Human Thought, Reasoning and Critical Thinking 

This blog has evolved in a manner that I could not expect. Which in a strange way, which is what I expected. What the heck does that mean? This is a journey through human cognition, the necessary conditions for life, survival, hopefully thriving and moving forward. One of the most important elements is the ability to think critically. 

Essentially separate the misconceptions from what we perceive as real. 

Humans make decisions based on 1) emotion and 2) reason. 

Primitive humans had a reflex what has been referred to the “fight or flight response because it evolved as a survival mechanism, enabling people and other mammals to react quickly to life-threatening situations. The carefully orchestrated yet near-instantaneous sequence of hormonal changes and physiological responses helps someone to fight the threat off or flee to safety. Unfortunately, the body can also overreact to stressors that are not life-threatening, such as traffic jams, work pressure, and family difficulties.” https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/understanding-the-stress-response

I found it is always good to quote a highly respected source like Harvard. Who will dispute that? Well, you should. “Plato divided the mind into two separate spheres. The soul was seen as conflicted, torn between reason and emotion.“ (It was as if the soul was the driver of 2 horses.) “When the driver and horses wanted different things, Plato said, it was essential to listen to the driver. "If the better elements of the mind which lead to order and philosophy prevail," he wrote, "then we can lead a life here in happiness and harmony, masters of ourselves." The alternative, he warned, was a life governed by impulsive emotions. If we follow the horses, we will be led like a "fool into the world below."  Lehrer, Jonah. How We Decide (p. 10). 

Google “critical thinking” or be lazy and check the following… 

“Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action. 

Critical thinking can be seen as having two components: 1) a set of information and belief generating and processing skills, and 2) the habit, based on intellectual commitment, of using those skills to guide behavior. It is thus to be contrasted with: 1) the mere acquisition and retention of information alone, because it involves a particular way in which information is sought and treated; 2) the mere possession of a set of skills, because it involves the continual use of them; and 3) the mere use of those skills ("as an exercise") without acceptance of their results.

Critical thinking varies according to the motivation underlying it. When grounded in selfish motives, it is often manifested in the skillful manipulation of ideas in service of one’s own, or one's groups’, vested interest. As such it is typically intellectually flawed, however pragmatically successful it might be. When grounded in fairmindedness and intellectual integrity, it is typically of a higher order intellectually, though subject to the charge of "idealism" by those habituated to its selfish use.

Critical thinking of any kind is never universal in any individual; everyone is subject to episodes of undisciplined or irrational thought. Its quality is therefore typically a matter of degree and dependent on, among other things, the quality and depth of experience in a given domain of thinking or with respect to a particular class of questions. No one is a critical thinker through-and-through, but only to such-and-such a degree, with such-and-such insights and blind spots, subject to such-and-such tendencies towards self-delusion. For this reason, the development of critical thinking skills and dispositions is a life-long endeavor. 

https://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/defining-critical-thinking/766 

“The crucial importance of our emotions—the fact that we can't make decisions without them—contradicts the conventional view of human nature, with its ancient philosophical roots. For most of the twentieth century, the ideal of rationality was supported by scientific descriptions of human anatomy. The brain was envisioned as consisting of four separate layers, stacked in ascending order of complexity. (The cortex was like an archaeological site: the deeper you dug, the farther back in time you traveled.) Scientists explained the anatomy of the human brain in this manner: At its bottom was the brain stem, which governed the most basic bodily functions. It controlled heartbeat, breathing, and body temperature. Above that was the diencephalon, which regulated hunger pangs and sleep cycles. Then came the limbic region, which generated animal emotions. It was the source of lust, violence, and impulsive behavior. (Human beings shared these three brain layers with every other mammal.) Finally, there was the magnificent frontal cortex—the masterpiece of evolution—which was responsible for reason, intelligence, and morality. These convolutions of gray matter allowed each of us to resist urges and suppress emotions. In other words, the rational fourth layer of the brain allowed us to ignore the first three layers. We were the only species able to rebel against primitive feelings and make decisions that were dispassionate and deliberate. But this anatomical narrative is false. The expansion of the frontal cortex during human evolution did not turn us into purely rational creatures, able to ignore our impulses. In fact, neuroscience now knows that the opposite is true: a significant part of our frontal cortex is involved with emotion. David Hume, the eighteenth-century Scottish philosopher who delighted in heretical ideas, was right when he declared that reason was "the slave of the passions." (Lehrer, Jonah. How We Decide pp. 17-18). 

Critical thinking is not always innate and must be learned because it is a lot easier to make decisions based on emotion. But that is NOT always bad. Emotion is the “gut check” when one can feel a decision is right or not. The emotional decision is IMHO (in my humble opinion) is a start. Analyze where that leads using critical thinking tools. 

As stated, separate the misconceptions (bull) from what we perceive as real. Then analyze it, conclude, and review and review… What we know changes with new information. Factual information should be the basis for critical thinking. Conclusions from critical thinking should guide our actions. 

Apply this to reading this blog. I do not have the hubris to but believe that everything in this blog is fact. I hope it is. If I am divinely inspired, I sure don’t feel it. None of you have even made a comment yet. I try to keep these individual publications short, so you don’t get too bored!

 

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https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/critical-thinking-skills