Rethinking Critical Thinking

The 4 Roles We All Play in Conversation

🔍 Key insights

• Critical thinking isn’t about winning debates – It’s about building a coherent, self-aware worldview by questioning your assumptions and refining your ideas.

• Beliefs are often emotional, not just rational – We resist changing our minds not because of lack of knowledge, but because identity and emotion are involved.

• We can adopt different discussion stances – Learning, exchange, teaching, and persuasion; each has its place, and knowing when to use which can change everything.

📚 Go deeper

🎥 Related videos:

• A TRICK to Using FIRST PRINCIPLES Thinking by Farnam Street – A critical exploration of first principles thinking, examining both its strengths and its inherent limitations.

• “What stops people from changing their minds?” by Big Think – An analysis of the psychological barriers to changing beliefs and why logical arguments often fail to persuade.

📖 Further reading:

• The Demon-Haunted World by Carl Sagan – A defense of science and critical thinking as tools for navigating modern life.

• The Scout Mindset by Julia Galef – A practical guide to thinking more clearly by adopting a mindset focused on curiosity and truth-seeking rather than defending what you already believe.

🎧 Podcast to listen to:

• Sam Harris – The Limits of Persuasion (Making Sense #92) – A nuanced discussion of why facts alone rarely change minds.

💡 Think for Yourself

• Which belief of mine would I struggle most to defend if I had to explain it from first principles?

• Where am I trying to ‘win’ an argument instead of trying to understand?

☁️ Thought Experiment

Imagine your deepest-held opinion. Now picture hearing the perfect counterargument. One that logically dismantles your view.

Would you be willing to change your mind? Or would you find a way to protect your belief anyway?

What does that say about how you think?

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Cheers,
Kevin