Breaking news, we are all going to die. We are told to trust the experts, they cannot possibly be wrong. Those doomsayers have either accurately predicted our demise, or they have warned us in time to prevent catastrophe. Hey, wait a minute. Is that Critical Thinking? When trying to advocate a position, one tactic is to disrupt logical reason and objectivity in the target audience’s judgement. The doomsayers will talk about catastrophe, “the danger is coming!” Then they instruct you on how to prevent tragedy and you must listen to them. However most of them are more interested in persuasion and not necessarily providing the best solution for you. We already know that an emotional mental state will get in the way of Critical Thinking. So what are doomsday predictors trying to do? They use fear for persuasion. Fear is one of the strongest emotions that can be triggered. It is what saves our lives when we hear noises that can be related to mortal danger, like gunshots outside. Thinking Critically about the base issue of the doomsayers premise can help cut through their persuasion tactic. Then you can decide for yourself while objectively analyzing the situation or issue. Eliminate any problematic proclivities to your reasoning (Human Reasoning Mistakes Part 1 and Part 2). Maybe their advice works for you, but maybe it does not. Generally one-size solutions do not work best for everyone. Everyone has a unique situation, even if there are similarities with their neighbors. Has the doomsayer talked to them personally to know? Critical Thinkers can analyze the problem and the solutions to pick the best one for themselves.
Please give me a “like” and share with others. Thank you for reading.
Comments