Critical Thinking Defined

Humans are capable of making decisions and reaching conclusions based on the validity of a claim. That act of using your reason to judge if something is true and how one should act under different circumstances is part of critical thinking. At the same time, how you find your actions and decisions reasonable is also part of it.

Critical thinking, in this sense, is essentially “thinking about thinking.” It is the careful examination of one’s thoughts with the aim of determining that they really make sense. Since all actions actually rise from one’s thoughts, being a critical thinker allows you to make intelligent actions when you consider doing what you think is justifiable.

Why Do You Need to Study It?

You may be confident that you would not be doing anything so remotely intelligent in this lifetime, but you have to admit that there are times that you make errors of judgment due to your emotions or some unfounded beliefs. That would make you human, but a wise human would want to make as few errors of judgment as possible in order to live his life to the fullest.

Studying critical thinking makes you a lot smarter, and that is a fact. You would not be smarter in a subject in school, but it makes you smarter in general. For starters, it allows you to make more efficient decisions, such as choosing the right product when you are shopping, to more important global decisions such as knowing whether you should be thinking about human rights or not.

First, You Need To Know the Basics

There are three words that you need to be familiar with, because you would encounter them as you read on. These are claim, issue, and argument.

What is a Claim?

A claim, or a statement, is something that can be true or false.  Now, it is the task of every critical thinker to examine the validity of that claim. If you know Fluffy, and then he is a dog, then you know that this is a false statement.

Claims should be investigated because it leads to unraveling the truth about the world that you belong to. It is important for you to know if the software that you bought last week would be truly compatible with your computer, just like the salesman said. At the same time, it is also very important to know if lawmakers are stealing your taxes or not. By investigating the claims that you see around you, you make the best decisions according to your situations.

However, take note that not all claims are worth investigating, since they are obviously right or wrong. But there are a lot of claims that you need to take a closer look at, because they would lead you to make very important life decisions. Because of that, you need to be aware of which claims would warrant a higher level of scrutiny.

What is an Issue?

When you question the validity of a claim, you raise an issue. That means that this term is actually a question in itself. That means that when you want to be critical about something that you have read or heard, you raise a question and that makes it an issue.

It sounds simple, but there are certain situations wherein that is not the case. The reason is that it is highly probable that you may not be making the right issue. There may even be cases that you are not aware whether you want to make an issue out of a claim or not because you do not even know what the claim is pointing at.

So here is something else that you need to be critical about: there are certain sentences or words that exist out there that are not claims, but they are there to make sure that you, as the audience, become confused, or simply unchallengeable. It is either they do not make sense at all, or they cannot be scrutinized because there are no means of proving that they are true or false. Now the question is this: should you pay attention to those things or not?

It would depend on your values, belief systems, and prior experiences to know what you should make an issue out of. For example, if you hear the claim “God is dead,” you technically have no scientific or physical evidence to prove it otherwise. But if your religion that you value tells you otherwise, then you have all the reason to aim to disprove that.

What is an Argument?

Arguments are the most important part of critical thinking, because this is the point wherein you would weigh reasons why you believe or not believe a claim, and why you should make an issue out of it. When you think about it, you have been arguing the moment you decided to pay attention to the claim and when you upheld or questioned it.

Critical thinkers know that arguments are created in such a way for people to have ways of determining the validity of everything that happens in the world. In most situations, you may not even know whether you were able to make the perfect argument in proving that a claim is valid or not. However, the way you argue would be the one that would count. Now, you have the basic idea of how critical thinking works.

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In Sweden, there was a case wherein two girls was arrested at one of their grandmother’s homes after they robbed a store and made away with about $400. The reason why they got arrested is this: they took a selfie, which the police used to track them.

In England, two men in their 20s used Facebook to start a riot and were sentenced to four years in detention. The arrest has been made easy thanks to their Facebook profiles and easy reference to their post.

You may think that the first lesson that they learned in prison is that they should have not given in to the temptation of using social media right after they did something wrong. However, you would be surprised at how people tend to make the most stupid decisions.

Some people commit felony just for the sheer pleasure of doing so. Apart from that, there are crimes of passion just because people’s minds get clouded by their emotions.

There are also people who tend to think that just because they thought that something works, then that should go the same for everybody. There was this cult in Atlanta that believed that staring at the sun would provide clarity to the mind, to which ophthalmologists would disagree.

There’s also that one fellow that you might know that would tell you to eat something disgusting and not doctor-prescribed to make an ailment go away. To which you would probably think that it is impossible to ingest something dirty and get rid of sickness.

And then there are people who easily miscalculate consequences because they want to make decisions hastily, only to jeopardize their convenience and their resources in the end. What are they lacking? Critical thinking, of course.

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This list may stop you from forgetting any necessary tip or strategy that you just have to be compelled to do to realize your goal. The list is your guide once creating vital choices.

Determine the matter

You need to raise yourself what downside or issue you would like to make your mind up on. This may build it easier for you to seem for various ways in which to resolve the problem. Confirm that the matter or issue is value evaluating. For instance, deciding whether or not to cook dinner reception or dine out doesn’t essentially need a list.

Specify your goals

Ask yourself your main objective for making an attempt to form a choice. Your goal is like your destination once you are traveling. Your destination helps you choose what roads to require. It’s additionally necessary to form certain that your actions are in line along with your goals.

Lay down the choices

Before creating a choice, you would like to understand all the choices that you just need to make sure that you’re selecting the most effective one. You ought to embody all potential choices, even people who are too totally different from your usual means of thinking or are extremely unbelievable.

Apprehend the professionals and cons of every choice

In each choice that you just have, you would like to weigh the professionals and cons which will assist you decide that choice to opt for. You would like to the results every choice to understand however each can have an effect on your life or your business.

Anticipate potential issues and arrange for potential solutions

You need to anticipate issues and problems which will arise once you create your call. By anticipating potential issues, you’ll be able to prepare yourself and your team well once featured with the matter. tThis may additionally assist you realize potential ways in which to resolve the issues even before they happen.

Think about your tolerance for risks

If the choice involves risks, you would like to form certain that you just will accommodate these risks in your life or business. For example, if you can’t afford to lose loads of cash if you choose to take a position in stocks, you ought to rethink your call and perhaps realize another less risky investment.

Have arrange B

You always have to be compelled to have arrange B or perhaps arrange C that you just will fall back on once creating a choice. This is your safety internet just in case your 1st call fails or backfires. It’s necessary to own all the loopholes lined before you create a choice while not over analyzing or worrying an excessive amount of.

You should think about using this list all told the necessary choices that you just have to be compelled to build in your life—whether it’s a private or business call. This list can guide you in creating the correct call which will cause your success.

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Procrastination is one of the things that prevent people from making decisions and taking actions now. You are probably guilty of putting your decisions off. This is not good because it does not get you any closer to your goals or aspirations.

If you want to be rich and live comfortably, you should start taking actions now because you may no longer have time to work as hard in the future when you are older and physically weaker. If you want to have a harmonious relationship with your partner, you should start making amends now to improve your relationship as soon as possible.

To stop procrastinating and start moving forward, here are some things that you need to do.

Identify the causes of procrastination

Aside from being lazy, procrastination can also have deeper underlying causes. Fear and anxiety can keep you from making a decision. When you are afraid of the possible outcome that your decision can bring, procrastinating provides you temporary relief. Another cause is confusion. You may not have any idea what to do that leads you to indecision and procrastination. Perfectionism can also be a cause of procrastination. If you want everything to be absolutely perfect before you make the decision, you will surely take a long time before you take the first step. You need to address the root cause of your indecision and what prevents you from taking action.

Just take the first step

The first step is always the most difficult part of any decision making process. For example, if you already bought a house but you have not yet decided when to move, you should just take the first step that will motivate you to see your decision through. You can start packing or communicating with your children’s school about transferring them to another school or contacting your utility providers about canceling your services. By taking the first step, the next steps will be so much easier to do.

People sometimes procrastinate because they are disorganized. The actions that they need to take are all muddled up in their mind which prevents them from making any decision. You should consider writing down the things that you need to do that will keep you focused. You can do this for your daily tasks or long term goals.

Create deadlines

Procrastinators also have an unclear idea about time or their schedule. They think that there is always tomorrow for all the things that they need to do. You can stop procrastinating by setting deadlines for your decisions. If you are planning to do general cleaning at home but you have not started anything yet, you should set a deadline or a schedule for your tasks. For example, you can schedule your cleanup on a weekend and allot an hour for each room. This way, you will know how near or far you are from achieving your goal.

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One of the most important skills that a leader should possess is good decision making ability. Having good decision making skills improves productivity of the company or group. Leaders are often faced with problems or issues that need to be solved—it is a part of their job. Some of these issues are easy to resolve while others are more difficult. No matter what kind of problem you are facing as a leader, you should observe good leadership principles for making good decisions that can ultimately improve your team’s productivity. Here are some basic leadership principles in relation to decision making that you need to know.

Make decisions at the right time

There are two kinds of mistakes a leader can make when making a decision—one is making the decision too early and the other is making it too late. It is important that you know when to strike that will give you the most benefit. This book may be teaching you about quick decision making without overanalyzing but this does not mean that you should make them too swiftly even when you do not have all the facts yet. As a leader, you need to know proper timing when making decisions that will boost your team’s productivity.

Align them to your organization’s goals

When making decisions as a leader, you need to make sure that every action you make is aligned with your organization’s goals. If your decisions and actions are in line with your company’s overall goal, your team’s productivity will surely increase. For instance, if the goal of the company is to broaden the target market, and you have decided to innovate your existing product to make it more marketable to both young and old customers, the higher-ups will know that your team is being productive because it is contributing to the achievement of the company’s goal.

Learn how to balance

Making a decision requires a lot of balancing act on your part. For example, you need to weigh the pros and cons and make sure that the decision you have chosen has more pros than cons or at least try to balance the negatives and positives. You should also balance the act of not worrying and the act of evaluating the issue. You need to analyze the options presented to you but you should stop yourself from over thinking. It is also important to strike a balance between thinking and acting. You need to know when thinking is required and when you need to stop doing it and instead, take the necessary actions.

Know the different elements of a decision

Decisions are composed of different elements such as your goals or the things that you want to achieve, the information that you have, the possible outcomes, and the steps or actions that you can take. Of course, what you have in mind or what you have planned for may be different from the reality but it is important not to give up and to stick to your decision. By learning how to make good decisions for the whole team, you will definitely improve your team’s productivity that can help boost your business.

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One of the things that prevent you from making a decision is worrying. You worry about a lot of things until you feel negative about making the decision and changing your position. Worrying is human nature and is normal behavior but when done excessively, it can do harm to your life because it prevents you from growing as an individual and also from embracing change.

You need to stop worrying so that you can focus on making the right decision.

Live in the moment

Worrying is anticipating negative events that can happen in the future. If you are thinking about planning a surprise party for your partner, you might worry that he will find out about the surprise, your friends will not cooperate, he will have other plans, and so on. Although these events may happen, you should stop yourself from obsessing over them because it is just a waste of your time and energy. You should instead focus your time and energy on the things that you need to do right now such as printing the invitations and letting your friends in on the surprise.

Acknowledge your worries

Another important thing to stop yourself from worrying is to acknowledge them and plan a possible solution that will prevent them from happening. If you are worried about whether or not to go to the job interview because you keep thinking that you will give incorrect answers and embarrass yourself in the process, you need to do something about this by preparing for possible answers to common interview questions. This is one way to turn your negative thoughts into positive instead of simply letting them stay in your mind and making you feel anxious.

Be busy

Your mind will not have any room for worries if you keep yourself busy. If you find yourself sitting at home and biting your nails while overanalyzing a decision that you have to make, you should go out for a while and keep yourself busy from other things to prevent your mind from overanalyzing things that can lead to worrying. Try to arrive at a decision again once your mind is free from unnecessary thoughts that may not even happen at all.

Do not focus on small things

When making an important decision, you should spare yourself worrying about the small things and instead focus on major factors that can affect your decision. When choosing a job, you should focus on more important things such as salary, location, and opportunity for growth. You should not worry about minor things like dress codes or free lunch. Focusing on the major details will prevent yourself from worrying about details that you should not dwell upon.

Don’t give in to worrying

When you find yourself obsessing about your fears and worrying about the future, you should simply tell yourself to stop. You should ask yourself if the idea is worth getting anxious over about. Do not give in to worrying and to your fears because this will prevent you from making important decisions that can change your life for the better.

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After making the decision, it also becomes a challenge to have the discipline to stick to it. You need to avoid second guessing yourself because this can only affect the consequences of your decision. You have to stop yourself from changing your mind once the decision has been made. Remember that not all decisions can be reversed and the best thing that you can do is to stick to your decision no matter what.

The main reason why you are second guessing yourself and thinking that your decision is probably wrong is lack of confidence. If you do not feel confident about your decision in the first place, you will surely have qualms and worries once it is done, thinking that you chose the wrong decision.

You need to be confident about your decision so that you can stick to it in the long run.

Trust your intuition

It has been discussed in the previous chapter that intuition is used by many people when making decisions. You need to learn to trust your gut even if sometimes the solution or choice that it presents is not logical or different from what you are used to. Sometimes, you just need to trust your instinct to be able to make a decision. Your intuition is your link to your subconscious mind and sometimes the answers to your problems lie in the deepest recesses of your mind.

Gather enough information

You will not have any confidence in your decision if you do not have enough information about your choices. If you are about to make a complex decision, you need to get the facts first, weigh the pros and cons, and understand the impacts of each choice. Once you know the important facts and details behind each option, you will become more confident about the decision that you are about to make. For example, if you are not yet sure whether to try a new software for your business and it is a thousand dollar investment and you cannot afford to change your mind once the decision is done, you first need to learn more about the features of the software and how it can help improve your business.

Get to the root cause of your doubts

You need to ask yourself why you have these doubts about a particular decision that can lead to second guessing. Maybe it is because of some mistake that you have done in the past or maybe because you are afraid of change. Whatever your reason if for doubting, you need to address it so that you can focus on making the decision. This will also prevent you from changing your mind once you have already made your choice.

Test them against your principles

Another thing that you can do to be more confident in making a decision and stop second guessing is to test the different options against your core values or principles. This is especially useful if the choices all look the same on the surface. You should ask yourself which among the options is in line with your core values or principles or the things that you value the most. The answer is usually the best option and the right decision to make. 

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Understand the signs

You need to know the signs of positive and negative intuitions. Sometimes,
your intuition is already telling you something but you are not aware that
these are already signs of your intuition trying to help you make a decision.

Some signs of positive intuition include the following:

• You feel comfortable and familiar with the decision

• You feel calm, safe, and excited

• It is not at all difficult for you to choose the idea

• You lean forward when listening to the idea and you nod your head
unconsciously

Some signs of negative intuition include:

• Your gut does not feel calm or relaxed, as if there is a tightness

• There is a sense of darkness, agitation, and other negative vibes

• You feel tensed about making the decision

These are some of the signs that you need to look out for when trying to
make a decision using your intuition. It is important to listen to these subtle
signs because they can help you avoid making the wrong decision and lead you to
the right one.

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There are two kinds of people when it comes to making decisions—one that uses the deliberative style of decision making and the other that uses the intuitive style. Intuition is defined as a method of processing thoughts and information that is non-sequential.

This means that decisions based on intuition do not usually follow the standard logic or reasoning when making judgments. You are basing your decision on your gut feel, instinct, or emotion.

Studies show that people tend to practice one style of decision making. People who are in a good mood are believed to use their intuition more when making a decision and people who are in a bad mood tend to use the deliberative style. Because the intuitive style of decision making relies on gut feel or instinct, it is usually quicker than the deliberative style, which is why many people want to use this form of decision making in their life.

If you want to know how to use your intuition to make critical decisions quickly, you should check out the following tips.

Go to a quiet place

It is difficult to listen to your intuition if you are in a noisy place full of distractions. You need to go to a quiet place to get in touch with your intuition and avoid using technology. You need to relax your mind and body to access your intuition. You will be able to feel or sense what your instinct is telling you if the place is quiet and your mind is relaxed.

Write down your thoughts

To access your intuition, you should also consider keeping a journal where you can write down your thoughts. Oftentimes, writing down your thoughts help you put things in perspective. You might be able to realize things that are already staring you in the face. You should write freely without minding your grammar, sentence construction, and other technicalities of writing.

Just write the thoughts that enter your mind. This way, you are not forcing your mind to think of a decision or solution but you are letting the thoughts flow freely. Before you know it, you have already written the answer to your question or the solution to your problem.

Ask aloud

For people who prefer to talk than to write, you can also try asking questions aloud that may lead you to the answer that you are looking for. Many people are doing this strategy because it helps them understand the issue better. When you ask yourself a question, it is as if another person is asking you which will make it easier for you to give a more objective answer. The things that you say aloud can guide you to what your intuition is trying to tell you all along.

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If you want to improve your decision making skills, you also need to improve your critical thinking skills. Critical thinking allows you to pick out any problems or loopholes in your decision making processes and finding all possible solutions to overcome these problems. By using critical thinking, your chance to succeed is high.

When your mind is in the process of making a decision or thinking through a problem, it is affected by different factors such as your assumptions, core values, points of views, and past experiences which can be categorized as your biases. These biases affect the way you think and may color your judgment that can lead to failure in your decision.

With critical thinking, this can be avoided because you are intervening in your though processes and you are consciously looking for loopholes and also possible solutions that will help you succeed. You can use the critical thinking action plan or strategies below that can help you arrive at the right decision.

Know your purpose

The first step that you need to do to practice critical thinking in decision making is to know your purpose. What is your main goal or objective that making the decision will help you achieve. Identifying the purpose of your decision from the onset keeps you guided throughout the whole process.

For example, if you are planning to relocate to a new place but you have not yet made a decision where, you need to ask yourself what is your main goal or purpose for wanting to move. If you want to move because your current location is not ideal for raising kids, then your goal or purpose should be to find a new place which is ideal for families. The new location should be safe, have a nearby school, and convenient for raising children. Once you are able to identify this purpose, you can easily find the right place and make the decision to move to that place.

Understand your biases

You need to understand your biases that can affect your decision and the way you solve a problem. As what has been explained earlier, your biases include your core values, past experiences, and perspectives on things and situations. For example, if you need to decide whether to send your children to private or public school, you need to evaluate your biases first before you make a decision.

You might be more inclined to send them to a public school because you yourself attended a public school and you also think that kids who attend private schools are spoiled brats. You also think that spending a lot of money on primary education is too much, even though you have the means to do so. This shows that your thoughts are influenced by your core values, notions, and your own experiences.

It is important to look beyond these biases by looking at it from a different perspective. You should ask yourself the different benefits of sending your kids to private schools. You should also look at it from the point of view of parents whose children attend private schools, so that you will be more objective when it comes to making your decision.

Consider the different consequences

Making a decision is not simply choosing option A over option B. You also need to evaluate the different consequences of both options that will help you arrive at the best decision. By anticipating the different consequences, whether positive or negative, you will be more confident in your decision because you already have an idea what kind of challenges or issues you will face if you choose a specific option.

These are the critical thinking strategies that you need to remember to become successful at decision making. You need to identify your purpose, consider your biases, and anticipate the different consequences of your choices.

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