For some time I've contemplated starting a blog dedicated to learning to think well. My wife has also encouraged me to do this. The goal in doing this is to help myself improve in this, as well as others. My goal is not to set myself up as the best thinker there is. If there's anything that works against thinking well, certainly arrogance has to be on the list. In this case, we are all learners who can learn from others, especially from those we initially might disagree with, or think that we can learn nothing from.
At a base level, thinking well certainly includes determining what "is," and what "is not." Another way to say it is what is true verus what is not true. In doing this, we engage in critical thinking which appears to be sorely lacking in our day. In part, I believe this stems from individuals not wanting to be critical of others, and so they do not engage in critical thinking, as they equate critical thinking with being critical of others as people. On this blog, I would like the focus to be not on being critical of others, but critically analyzing ideas.
Ideas govern our lives, for good or for bad. We are likely aware of the psychological phenomenon called self-fulfilling prophecies. This basically says that what you tell yourself you will eventually believe and live by. The reality is we all tells ourselves things that are not true, and our challenge is to find out what those things are, and to begin to tell ourselves the things which are true. Often this will be uncomfortable, and it will seem that the truth we are telling ourselves is not true because it seems unreal.
This then leads to a further question - what do we base truth on? Some will say the scientific method. While the scientific method is good, because it only deals with empirically measurable things, it is not the foolproof way to determine what is true or what is not true. For instance, it has been argued that you cannot scientifically prove that smoking causes cancer or emphysema, because it is impossible to isolate smoking as a variable from millions of other factors. Or so the cigarette companies would have us believe. However, who has not seen someone who has smoked for years suffer from the effects of doing so? Or someone who tries smoking for the first time, and deeply inhales, and then has a coughing fit? Is the coughing fit attributed to the smoke, or is there some other reason? The truth would seem to be it is the result of the smoke.
While I digress here, I would like to leave you with a question, and look for your response - what do we base truth on? If you would be so kind, please provide support for your answer.
I look forward to hearing the responses that come forth.
