Critical Thinking

There is something everyone, including myself needs to do a lot more of. You can probably guess by the title. Critical thinking.

People around the world do not think critically nearly as much as they need to. You see this with mass media, war propaganda, economic policy, feminism, and simple everyday life. We don't think enough. Humans like to act and get things done, especially Americans. I can respect that, but it's leading us down roads that really screw us over.

Now first you need to learn how to critically thinking. There is no one way of doing this. You can take a class on critical thinking, I did, and I was extremely fortunate with that class. You can also read books on the subject or that challenge you or your line of thinking, that's another thing that has helped me move along. You can talk with people or just look at a news story and think it over for a moment. Use whatever works for you. Websites, books, movies, socializing, classes, really whatever, just make sure you think about the information you're getting. Don't fall into dogma or bigotry. If the argument and evident is good, reasonable, or in any way valid, give it some thought. Ponder the issue than come up with a conclusion.

To help you along, here's a few things I suggest.

1.http://rhetoric.byu.edu/
This sight is all about rhetoric which is all about thinking and coming up with reasonable arguments (this is not a definition), and I highly suggest it. There's a lot of information and it can be thick at times, so take it slow if you need to.

2. Read Plato's Protagoras and Meno
These works are excellent. Reading Socrates's arguments is like seeing wisdom in physical form. They are exquisite to read, though they are very deep and even thicker than the website above. It takes time to get them and going back and rereading is a must. I myself need to reread them to see what I missed. But if nothing else, I highly suggest these books.

We are the only species we know of, that can think critically. That can come up with logic and advance ourselves beyond simple needs. We should not allow that potential to go to waste. So please, try a little everyday, to think critically. I will do likewise and if anyone wants to call me out when I don't, feel free. With that, I bid you all a fine day, and I eagerly await your responses.