In the dystopia "Brave New World!" Huxley very clearly shows how the absence of a critical perception of reality allows a person to believe in everything that is presented to him.
Huxley believed that the truth would drown in a sea of useless information noise, and people would not be able to make sense of the huge flow of information. Modern reality requires from a successful person, not linear and one-sided, but flexible, rational, critical thinking.
Critical thinking is a person's ability to question incoming information, including one's own beliefs.
“The degree of freedom of a society is determined not by the amount of permitted information, but by the level of development of this society, its complexity. A fool cannot be free, it is not for nothing that he is called a “limited person”. He is limited in everything, including in making personal decisions. (Dmitry Bykov)
But let's move from lyrics to business. How can you develop your critical thinking?
Always check the source of information, refer to the original source if possible. To understand one specific issue, you need to listen to opinions from different angles.
Remember that the human brain is primarily a working tool. Therefore, the development of thinking requires constant training.
Psychologist Scott Berkan advises learning to ask questions: who, besides you, shares this opinion? What are the key problems and what does it take to solve them? What needs to be changed for your opinion to be the opposite?
Any our opinion is subjective, we are often very biased towards some information. Critical thinking allows you to expand your horizons, go beyond yourself. Yes, in essence the ability to think critically is the path to freedom. Reflect on what you disagree with. Ask yourself why specifically you disagree?
Keep a diary. Write down your judgments and thoughts. But practice this every day. Priorities need to be written in the diary. Analyze your goals and capabilities. Estimate the time studying. Analyze your day. Note the successes and mistakes made. Make a plan to reduce wasted time.
Try to structure your thoughts and control this flow, if there is chaos in your head, you will not be able to take control over it.
When making decisions, consider all possible options and describe them in detail. All exist in a two-column paradigm: pros and cons. Only white and black are missing.
