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The Core Critical Thinking Skills Necessary For Independent Thought

2/14/2021

I was recently interviewed by Brittany Polat about the core critical thinking skills necessary for independent thought on her website, Living In Agreement, and how Stoicism can help us to think more clearly about the world.

We discuss logic, being slow to form opinions, having standards of evidence, separating truth from falsehood, being able to accurately evaluate other people's arguments, being open-minded, not being afraid to be wrong, changing your mind in light of better information, thinking with a degree of detachment, (rather than from a dogmatic or emotionally driven mindset) and a knowledge of cognitive bias and group dynamics.

Is there any group in which you automatically agree with all the opinions of the group? Are you in any group which views the “opposing” groups as evil, stupid, or weak? If so, some examination of your beliefs is probably in order. I suggest several ways to dig deeper and to think more independently throughout the course of this interview.

Books and resources to learn more about critical thinking:
https://www.commonsenseethics.com/blo...
The Well-Trained Mind book I mention: https://amzn.to/3jLpAHq *affiliate link http://www.triviumeducation.com/study...

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What is the Purpose of Government?

8/29/2020

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What is the purpose of government? We all can define the purpose of medicine or of car repair and so forth, but with government, the purpose is undefined.

We wouldn't tolerate our doctor or mechanic talking to us in the way politicians do - never addressing the details of the problem, running away or becoming hostile when difficult questions are asked. So why do we tolerate it in politics?

This discrepancy indicates that we haven't defined the purpose of government well enough, which is the focus of this Socratic dialog.

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How to Change Your Mind

7/3/2020

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The Socratic Method is a way of thinking which helps you to become more open-minded and less afraid of being wrong. Socrates felt that we are more ignorant than not, so to achieve excellence, we can’t be satisfied with what we already know, we should keep striving to gain knowledge and get closer to the truth.

Changing your mind is more Socratic than dogmatically clinging to your beliefs throughout life. But it's not always easy to do, and that is what I discuss with my guest Justin Vacula.

We cover the important point that free speech - even controversial free speech - is essential for true critical thinking and for Socratic Dialog and therefore must be protected. Without free speech, we have what happened to Socrates himself - he was imprisoned for speaking freely and committed suicide. Human knowledge cannot be advanced without open discourse, without which, we remain in ignorance.

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How to Do Socratic Dialog: What Is Justice?

5/25/2020

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Socratic Dialog (also called the Socratic Method) is a way of working together to discover the truth and test whether your ideas or opinions are sound. The Socratic Method is also a way of thinking which helps you to become more open-minded and less afraid of being wrong.

In this video my guest, Max Maxwell, explains Socratic Dialog and demonstrates how to engage in Socratic conversations with an open mind as we discuss justice and the purpose of government.

The Socratic Method is especially important today since political discussions are often so polarized, and people tend to act in a less than charitable way when discussing issues that they disagree on.

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Why Ask Questions?

8/28/2019

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August 2019 marks Common Sense Ethics' 6th birthday! In honor of the blog turning 6, I will be launching a Socratic Dialog on the ideal government on my YouTube channel some time in the coming months.

Today's guest post about Socrates is contributed by my friend Winton Bates. Winton has a background in economics. He writes about the good society, psychology, philosophy, and other topics at his website Freedom and Flourishing:

When I started blogging, about a decade ago, I decided that the title of each article would be a question. As I saw it, the response to each question would lead to further questions. It also prompts me to reconsider whether I am answering the right question.

I have found it is not easy to ask questions that get to the heart of an issue if you don’t know much about it. I have often revised questions in the middle of writing an article as I have learned more about the subject matter.

A friend made the comment that the approach I had adopted on my blog was somewhat Socratic. I doubted whether that was so, but I knew little about Socrates. I decided that it was time I learned more about him.

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Character Education is Up to Parents, Not Schools

7/31/2019

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Albert Einstein notably said that, “Most people think that it is the intellect which makes a great scientist. They are wrong. It is character.” Einstein should know, because it was at his urging that Franklin D. Roosevelt initiated the Manhattan Project, which would develop the world’s first atomic bomb. Though he was not personally involved in the Manhattan Project, it was a decision which Einstein regretted his entire life – he was horrified by having contributed to the destruction that the bomb made possible.

In my estimation, we are typically educated so that we will get into the right college and be successful monetarily. Far less emphasis is placed on developing a strong moral character, which is often only an afterthought. If intellectual achievement outpaces the development of moral character, we get a population of people bent on being smart and successful but not much concerned about the needs of others.

How does someone develop moral character? I'll give you a hint; not in school. The largest scientific study conducted on the subject concluded that school-wide character education programs produce no improvements in student behavior or academic performance. Moral character develops in the family and through exposure to various life experiences. Parents therefore need to be intentional about character education for their children, and in this post, I’ll give some tips for how to do it.

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38 Life Lessons in 38 Years

4/13/2019

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I just celebrated my birthday, so I thought it would be a fun change of pace to write a post about what I have learned in almost 4 decades of life.

I don't want this to read as a list of regrets. Really a more positive take is that I'm hoping these 38 life lessons can help others!

1. Don't Waste So Much Time

Speaking of regrets, this is my biggest one. I wish I had spent more time on languages, musical instruments, and generally applying myself than on wasting time with friends, watching TV, etc. Life is short. Use your time wisely. You'll have less time when you start working, and even less for quite a while if you have children!

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Why Is Politics so Divisive?

1/26/2019

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"Socrates was about getting to the bottom of an argument. About not giving up on it. About facing his own ignorance and confronting his own prejudices. Most of all, he was about having a real conversation." - Classicist Mary Beard

I'm just going to come out and say it. Contemporary politics is unbearable, petty and divisive. So how did things get this way? Why has the political sphere become so divsive in recent years? I'll take a stab answering that question here.

I am optimistic that there will be a return to a more Socratic way of doing things; a return to some sembalance of civility and reason. Perhaps if we are willing to look critically at why things have gotten so divisive, we may find some solutions to bring the sanity back to politics.

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How Can We Overcome Our Biases?

4/4/2018

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Why is it so hard to for us the change our beliefs or to get other people to change their minds? A new documentary film Right Between Your Ears, examines the science and psychology of how people form convictions. According to producer Kris De Meyer, a neuroscientist, certain aspects of human psychology make it very hard for us to be objective or unbiased.

People usually form beliefs by accepting what they've been told by someone they trust: parents, teachers, media and so on. Our beliefs can change when we learn new things. But when we become convinced of something, it is similar to a religious belief in the way our brain operates. We may react with anger when challenged. This human tendency often leads us to seek out information which confirms what we already believe and ignore everything else - it's a cognitive bias actually - called confirmation bias.

It seems obvious why confirmation bias can be a problem - it can prevent us making good decisions. It makes us rigid thinkers. Someone can easily fool us by simply appealing to our established belief systems. The good news is that there are some practical strategies to overcome this natural human shortsightedness that I'll let you in on at the end of the post.

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9 Great Critical Thinking Books for Children and Teens

3/5/2018

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Recently, a reader commented on my post How To Get Rid of the Need to Be Right asking for recommendations on critical thinking books for kids. Given my three roles as a children's librarian, amateur philosopher, and parent, I thought I should write up a helpful post on the subject.

Critical thinking seems to be a buzzword when used in the context of contemporary education, yet the skill is sorely lacking in society at large. Poor reasoning often dominates public discourse.

When I say critical thinking, strictly, I'm referring to logic, or the science of how arguments need to be formed in order to be reasonable or correct. I'm also referring more generally to skills like separating truth from falsehood, being able to accurately evaluate other's arguments, being open-minded, and thinking with greater distance (rather than from a dogmatic or emotionally driven mindset).

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<<Previous

The Core Critical Thinking Skills Necessary For Independent Thought

What is the Purpose of Government?

How to Change Your Mind

How to Do Socratic Dialog: What Is Justice?

Why Ask Questions?

Character Education is Up to Parents, Not Schools

38 Life Lessons in 38 Years

Why Is Politics so Divisive?

How Can We Overcome Our Biases?

9 Great Critical Thinking Books for Children and Teens

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