Carnival of the Godless #78
Carnival of the Godless #78 is up over at Greta Christina’s Blog.
I haven’t finished checking out all of the articles yet, but I want to draw your attention immediately to the very first one: “16 Techniques of Critical Thinking” over at Lukeprog. It’s one of the best posts I’ve read in a while. Critical thinking is one of the most important skills we can have in this confusing age we live in, yet it’s apparently one of the rarest skills, considering how many people believe in UFOs, astrology, homeopathy, chiropractic, Sylvia Browne, Uri Geller, and creationism.
Here’s the short version of his 16 techniques:
- Clarify
- Be accurate
- Be precise
- Be relevant
- Know your purpose
- Identify assumptions
- Check your emotions
- Empathize
- Know your own ignorance
- Be independent
- Think through implications
- Know your own biases
- Suspend judgment
- Consider the opposition
- Recognize cultural assumptions
- Be fair, not selfish
Go on over and read the whole article. It explains each of these points in detail. When you’re done with that, go check out the rest of the Carnival of the Godless.
