Critical Thinking

The election is over. Members of Congress have been sworn in. We will inaugurate our President next week. Let the games begin anew. But what I want more than anything from the 113^th Congress is some critical thinking. There’s been precious little of it for the last several years. It’s all about hard and fast positions and win-lose strategies. Enough! But we too, as good citizens, must do more critical thinking.

Dictionary.com defines critical thinking as disciplined thinking that is clear, rational, open-minded, and informed by evidence. One of the great paradoxes of our time seems to be that in an era where we have access to more information than ever before, it may be harder than ever to think critically.

For starters, being disciplined today is no easy task. We have way too many distractions literally at our fingertips. And we’re surrounded by media in more places than ever. Who can think, even in a doctor’s office waiting room with the TV on? I tell you when it comes to a choice between meaningful contemplation and a Seinfeld rerun, well you know Kramer wins every time.

Disciplined thinking requires quiet time to allow us to organize our thoughts, test them and reflect on matters important to us. These days your best shot at achieving a moment of quiet reflection occurs when you put your head down on the pillow. Of course, that’s only because technology doesn’t exist yet to run ads on the inside of your eyelids. Nevertheless, if we want to change our lives for the better we have no choice. We have to make time for thinking.

Having an open mind is essential. Critical thinking demands that we entertain alternatives to our own point of view no matter how uncomfortable it might make us. Gun control is a hot topic right now. And it’s an emotional topic, understandably driven by the horrific tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut.  Today I participated in a more or less friendly email debate with good friends on the topic. One of the guys asked us to read a letter we could then sign electronically supporting gun owner rights. The poor guy never had a chance. The letter’s point was that there are enough gun laws. Law enforcement agencies should simply enforce the laws on the books. No need to change a thing, obviously a tough sell in the current environment. His position was summarily dismissed.

People who chose to respond to his request were firmly in favor of a ban on assault weapons and gun registration. No doubt many of you have had similar conversations. I’m sure some of you have firm beliefs about what if anything should be done about guns and the violence associated with them. If you’ve listened to representatives of the NRA talk about the problem they seem to think more guns are the solution. Then there are those who will not be satisfied until assault weapons and handguns are illegal.

There are valid points on both sides of the issue. Other countries like Great Britain don’t have so many guns and not as many gun deaths. Mental illness is certainly a factor in the mass shootings we’ve endured over the years. Whichever side of this or any debate you’re on, unless you’re prepared to listen actively to the other guy’s point of view without pre-judging; you can’t think critically about the problem or formulate a reasonable solution.

Evidence is the other linchpin of critical thinking. In a media rich environment though, evidence, unbiased, fact based knowledge, is harder to find than diamonds in a coal bin. Finding a report or study that supports your opinion, your financial interest or your political cause is shamefully easy. Spin is the coin of the realm. That’s not to say that good, solid information isn’t available. However, determining what is a fair assessment of an issue and what isn’t, requires time and effort and well, critical thinking.   

Although it’s not listed in the definition provided, it’s hard to think critically without self awareness; the ability to perceive aspects of our personality, behavior, emotions, motivations, and thought process. Think about the last time you admitted you were wrong about something that mattered to you. It takes courage, it’s painful but it’s worth it.

            Critical thinking usually leads to better decisions. We wait patiently for members of Congress and the Executive branch to make good decisions. What about us? It’s a new year. Maybe if we make better decisions at work, at home and in the voting booth, the people we elect will make better decisions too.