The eighth installment in the Critical Thinking Week Series
One of the requirements for being an effective critical thinker is having the practice of continually re-examining one’s position(s), and taking an attitude of humility, being ready, willing, and able to revise an opinion based on the best available evidence.
Rational thinking entails starting with premises and evidence-based data, and then using appropriate argumentation techniques to develop a position (or justify a claim), based on the data and evidence. But if there are errors in the data (accidental or deliberate), or flaws in the argument, the conclusions are called into question, and the argument will need to be re-evaluated.
Critical thinkers must be critical of their own thoughts. As Richard Feynman said, “The first principle is that you must not fool yourself — and you are the easiest person to fool.”
“I don’t think I’m always right, but I always think I’m right” —Don Loeb
When a person becomes overly committed to a belief, they may begin to reject all input contrary to that belief, only accepting information supporting it. To be a true critical thinker, one has to listen to contrary arguments and evaluate them thoroughly, being open to the possibility that these new arguments may change one’s perspective.
In 2023, more than 10,000 research papers were retracted. Of course, retractions rarely receive much publicity, but websites such as Retraction Watch stand on guard for good science. A crucially important process of the development of scientific knowledge is being able to identify and learn from missteps and mistakes. On the other hand, it is human nature to try to avoid the embarrassment of being wrong. Kudos to those who have the courage to publicly admit their errors, accept the consequences (if there are any), and do the next right thing. Here are a few examples of scientists taking this admirable action.
For more information, you might also enjoy the Podcast for Inquiry episode, The Ancient Art of Thinking for Yourself, with Robin Reames.
Image by Ivan Bertolazzi via Pexels, used under the Pexels License
Discussion:
Have you made a rational decision to change your mind on an important question or issue? What caused you to do this? What consequences did you face?
Based on verifiable facts as evidence and the roll-out of events, I have altered my position on two key issues – the Israel-Hamas conflict and Donald Trump’s trade war. Unfortunately, there is no space here for me to provide details. Critical thinking should also involve processing others’ opinions and hard evidence through one’s own experience and perceptions, so that one’s thinking becomes a dynamic process. I have also found that letting people with debatable viewpoints talk on and on eventually leads to them contradicting themselves. You should listen carefully until the others discredit their own positions. You all have a happy critical thinking day!