How to Train Your Mind to Think Critically and Form Your Own Opinions (Thorin Klosowski)
Critically thinking is a very useful skill, and although some people know how to absorb important information, and then use it to form a decision or opinion for themselves--some are unable to think critically and just spout off what they hear others say. Critically thinking takes practice, and we can train ourselves to do it better.
- Train Yourself to Pay Attention to the Right Details
One of the most important parts to thinking critically is the ability to learn what details actually matter. Because we are exposed to so much information and other's ideas everyday, it becomes easy to get lost in the details. Start by listening to your gut--if something doesn't sound true, then that is your first warning sign. Then you can start to look for holes in an argument:
Think about who benefits from a statement: think about who benefits from the statement being made--if someone's making an argument, then there is a good change they benefit from it for some reason.
Question the source: especially with the Internet, the sources are not immediately visible, so if something sounds off, track down where it came from before you form an opinion about it.
Look for obvious statements: a common trick in debates and reviews is to find a critical argument inside a series of obviously true statements. For example:
"So, now we know the sky is blue, that grass is green, that clouds are white, and that Apple makes the best computers"