I was chatting at work today and I suddenly realized that part of the worlds problems these days stem from a lack of critical thinking. In case you’re not sure what critical thinking is here is part of the Wikipedia definition:

“Critical thinking consists of mental processes of discernment, analysis and evaluation. It includes possible processes of reflecting upon a tangible or intangible item in order to form a solid judgment that reconciles scientific evidence with common sense.”

I’m not posting this definition as an insult I am simply posting it as a refresher. The last time I was told what it was, was probably back in my grade 10 English class.

These days, I get the feeling that people watch more news than in the past but don’t think too much about it. Just because Anderson Cooper says “That’s the way it is” on his CNN show, doesn’t really mean that’s the way it is. You need to take what everyone says in stride then analyze, deconstruct, research and form your own opinion on the matter.

Just knowing what is going on in the world is not enough. If we were all to take everything we are told at face value where would we be now? We would probably still be teaching our children that the Earth is flat and that it’s ok to make African Canadian/American people sit at the back of the bus.

This method of thinking is very important when you are digesting political information and dealing with religion. It bothers me very much that people blindly follow politicians and preachers without at least giving their words a second thought. This is not meant to be a “religion is bad” post but you should at least analyze what is being said before jumping in head first and spreading the word. FYI - Politicians aren’t much different than preachers. They both expect blind faith to attract and retain followers.

So the next time you hear something that strikes you as a little off or a bit odd why not fire up your computer and do some fact checking and research. You would be amazed at what you might find and where that information comes from.