Ramblings of Nick Robillard

The following are basic guidelines to critical thinking:

1. Ask questions; be willing to wonder.

Always be on the lookout for questions that have not been answered in the textbooks, by the experts in the field or by the media. Be willing to ask "what's wrong here?" and/or "Why is this the way it is, and how did it come to be that way?"

2. Define the problem.

An inadequate formulation of question can produce misleading or incomplete answers. Ask neutral questions that don't presuppose answers.

3. Examine the evidence.

Ask yourself, "What evidence supports or refutes this argument and its opposition?" Just because many people believe, including so-called experts, it does not make it so.

4. Analyze assumptions and biases.

All of us are subject to biases, beliefs that prevent us from being impartial. Evaluate the assumptions and biases that lie behind arguments, including your own.

5. Avoid emotional reasoning: "If I feel this way, it must be true."

Passionate commitment to a view can motivate a person to think boldly without fear of what others will say, but when "gut feelings" replace clear thinking, the results can be disastrous.

6. Don't oversimplify.

Look beyond the obvious, rest easy generalizations, reject either/or thinking. Don't argue by anecdote.

7. Consider other interpretations.

Formulate hypotheses that offer reasonable explanations of characteristics, behavior, and events.

8. Tolerate uncertainty.

Sometimes the evidence merely allows us to draw tentative conclusions. Don't be afraid to say "I don't know" - don't demand the answer.