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Critical thinking is a concept that is often discussed today across a variety of contexts. In personal relations, it is understood as a benchmark of an educated, interesting person, with whom it is possible to have an enticing conversation. In professional and academic fields, critical thinking remains an essential competency that is nurtured in students and trainees. This skill is an ability to question the reality from a perspective of experience and knowledge. It is not similar to scepticism in this regard, since the main idea is to pose questions in pursuit of objective knowledge and the truth. Critical thinking enables filtering of all information in order to rely on facts and evidence instead of assumptions or misconceptions. In other words, critical thinking is a trait of paramount importance in the age of abundant information that comes from many sources of varying credibility. However, even though its importance is widely acknowledged, the exact process of nurturing this skill often appears complicated. The book How to Think about Weird Things by Theodore Schick and Lewis Vaughn provides insight into the peculiarities of critical thinking.
The authors begin their discussion by referring to the dual nature of information within the contemporary environment. Schick and Vaughn explain that most sources do not simply transmit information but also attribute it to either a “fact” or “fake” category (2). According to them, it is natural for most people to operate with beliefs and perceptions. In such cases, they are convinced of the true nature of this information, which is why its delivery can often be persuasive. Yet, a distinct characteristic of a person capable of critical thinking is to question the information that is supplied to them. This is especially relevant to the phenomena that can be considered “weird”, which is embedded in the title of the book. Schick and Vaughn share an important insight, which states that without asking “why”, people are unlikely to understand the nature of the phenomenon in question (3). It is through the search for evidence that true facts are uncovered.
The value of this statement consists of its universal applicability, meaning that it can be used in the majority of cases. Evidently, the concept of “weirdness” tends to be associated with various paranormal occurrences. For example, Schick and Vaughn mention space alien contacts and psychic investigators as weird concepts (3). In each of these paranormal cases, there will be the people who believe in them, as well as those who will be quick to debunk such assumptions. A critical perspective begins by questioning whether this information is true by analyzing the facts that are given by each side. At the same time, the same principle can be applied to less “weird” cases. In fact, the progress made by humanities in science likely stems from the ability to think critically. When encountering an unusual natural phenomenon, it is possible to accept it as it is. However, should an inquisitive person wonder why it occurs and what principles condition it, the pursuit of knowledge and truth begins.
Therefore, critical thinking is a universally applied concept that can filter all kinds of information Throughout the first 100 pages of How to Think about Weird Things, Schick and Vaughn refer to a variety of contexts. For example, it is possible to manipulate public opinion through various polls and surveys (Schick and Vaughn 46). Critical thinking helps an individual analyze public data for credibility. A valid, credible survey would not have to conceal the details of its sampling procedures, and the same principle can be applied to academic research (49). In all cases, there is a strong distinction between beliefs and knowledge. Evidence is the key to bridging the gap, and helping beliefs become facts or knowledge. These pages by Schick and Vaughn are insightful in that they help the reader understand the profound mechanisms behind the well-known, yet poorly understood term that is critical thinking.
Work Cited
Shick, Theodore, and Lewis Vaughn. How to Think about Weird Things: Critical Thinking for a New Age. McGraw Hill, 2014.
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