The 6 Steps of Critical Thinking

What are the 6 steps of critical thinking? How can you condition yourself to think critically? And how can you cultivate individualism in a society that promotes groupthink & herd mentality?

What are the main points that you should look out for when you need to understand something with clarity? And, how are you going to think for yourself, while being open to opposing ideas?

And, finally, what role do facts, logic, feelings & emotions play in making a final decision?

These are questions you need to ask yourself if you need to understand the truth about any topic or point. And, this is so that you can be an individual who can think for yourself critically.

Which also means that you can avoid being puppeteered according another’s agenda or expectations. This other entity could be a person, a group, society as a whole, an educational institution, a corporation and all the way up to your government. And make no mistake, each of these entities have more than enough incentive to have an obedient sheeple follow them.

That is because obedience means subservientness. And that is the ultimate power play for those in power. To have a person or people who question nothing and follow everything blindly, is what tyranny is built on.

Some are born with a natural knack for questioning everything and thinking critically, and others might not. You might or might not possess the specific qualities I’m discussing below. And if you don’t possess them, you can definitely learn them through practice and being aware.

So, let’s read on to find out more and see where you can improve when it comes to critical thinking.

Listening & Being Open to Different Ideas

Having an open mind to new ideas does not negate your ability to think critically. But rather, being open to new ideas while carefully examining their veracity helps in critical thinking.

Make sure to listen carefully about what the next person has to say, no matter how opposing the view is to yours. Keep in mind that this does not mean that you’re agreeing with the other person. But rather, that you’re being civil enough to let the other express themselves. And you can definitely add to your knowledge in the process as well.

Of course, this applies to any website, news item, politician etc. that you think you might not agree with as well.

Plus, by listening with an open mind, you can start to appreciate where they’re coming from. You will get to understand their world view & perspective on an issue. Listening to opposing ideas is always good to when it comes to either changing your mind or to further strengthen your own convictions.

Be critical of the source

As much as you’re open to listening to new ideas, you need to be aware of where they’re coming from. Whenever presented with a new idea, you need to dissect it in a manner of intense critical vetting.

Is it a person, or news organization that has its own agenda? Almost everyone has their own agenda. It can be political, religious, monetary, social or similar that can make them tweak their messaging to the world. So, you need to be aware that they would carefully tailor almost every utterance of what we would consider important issues, to fit their desired narrative.

If you watch any news channel or see anyone talk about a hot button topic, you will notice this. Albeit if you’re only careful enough to observe with a critical eye.

This is because all news channels have their own agenda. Because of this they don’t limit their service to just providing facts on the news as it is. Instead they concentrate on providing specific angles on any news item in a way that favors their own or affiliates needs. So, yes, news, is not actual “news”. It is rather an opinionated airing of current affairs.

Be cautious when evaluating what an individual, a scientific study, or a news channel claims as the objective truth.

I brought up Scientific Studies as well, because there are enough of instances where major corporations have funded studies to bend the truth, so that it favors them.

Take heed of what is being said and what is being withheld

One can carefully craft the whole context of an incident, big or small, to fit into a narrative that benefits them.

Simply excluding a word or two or a crucial point in an otherwise detailed incident can change the narrative completely. This fabricated messaging consisting of edited text, image or video is pushed out further through social media.

And, with the help of a following of sheep that champion this message unequivocally, it goes viral. So, the manufactured message swirls to the top because of this, while the noise drowns the factual details of the incident.

Countering Your own Biases

The truth is, that you are just as prone to bias as the next person. To be able to think critically, it is extremely important to understand this. We must understand our own biases when it comes to any and all subject matter.

This could be political, racial, religious, hierarchical or any other category that divides society. We are naturally inclined to align ourselves with who we are, rather than with an opposing faction. It’s an evolutionary instinct – and there is nothing wrong with that at all.

But this does not mean that we can be blind to our own faults or shortcomings. Or that we don’t see what unites us & to be understanding of opposing parties or ideas.

With this perspective in mind, we need to be able to be receptive of different ideas. This is essentially to remove ourselves/ our ego from the equation, and overlook the facts presented as a neutral observer. It is only then, that you can be open to even considering these ideas, to start with.

Dig deeper and ask questions

You must ask questions and dig deeper once you have enough information presented to you. This is because someone can give you information while leaving out valuable facts. This is of course an elaborate act by the narrator to deceive you.

So, think critically & inquire about the missing pieces of the story. If it’s a one on one discussion, you can ask the person directly. If it’s a news item, social media post, video or article, you can research further by Googling for further information.

Always ask,

• How?
• Why?
• Where?
• When?
• What?

And you will get a broader understanding on any subject.

The light that gets shed on topics once you have the information, will deem them to be less vague. You will discover how much information was concealed from you. Furthermore, you will observe how the narrative has been manipulated to present a specific perspective in the storytelling.

Facts over Feelings

When you have gathered all the necessary information, you must analyze it. When analyzing, it is critical to be always factoring logical reasoning over emotions and feelings.

Facts are concrete evidence that are in support or against something. They’re for the most part stable in nature. At least till counter evidence comes to light.

Whereas, emotions are just feelings. And one hundred different individuals can interpret a single emotion in one hundred different ways.

So, whenever you should come to a conclusion on anything, always choose the version, story or narrative that is backed by logic and facts.

We must never accept something because it is driven by feeling to be the truth. Because it is inherently bound to change and mutate given the complexity of the human mind itself.

In Conclusion

Thinking critically is all about willing to accept something only after careful consideration of all the facts. You can follow a position & defend it only after fully understanding and carefully evaluating it. Not just because someone told you. Or because everyone else says so, or believes so. It is because you truly understand it.

You have to make it in to your own position by challenging it till you cannot break it down. If you cannot defeat it, then you can agree with it & defend it.

You must be devoid of bias, ego and emotion to find the truth in any given situation or occurrence. You must only defend a narrative based on facts & logic. This will ensure that it will be infallible in the face of criticism.

Sometimes you may come across new facts that undermine your original position. If so, you need to carefully re-evaluate & change your stance if needed.

Or, conversely, you can use the new evidence as proof to strengthen your original position.

What do you think of the points in this essay on critical thinking? I always have an open mind, so sound off in the comments section below.