Hello Hubski, I am a first time poster and a nomad from other boards/sites you may know of. But since this is a place for thoughtful discussion I thought it would be cool to ask a question that has been rubbing me.
But I want to learn how to think for myself, and I want to learn how to be more critical of the world around me and come to stance on my opinions and hold by them.
I think it is blatantly obvious that ask others to help me think for myself is redundant but I am curious.
How do some of our greatest thinkers operate? I find it very fascinating and I want to learn how to stop taking pre-digested political stances/ opinions, and I want to take my own stances and think outside of the box. I haven't always been the best when it comes to thinking for myself, I used to get caught into self-help books, relying on message boards, looking up convoluted theories over how relationships, life, and money work.
Getting stuck on TED Talks, or other self improvement theory, but all it does is cause nothing but problems and stick negative or pointless thought in my head. It causes severe mental drain, and takes unique perspective away. And I want to ask how do you all think when it comes to problems? Do you have any recommended reading when it comes to thinking differently than others.
Revolutionary Pleasure of Thinking for Yourself and Arthur Schopenhauer's Essay called Thinking for Oneself is the only literature that I have seen in the past week that really spoke to me, and poses the question that I have right now. Any help or comments are well appreciated and big "Thanks!" in advance.
Konrad Lorenz once said "It is a good morning exercise for a research scientist to discard a pet hypothesis every day before breakfast." Doing this is probably a good start. It will force you to delve into issues deeper than you otherwise would. Take an opposing side, try and understand the argument and why someone would make that argument. Then you will be able to come up with a well-thought out counter-argument.
I have been actively pursuing skepticism for much of my adult life. By this I DO NOT mean what the term has come to mean, but closer to the original Greco-Roman philosophy. I like to play different worldviews off of each other. Take a certain issue, say a failing school, and then think of how different ideologies would approach it. What would a libertarian do? What would a Keynsean liberal do? What would a conservative Muslim do? What would an eco-hippie do? And so on. Having original ideas, though, that's harder. Most of my original ideas just come to me. I'm sure there's some tips for creativity out there.
You should read Wittgenstein's blue/brown books. There are a lot of thought experiments that you have to think through, kick the tires on, etc. and he kind of holds your hand at times, while at others you have to do the work on your own. This sort of thing you should read recursively; you're not going to understand the first time you read most of it. Predicate logic is also something you should study. It relates to the blue/brown books, but it would be incorrect to say the blue/brown books deal with predicate logic, per se (they're concerned with what's "underneath" predicate logic, if that makes sense.) You can take an intro math course at just about any community college/university that will cover the basics of predicate logic (first-order logic is generally considered the basics of predicate logic, but it's kind of a broad domain and this is convention more than anything.) Check out this description for math 414 and find a course close to you that has a similar description. Different schools will put this type of course in different categories, but it will be either math or logic. You shouldn't really need any mathematical knowledge outside of algebra and maybe pre-calc, but unfortunately the school can arbitrarily make the math as easy or difficult as they choose, so the prerequisites will vary and because these courses usually target engineering students they sometimes draw in a lot of material that is unnecessary and non-trivial to learn. A community college will likely have less prerequisites, but you'll have to look at what's available near you. Unlike the user elsewhere, I don't recommend taking a humanities-based logic course or looking at logical fallacies. These are generally thin on logic and heavy on rhetoric. There are potentially an infinite number of "logical fallacies" and you can't learn them all. Learning formal mathematics will teach you to reason systematically. This is a good place to start if you want to think for yourself.
I don't find philosophical literature to be particularly useful, though formal logic is. In particular, familiarize yourself with the most common logical fallacies, because people use them a lot. That Wikipedia page is probably not a good introduction, but you could probably learn them by selecting a few from each section each day and reading the linked articles. To actually start applying critical thinking, go through a day, look for the things that you assume implicitly, and then ask yourself why they are so. For example, you probably take it for granted that people drive on the right side of the road (or the left in some countries) and stop at stop signs and traffic lights, but there are countries where people feel no such obligation. Or waiting in line at the checkstand. Note that in a lot of cases, the answer is nothing more than "because that's the way we've always done it (or, we all implicitly agree to do it)." Even if that's so, it is not a justification to stop doing it that way, unless you can prove a significant benefit of doing it the new way. Humans are social creatures, and it is a tremendous benefit when we can look at someone and immediately tell where they are fitting into a role.
Reasons for doing stuff are never that simple: there's always an underlying cause. Why do we stop at the red light? Because it's part of the order of the road, induced implicitly by the law of the government. Why do we need order on the roads? Because an orderly society is much easier to run and service: when people abide by the law, you can expect them to act in certain ways, which are, most often, designed to not hurt other citizens and/or their interests. Why do we need to protect their interests?.. And so on. Such an analysis is superior in that it both provides more information and allows for deeper research on the subject. Granted, not many subjects deserve such a research in the first place, but as long as you train, you can - and should - use this on everything you might gaze upon. Once you're settled on the general idea and critical thinking becomes a reflex, it's better if you drop constant analysis and let your background processes/subconsciousness/intuition/gut learn.Note that in a lot of cases, the answer is nothing more than "because that's the way we've always done it (or, we all implicitly agree to do it)."
To know one's limits is wise, and to reach to learn them is excellent. If you recognize that you aren't capable of achieving something on your own yet believe the achievement to be worthwhile, ask others to help you. Asking for advice is not detestable: it allows you to grow, which is always a good goal. You did good by reaching out and asking for help with this: a self-enclosed system won't allow for new information to come in, and new experiences is how you learn to do better. What will help you most in achieving critical thinking is exercise. Whenever you hear something, ask yourself whether it's true or however reliable the information source is. Check the information up if you have any doubts (unless it's "What if I'm wrong": assume you're right, and act accordingly - if you aren't, you'll know that and learn from it). Look up as much sources as you can, and form your opinion based on all of them, not just on those that conform to your view of the world. Don't be afraid to ask uncomfortable questions, whether you're asking yourself or others. Be honest with yourself and with others. Accept what you see and not what you'd like to see. It's fine to not feel good about something. It's not fine to beat yourself up about it (it stems from you wanting to please others rather than act on your own agends; don't), nor is it fine to rage at reality for not fitting your image of it (the coffee machine will not work any quicker, no matter how many times you ask it to, yell at it to or beg it to - it's not how reality works, and you know it). Speak your mind, and don't let anyone stop you from that. That being said, there are times when silence is much more valuable. You'll know it when you see it; try and learn. You'll make mistakes along the way; this is what we all did and what we all will do - those are going to be simply other kinds of mistakes. This is how every person got to learn what they know - through trying and, most often, failing. Trust your gut to learn, and act upon what you think is best. There is no right choice, nor is there a wrong one: just those choices that propel you towards or away from your goals (and, sometimes, towards the goals you didn't know you'd like to take up on - such is life). Wayward wind to your journey. You got to the right place to discuss things: Hubski has a good atmosphere. Don't do what I did - don't think it's all about you and your ego - and you'll find friends here just fine.I think it is blatantly obvious that ask others to help me think for myself is redundant but I am curious.