Chapter 7 - Thinking

1. Introduction

1. The business of persuasion embraces all of us
2. A typical American sees 30,000 television commercials each year (Radio, magazines, books, brochures)
3. It’s easy to lose our heads unless we develop skills in critical thinking.
4. When we think critically, we make choices with open eyes

2. Uses of critical thinking

1. Basic elements of communication: reading, writing, speaking, and listening
2. Critical thinking also plays an important part in social change
3. CT helps us uncover bias and prejudice
4. History offers a continuing story of half-truths/ faulty assumptions

1. Bloodsucking leeches to cure disease
2. Illness results from an imbalance
3. Racial integration of the armed forces will lead to the destruction of soldiers’ morale
4. Caucasians are inherently more intelligent
5. Mixing races will lead to genetically inferior offspring
6. Women are incapable of voting intelligently
7. We will never invent anything smaller than a transistor
8. Computers will usher in the age of the paperless office

5. Critical thinking is a path to freedom from half-truths and deception
6. You have the right to question what you see, hear, and read

3. Critical thinking as thorough thinking

1. Critical thinking is sorting out conflicting claims, weighing evidence, and arriving at reasonable views
2. Quick answers are often at odds with effective thinking
3. It takes time and willingness to say "I don't know"
4. Critical thinking and learning are linked together
5. NO ONE is born a thorough thinker - It is a Learned Skill!!!

4. Creativity fuels critical thinking

1. We can use critical thinking to create new knowledge
2. Creativity can open the door to new points of view
3. "Aha!" is the burst of creative energy that comes with a new idea
4. The "Aha!" does not have to result in a "Nobel Prize"
5. School is a natural breeding ground for "Aha!'s"
6. The creative process is both fun AND WORK
7. Employers actively seek people who can think intuitively

5. Techniques for creative thinking

1. With practice you can set the stage for creative leaps
2. Conduct a brainstorm

1. Brainstorming is a technique for finding solutions, creating plans, and discovering new ideas
2. The purpose of brainstorming is to generate many "possible" solutions
3. First, formulate the problem by writing it down
4. Next, set a time limit for brainstorming
5. Next, sit quietly for a few seconds to collect your thoughts
6. Finally, start timing and write EVERYTHING down!
7. Afterwards, review and eliminate the truly absurd ideas
8. Let go of the "need" for a particular solution
9. You can brainstorm with others
10. You can brainstorm about a "brainstormed" idea

3. Focus and let go

1. Intense focus taps the resources of your conscious mind
2. Notice when you pay attention and when your mind wanders
3. When you realize your concentration has lagged, let go (Don't force yourself to be creative)

4. Cultivate creative serendipity

1. Serendipity is the ability to see something valuable that you weren't looking for (a lucky discovery)
2. You can train yourself in the art of serendipity - Keep your eyes open!
3. Expect discoveries

5. Keep idea files

1. People labeled "creative" treat their ideas with care, recognize, record, and follow-up on their ideas
2. Include powerful quotes, insights, notes, and useful ideas
3. Keep a journal
4. Reading fuels creativity
5. Safeguard your ideas even if you're pressed for time (write it down!)
6. Review your files regularly

6. Collect and play with data

1. Look at information from all "sides" (aspects) -- Examine each fact
2. Pick a solution first and work backward to test it
3. It has been said that there are no new ideas -- Just new ways to combine old ideas

7. Create while you sleep - A solution may appear in a dream or just before sleeping or waking!

8. Refine Ideas and follow-through

1. Genius resides in the follow-through
2. Keep a file for your own inspirations

9. Create Success strategies
   1. Create your own ways to succeed in school.
   2. Look at others, books, materials.
   3.  
10. Trust the process
    1. Learn to trust your creative process
    2. Don't avoid frustration by giving up
    3. Trust that a solution will show up

6. Qualities of a critical thinker - Seven qualities that distinguish effective critical thinkers from others:

1. Truth-seeking - Critical thinkers want to know truth
2. Open-minded - Critical thinkers value the fact that people disagree
3. Analytical - Critical thinkers recognize statements that call for evidence
4. Systematic - Critical thinkers stay organized and focused
5. Self-confident - Critical thinkers trust their intellectual skills and are wiling to seek truth with an open mind
6. Inquisitive - A critical thinker wants to know/learn
7. Mature - Critical thinkers posses wisdom from experience

7. Becoming a critical thinker - Suggestions for critical thinking:

1. Be willing to say "I don't know"
2. Define your terms [be clear about what you are talking about]
3. Practice tolerance
4. Understand before criticizing
5. Watch for hot spots
6. Consider the source
7. Seek out alternative views
8. Ask questions
9. Look for at least three answers
10. Be willing to change your mind
11. Lay your cards on the table [ Put your ideas on the table for examination]
12. Examine the problem from different points of view
13. Write about it
14. Construct a reasonable view [almost no reasonable person claims to know it all]

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