Issue No.16 Critical Thinking vs Tolerance

Have you ever surprised yourself feeling the need to add a "no judging here"/'don't mind me", after sharing your opinion, just to ensure you are not making the other person feel uncomfortable?

If yes, did you wonder why we are associating the act of judging with something negative when "to judge" actually means "to form an opinion about something"? It's like feeling sorry for having an opinion, so instead you choose to not have one.

A few weeks ago, I was listening to Frank Furedi talking about tolerance and how, from his point of view, tolerance has gone so far to the point it prevents people from exercising critical thinking. When tolerance is represented as a form of detached indifference or as a polite gesture connoting mechanical acceptance it became a vice rather than a virtue - so instead of being a way of responding to different points of view, it becomes a way of not taking them seriously.

Furedi highlights how tolerance, once associated with an individual's ability to engage in rational dialogue and debate, has gradually been reduced to a mere endorsement of any viewpoint without critical examination. He contends that true tolerance necessitates active engagement with differing perspectives, including the willingness to critique and challenge ideas respectfully.

Throughout his academic work, Furedi emphasizes the importance of moral independence and the need for individuals to develop their own moral frameworks through critical thinking. He encourages us to embrace intellectual autonomy, engage in honest debates, and resist the pressures of conformity and groupthink - and that's what I want to invite you to do with this newsletter issue on critical thinking.

???Tools & practices

• 9 critical thinking tools that are helpful for people at every stage of their personal or professional journey.
• The Critical Thinking?course?from the University of Auckland is available, for free, online, and covers everything from evidence and reasoning to law and morality.
• The CAMPER questions graph enables individuals to cognitively process and make sense of information in an organized manner. This tool then enables and sets people up for success in their critical questioning abilities.
• The more ideas you come up with, the better chance you have to reach a truly brilliant solution. For many, brainstorming is the bread and butter of ideation.IDEOU's rules of brainstorming are a great tool to help teams push past obvious solutions to get to breakthrough ideas.
• Think-Pair-Share is a simple collaborative thinking tool to use with a thinking buddy to debug a problem together, and then share back what you found with the team.
• By repeating the question “why?” five times in a row, the "5 whys" technique is used to explore the cause-and-effect relationships underlying a particular problem, with the primary goal of the technique being to determine the root cause of a problem.

???Book of the week

Have you ever... Invested time in something that, with hindsight, just wasn't worth it? Continued doing something you knew was bad for you? THE ART OF THINKING CLEARLY is essential reading for anyone with important decisions to make. It reveals, in 100 short chapters, the most common errors of judgement, and how to avoid them. Simple, clear and always surprising, this indispensable book will change the way you think and transform your decision-making - at work, at home, every day.

??Surprise of the week.

??Newsroom

• How to think clearly? By learning to question and clarify your thoughts, you’ll improve your self-knowledge and become a better communicator.
• Even expert decision-makers who should know better can fall into the trap of anchoring. That’s the cognitive bias where our minds assign too much weight to information that is easily accessible but unfortunately irrelevant. However, strategies such as critical thinking can help keep our thinking well-grounded.
• To navigate the dangers of the web, you need critical thinking – but also critical ignoring.
• To Decide is Human: The Importance of Effective Decision Making in Organizations.

???Video Of The Week

Do you know what kind of questions teachers and parents ask children has a great effect on whether they can develop critical minds? Brian Oshiro is a teacher evaluator, he shares what he has observed in the classrooms and offers three simple questions we can ask to encourage critical thinking of the children and ourselves.

??Podcast of the week

Can you think of a time when you told a story and remembered it...wrong? Perhaps you forgot a small detail, like the colour of someone’s shoes, or something much bigger, like where the event took place. In a personal context, that might not seem like a huge deal. But what happens when what we misrepresent are our historical narratives? David Ikard is a Professor of African American and Diaspora Studies at Vanderbilt University. In this episode, he talks about the dangers of inaccurate history, shares tips on how to find work that can contextualize and bring nuance to your historical knowledge, and uncovers the real story of one of history’s most iconic figures.

??Comic of the week

* Food for thought ??

• What are some biases or assumptions that I have identified within my own thinking? How have these biases affected my decision-making or problem-solving processes?
• Reflect on a recent situation where I encountered conflicting information or viewpoints. How did I navigate through the differing perspectives and arrive at a well-reasoned conclusion?
• Are there any areas or subjects where I tend to rely on intuition or emotions rather than logical analysis? How can I improve my critical thinking in these areas?
• Think about a time when I encountered a persuasive argument or a strong opinion that challenged my existing beliefs. How did I respond to this challenge?
• Reflect on a situation where I made a decision without thoroughly considering all available information. What were the consequences, and how can I avoid such pitfalls in the future?
• Are there any logical fallacies or cognitive biases that I often find myself susceptible to? How can I recognize and overcome these tendencies in my thinking?
• How do I engage with differing opinions or perspectives in discussions or debates? What steps can I take to foster a more inclusive and open-minded approach to critical thinking?

??Let’s work together!?

When you are ready, these are 3 ways I can support you:

• Join the you.thenticity community?- dedicated to people who are interested in Training, Wellbeing, Coaching, or simply interested in discovering themselves more and grow.
• Book a free 1:1 discussion with me.
• Let me take care of your Training, Wellbeing or Coaching project.

See you again next Wednesday, with another round of resources on Training, Coaching & Wellbeing.

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