Books or exercises to learn critical thinking

by Captain Obvious 17 Replies latest jw friends

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  scotoma

  Science & Sanity is the best book on thinking and I've read about twenty. It is available FREE in its entirety at:

  http://www.rodsmith.org.uk/alfred-korzybski/

  Korzybski influenced a lot of great thinkers. He started the General Semantics movement and founded a journal called ETC

  Korzybski invented many tools that help clear thinking by using language properly. The gesture of putting quotes with your fingers while talking is one of those techniques. It is used to make it clear that you are using a semantically loaded word that may need clarification.

  Basically, you learn to be cautious about the "IS" of identification. The word "is" locks you into biased thinking habits.

  Avoid abolutes like "ALL" or "NEVER".

  Use indexing of words Dog (1) is not Dog (2) Husband (6:00am) is not the same as Husband (6:00pm)

  You (1974) is not the same as You (1984)

  Look in the bibliography of a lot of popular therapists books and you will find Korzybski quoted.

  If you want a simple discussion of Korzybski's General Semantics order a copy of

  How to develop your thinking ability by Kenneth S. Keys

  http://www.amazon.com/How-Develop-Your-Thinking-Ability/dp/0070344612

  Keys was the guy that used to publish the Hazel cartoons. His book discusses Korzybski's techniques and illustrates them with cartoons. If you have kids you should study it with them instead of "family worship".

  Other than Science & Sanity it's useful to learn the major logical fallacies. But, really, those fallacies need to be combined with General Semantic tecchniques because it helps slice through things that are more sophisticated in their construction. Logical fallacies are like spell checkers. They catch mispelled word but not words that are spelled properly but used improperly. Some things are constructed logically but the basic premise is out of touch with reality and that's where General Semantics helps.

  And don't feel bad if you aren't always logical. No one is. Our minds are not constructed for logic. It is a habit that has to be reinforced every day.

  Ray Franz wrote quite a bit about fallacies in one of his books. But look closely at Ray's personal beliefs. He continued to believe the Bible was God's Word. He didn't believe man evolved. He believed in original sin and the flood of Noah etc. Just knowing a few falacies will not get you into reality if your premises are screwed up.
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  FreeGirl2006

  Another good book is You Are Not So Smart

  <a href="http://www.amazon.com/You-Are-Not-So-Smart/dp/1592406599/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342478998&sr=1-1&keywords=you+are+not+so+smart">You Are Not So Smart</a>
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  FreeGirl2006

  Sorry about my prior post--trying to get the hang of links.

  You Are Not So Smart
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  Band on the Run

  This topic has me thinking. The previous post titled, You're Not So Smart, remind me of my freshman year. I was engulfed by 18 yr. old males who dominated conversation. They sounded so brilliant and insightful to me. Co-ed courses started my sophomore year. When classes were mixed, the women were not participating much and these men would not let you a thought in anyway. Some profressors from the women's part would cut them off, and call on a woman. As I assimilated into the culture, I suddenly realized that they had a certain swagger style when they talked.

  They believed themselves to be insightful and the belief carried them far. When my junior year arrived, I listened more carefully. Their core point could be made in two or three sentences. The more I developed critical thinking skills, in general, the more I realized they were not so insightful. More and more women became engaged in discussions.My elders would have interrupted me at the first sentence for taking up elder time with silly patter.

  I was raised that women never assert themselves. Women do not get educated. Education precludes a husband and children. The Witnesses took obedience to an extreme but the normal world was conformist. People made fun of intellectuals than now.
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  Terry

  Can anyone recommend a book or excercise that myself and others can read or do to develop these skills?

  The book that started my life over again was:

  

  Discusses modern misconceptions about consciousness, language, knowledge, moral values, happiness, freedom of choice, human nature, society, and human existence in clear, easy to follow reasoning.
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  scotoma

  Terry,

  Like Fred Franz Mortimer Adler believed in a God - ooops. He also received a Christian baptism before he died. It appears no matter how smart and how hard you work at it you sometimes just lose it as you get older. I enjoyed quite a few of Adler's books "up to a point". ("Up to a point" is an often used General Semantic tool that helps you accept useful parts of theories")
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  still thinking

  Marking for great book suggestions...thanks
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  Tooz

  It has been a while since I've listened to a public talk, however two fallacies that the "shepherds" used to pursuade the sheep are: Appeal to Authority, and using Mascots.

  for example "Einstien said ... bla bla bla .... therefore ble ble ble is true" is an example of appeal to Authority. Dropping names might lend credibility to a premise, but it doesn't prove anything.

  A mascot is basically the same as a "poster child" type of situation.

  "Sister Smith was beat every day by her husband for 30 years and regular pioneered all of that time while working two full time jobs, she also home-schooled all seven of her children, three are elders and four serve at bethel her example finally convinced her husband to come into the truth and he is now a regular pioneer and elder"

  Using sensationalism is a tactic that puts a heavy guilt trip on normal people.