper...