Critical Thinking

[rxrjoe]

Hi. I would like to know how to think critically and pursue truth. Basically, lets say I want to research a topic. Obviously I should seek out sources that offer opinions and evidence and all that and be able to sort that all out and make a conclusion. How do I do this whole process? How do I know who to trust and what to trust? How do I think critically and pursue truth? Please point me to any books and websites that would be of help.

Thank you!

[Ryan O'Dine]

Thinking critically and doing good research are not exactly identical skill sets.

A good resource for critical thinking is: http://www.austhink.org/critical/. Learning the logical fallacies is as good a place as any to start.

As far as research, it depends to an extent on your topic. Would you care to elaborate?

Oh, and welcome to the forum!

[Tristan Chi]

A couple of potentially useful links:

http://www.freeinquiry.com/intro-to-sci.html
http://www.csicop.org/si/9012/critical-thinking.html

[Showmeproof]

For the most part, I would not trust research studies conducted by magazines unless they cite the journal and author. A lot of times you see magazines conduct their own studies and post results. I would not trust the validity of these results. The best path to go is to find peer reviewed scientific journals.

[Soapy Sam]

Hi. I would like to know how to think critically and pursue truth. Basically, lets say I want to research a topic. Obviously I should seek out sources that offer opinions and evidence and all that and be able to sort that all out and make a conclusion. How do I do this whole process? How do I know who to trust and what to trust? How do I think critically and pursue truth? Please point me to any books and websites that would be of help.

Thank you!
You are under no obligation to trust anyone, including yourself.

Start general, go specific.
(Internet, General reading, Library research, scientific papers, personal communication with researchers, own research.) If someone tells you he has a working free energy machine, it doesn't matter if he has three Nobel Prizes. Ask to see a working model.

If it sounds improbable, it probably is.

If you care to say what you want to research, someone here might point you in a direction that saves you some time- but you're under no obligation to believe him, either.

[Sunstealer]

Hi. I would like to know how to think critically and pursue truth.Goddamit. You want the truth! You can't handle the truth!

Basically, lets say I want to research a topic.Ten-four good buddy, hearing you loud and clear, but a topic only contains hazelnuts, nougat and caramel. It's already been done you ain't gonna get much left over from that. Have you considered a more nutritious less nougarty snack?

Obviously I should seek out sources that offer opinions and evidence and all thatThat's a pretty good start.

and be able to sort that all out and make a conclusion.You can only make a conclusion if you are demonstrably able to understand the subject that you wish to study which means studying it's prerequisites.

How do I do this whole process?Schooling and self learning, i.e I fell over and hurt my knee, ow, ow, ow. Conclusion, falling over and bashing one's knee hurts. But Mummy makes it all better! Mummy uses anti-sceptic cream and a plaster and kisses to make it all better. Conclusion; if you scrape your knee seek mummy alternatively if internet forums prove too much, seek mummy or if you are a troll/cannot work it out for yourself, yep, you guessed it seek Godzilla!

How do I know who to trust and what to trust?


If you don't know this by now then how come you aren't dead from starvation, dehydration. For someone who doesn't trust then you surely have a good understanding of the English language let alone how a keyboard and the internets work. How did you come to this situation? How did you even get to the level to ask this question? You can only trust what your senses and experiences show, however, you must realise that you are not alone and that there are collective senses and experiences that experience exactly the same thing given and therefore, testable, repeatable, and falsifiable experiments are applicable and communicable to you even though you have not directly experienced them. The trick is to get past the childhood stage, enter adulthood and start thinking for yourself, which means that you should have at some point been a teenager and asked those questions yourself. You sound like a poorly troll let alone a poor troll.

How do I think criticallyIt's very simple the problem is that many people simply don't know the secret. What you do is this; gather up as much honey, marmalade, strawberry jam as you can. Go out on the hottest summers day as you can get and smother yourself in all that sickly goodness. Then wait. You'll find out how to critically think soon enough.


and pursue truth?You didn't listen the first time did you? You want the truth! You can't handle the truth!

Please point me to any books and websites that would be of help.Sure. http://www.creative-baby-shower-ideas.com/images/babybook1.jpg

Thank you!No problemo.

[rxrjoe]

Christ, this guy SunStealer thinks I'm the troll. Thanks to all of the people who gave serious responses. The website about logical phallacies was really helpful. Also, I got a better grip on the Scientific Method. I think my problem was that I often got wrapped up in the emotion of someone's claim instead of looking at it critically. Again, thank you all for the responses.:)

[RSLancastr]

You are under no obligation to trust anyone, including yourself.Especially Soapy Sam. :D

Best of luck, Joe. Please continue to use this site as a sounding board. And if someone thinks you're a troll when you're not, don't let it get you down. Eventually, the truth will out.

[rjh01]

Also before you accept anything as true ensure you have it from two independent sources. Anyone can be wrong.

[kerikiwi]

Also before you accept anything as true ensure you have it from two independent sources. Anyone can be wrong.
Including you? And so two independent sources are not required?
;)

[RayG]

Or, you could use the Vincent Gambini approach:

"Everything that guy just said is ********..."

Apply to anything anyone says. :D

RayG

[rjh01]

Including you? And so two independent sources are not required?
;)


Never rely on what I tell you. Everything I tell you is a lie.:jaw-dropp

That includes the previous sentence.

[CriticalSock]

Christ, this guy SunStealer thinks I'm the troll. Thanks to all of the people who gave serious responses. The website about logical phallacies was really helpful. Also, I got a better grip on the Scientific Method. I think my problem was that I often got wrapped up in the emotion of someone's claim instead of looking at it critically. Again, thank you all for the responses.:)

Please don't call them "logical phallacies"! Unless you are making a little joke of course. Or am I thinking of logical phallusies... :)

I found this site useful:

(Oh, can't post urls!) it's called Logical Fallacies .info. If you google that, it's the top link.

Also there's a book called "A Rulebook for Arguments" by Anthony Weston, which someone on these forums recommended to me I think. I found it very useful in providing tools for assessing statements that people make.

[Darat]

There's this one: http://www.don-lindsay-archive.org/skeptic/arguments.html

[Dancing David]

Critical thought:

1. try to understand the theory and hypothesis.

2. consider if the basis of the support for the theory is there in the evidence

3. consider alternatives that would also be supported by the evidence

4. consider if a difference exists between the two

5. avoid high level abstraction, emotions and appeals to authority

6. if there is a consensus that exists then examine the basis of that consensus, is it based upon trying to explain the data.

7. alternate theories require evidence

8. double blinding is preferable to anecdotal evidence, there is pwoer in frequentists statistics

9. human perception is often made up and confabulated

[Beerina]

Here's a magnificent example of what you seek: The Bermuda Triangle Mystery Solved (http://www.amazon.com/Bermuda-Triangle-Mystery-Solved/dp/0879759712/)

It teaches both of what you seek. It does a thorough investigation of many Bermuda Triangle stories, effectively debunking them. And in many cases, the author deliberately shows how those who tout Bermuda Triangle mysteries exaggerate, leave out details, and in some cases, outright lie about the stories in order to create a mystery where there is none. This helps you learn how to recognize who's being honest and who's not trustworthy.

[rxrjoe]

Please don't call them "logical phallacies"! Unless you are making a little joke of course. Or am I thinking of logical phallusies... :)


LOL!! I just suck at spelling. I remember in a class I had, when I first heard the word "bias." We were taking turns reading aloud passages from our textbook and I pronounced it "bi-ass" about 20 times before somebody corrected me.

Also, thank you, everybody else who replied. I've learned a lot about logic and the search for truth and all that. I recently started frequenting a philosophy forum. I love the discussions. They get my mind working a way that is highly enjoyable.:D

[phaed]

A few resources on rationality:

http://www.overcomingbias.com
http://yudkowsky.net/bayes/bayes.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Probability_theory
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logic

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_biases
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fallacies

Good luck!

[Showmeproof]

LOL!! I just suck at spelling. I remember in a class I had, when I first heard the word "bias." We were taking turns reading aloud passages from our textbook and I pronounced it "bi-ass" about 20 times before somebody corrected me.

Also, thank you, everybody else who replied. I've learned a lot about logic and the search for truth and all that. I recently started frequenting a philosophy forum. I love the discussions. They get my mind working a way that is highly enjoyable.:D


Rule 1 on this forum- do not spell ANYTHING wrong, or make grammatical mistakes. If you do, EVERYONE will point it out. Actually, I will probably be the only one that does not point it out, because I suck at grammar.

:D

[RichardR]

The website about logical phallacies was really helpful.
It's obviously not written by a dick head.

[Beerina]

LOL!! I just suck at spelling. I remember in a class I had, when I first heard the word "bias." We were taking turns reading aloud passages from our textbook and I pronounced it "bi-ass" about 20 times before somebody corrected me.

Some of these ghost and UFO stories are definitely bi-assed. :)