Every day, we need to make a variety of decisions. One of the best ways that helps us make the best possible decision is critical thinking.
Sometimes, I find it very easy to go with the flow what other people say. For example, when a problem is presented in front of us, some of us are likely to jump right into solving that problem. It's very dangerous. Often, it's necessary to first understand if this problem is the right problem to solve. It's possible that the problem is wrong in the first place, let alone solving it.
A short TED talk provides a five-step process to help us form the critical thinking mentality and make informed decisions:
1. Clear know what you want, i.e. Know your goals. Say when you look for a diet option, evaluate the benefits against your goals, and see if it can help you achieve what you want first.
2. Gather information. You need to have enough knowledge around the presented problems, so that you can understand what it asks for, and can further explore solutions.
3. Based on your goals and knowledge (from previous steps), ask questions. Try to fully understand the problem itself, and evaluate each proposed solution, see if they make sense logically.
4. Think about implications. Evaluate each proposed solution, see if there's any potential implications in the short or long term.
5. Listen to what others say, and understand why they say things that way. This way, you'll find out if there are factors you haven't yet considered.
