In thinking through any complex issue, there are going to be different possible solutions and perspectives. Ideally, a smart and critical thinker would reason through the pros and cons of the different possibilities and come to a balanced view of the issue. Yet a great deal of research finds ...
Thinking and Deciding
Our world is increasingly complex and demanding. It’s not enough to rely on simple rules-of-thumb to navigate life, as they leave you vulnerable to undue influence and cognitive bias.
By building your skills for thinking and deciding, you can adopt more effective ways to reason through critical situations. In this category, we write about creative and critical thinking, as well as ways you can make better decisions.
You can read all about thinking and deciding under this topic. Here are 3 essential articles to get started:
How to Develop Your Intuitive Decision Making
Critical Thinking in Decision Making
Critical Thinking Skills: What are They and How Do I Get Them?
Argument Skills and How to Teach Them
Argumentation is the thought process used to develop and present arguments. It is closely related to critical thinking and reasoning. Argument skills belong among the essential 21st century cognitive skills. We face complex issues that require careful, balanced reasoning to resolve. Perhaps ...
Spotting Fallacious Arguments
Starting an argument with someone can be a great way to learn more about a topic. Arguments help us check our own thinking, come to terms with someone else’s reasoning, and occasionally even arrive at a shared understanding about what we believe to be true. Being open to debate is a great way to ...
Why Overconfidence Occurs and How to Overcome It
Overconfidence happens to all of us. Ever have a plan that just couldn’t go wrong? And then you get a kick in the butt. Ever know that something must be true, only to find out later that you had it backwards? Overconfidence is when you think you are more likely to be right than you actually ...
Confirmation Bias: 3 Effective (and 3 Ineffective) Cures
Confirmation bias is a fancy way of describing our human inclination to see what we want to see. In other words, we like to look for and interpret information in ways that confirm our expectations. The language makes it sound like confirmation bias is something only scientists can be afflicted ...