An Introduction to Critical Thinking

[driftalotapus]

My son, if you will receive my words and treasure my commandments within you, make your ear attentive to wisdom, incline you heart with understanding; for if you cry for discernment, lift your voice to understanding, if you seek her as silver and search her as for hidden treasures, then you discern the fear of the lord and discover the knowledge of god, for the lord gives wisdom from his mouth, then came knowledge and understanding, he stores up sound wisdom for the upright,

[driftalotapus]

We should train our children to think critically, according to biblical standards at a very young age, such training in wisdom and judgment should pay a core roll in education in fact, solomon's proverbs aim at such things...

[driftalotapus]

That we might know the things freely, given to us from god,which things we also speak, not in words taught in human wisdom, but in those taught by the spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words, but a natural man does not accept the things of god, for they are foolishness to them,and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised, but he who spiritually appraises [critically examines all things], yet he him self is appraised by no man

[driftalotapus]

Paul shunned worldly wisdom, and in place advocated the standard of gods wisdom. He called Christians in light of this standard to critically examine all things.,,,, Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature;a wisdom, however, not of this age; nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away but we speak gods wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which god predestined before the ages to our glory now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit who is from god,

[cjfamfan]

thanks a lot this was really helpful for my exam :)

[CANCAL420]

i remember when i was in elementary school, and one day they taught us the scientific theory. They made us memorize the steps and regurgitate the steps, and we where graded on how well we memorized the steps. Looking back, why the FUCK did they not teach the implementation of the steps?

READ: dumbing us down, by John Gato

[whedonfreak976]

i hope you do more great videos like this :D

[crazypills2]

@whedonfreak976 Thanks for the support.

[whedonfreak976]

@crazypills2 not a problem :D

[stickmasterluke]

Easier said than done. Though, it is good to raise awareness of the bold assumptions that people never notice or think twice about in their daily lives.

[EagleTalon1970]

Why didnt i know about this back in the day,i would be a different person if i had.

This should be taught in school grades 7-12.

In one hundred years,we will know the results.

Better thinking = better life,better planet...

Thank you for your thoughts....

[TZMrazvitie]

HOW to think instead of WHAT to think - I love it

[FrEEloa]

why are you saying that critical thinking is what you are saying?bahhh try substituting words by referents instead of saying in a selfish way that im the one who knows how to think critically, present more examples instead of terms to see if we relate better the information

[mooseasaurusrex]

This made my head hurt.

But in a GOOD way. `;}>

[managarm1349]

very good points...especially about memorizing facts...thats why our schoools are so useless these days. if what u´re forced to memorize some facts that are outdated some years,,,erkg mrpzkl

[PaineLover]

I loved this ! I'm going to share it on FB . Keep doing what you're doing, crazypills.

[crazypills2]

@PaineLover "I loved this"

Thanks for the feedback.

Steve

[liveordie1966]

Great video crazy thanks, I would feel safer entrusting my kids education to one critical thinker then the entire education system.

[crazypills2]

@liveordie1966 "Great video crazy thanks "

Thanks for the support.

[ffabris]

Thanks for posting. Sadly, critical thinking is no longer encouraged by schools, at all. 

[crazypills2]

@ffabris "Thanks for posting."

Thanks for stopping by.

[1010glock]

I don't understand how two people dislike this.

[mageslime]

Epistemology can provide us with knowledge about justification -- what counts as evidence, what makes one theory better than another. It can tell us when we "ought" to believe something, that we should carefully examine evidence, that we shouldn't have contradictory beliefs. By "logic" I mean deductive/formal logic. I saw your video. Knowledge as JTB requires a broad understanding of what "justified" means. I think you did a pretty good job there.

[mageslime]

Mathematics, epistemology, and logic don't seem to be learned by the "scientific method." That presumption is unwarranted for an introduction to critical thinking. What counts as justification for a belief is not so easy to narrow down.

[crazypills2]

@mageslime "Mathematics, epistemology, and logic don't seem to be learned by the 'scientific method.' "

Let's put mathematics aside and address the other 2.

What exactly do you think epistemology is? Epistemology asks questions: how do you know that you know? what counts as knowledge? how is knowledge acquired? Do you seen any relation to the scientific method?

To what are you referring when you say 'logic'? Deductive? Inductive?

You should view my video "knowledge, belief, and evidence"

[spitius]

please tell me what is the music in the beginning of this video. I understand that this is Evanescence with bring me to life remix, what what remix, please give me the link?

[xxSilverPhinxx]

This is the main reason why I vehemently oppose childhood religious indoctrination. Religion "installs" a potentially destructive "program" when people are at their most vulnerable and stunts their maturing progress by providing "truths" they don't have.

[69salford69]

So we need to burn down churches and BAN religion?

[crazypills2]

@69salford69 "So we need to burn down churches and BAN religion?"

Maybe not that radical :-)

[69salford69]

@crazypills2

Yeah OK maybe that's too radical, but with 1billion Christians, and 1 billion Muslims, that's about 1/3 of human population who are totally mind-fucked.

And churches continue to be built everyday!!! It's like anti-evolution

[MomoTheBellyDancer]

@69salford69

"So we need to burn down churches and BAN religion?"

Well, Churches can be rebuilt into homes. Or discotheques. Or museums dedicated to the past stupidity of human kind.

[69salford69]

@MomoTheBellyDancer

Good idea. How wasteful of me

[ternens]

Should it be - Question Identified, relevant data gathered and then hypothesis formulated?

[crazypills2]

@ternens "Should it be - Question Identified, relevant data gathered and then hypothesis formulated?"

Critical thinking, like the scientific method, isn't black and white. There is definitely some data gathered before a hypothesis is formulated (finding patterns). However, you can view "data gathered" as I have used it to correspond to the testing phase of the scientific method. It's difficult to test or even gather confirming data unless you have a hypothesis already.

[GetMeThere1]

A really excellent video. Especially appreciated was the ending reminder that knowing true things is not always easy!

[crazypills2]

@GetMeThere1 "A really excellent video."

Thanks so much for your support.

[pranays]

Great video

My teachers and I talked a lot about this when I went back to University the past few years, schools don't teach this anymore since the advent of multiple choose questions and the repeat what I tell you method of teaching.

It is make People stupid; it is turning the world of knowledge in to a belief system rather than a system of learning. Critical thinking should be thought in every subject.

[Singebuggercat]

30sec: i'm favouriting this already.

[crazypills2]

Thanks Singebuggercat.

[Singebuggercat]

please, call me singe. ;)

[TheClarkianCalvinist]

Steve said:

"Contradiction in scripture is not a straw man."

You have misunderstood and misrepresented my position. I did not say that contradiction is a straw man. You implied that I accept contradiction, though you know that I reject contradiction. I'm not a Van Tilian, but a Clarkian.

All "apparent" contradiction in scripture can be reconciled with further study. Those who say otherwise, and yet accept scripture, are irrational.

Your charge of me is a lie.

[crazypills2]

Paul,

If ALL contradictions can be reconciled with further study, do what Monty was unable to do and reconcile the two accounts of the genealogy of jesus. See my video "3 Challenges for Red Beetle."

[RedBeetle]

@crazypills2

You just committed the informal logical fallacy of "argumentum ex silencio."

Here's a nice quote from SkepticWiki:

"For example, if one's opponent in a debate does not respond to an argument, it would be a fallacy to conclude that he or she cannot counter the argument."

This is what happens when people study "critical thinking," rather than logic.

Thanks for all the laughs, Steve.

Got Logic?

[crazypills2]

RB,

Do you not realize how disingenuous you appear? Not only did you misquote me in your recent video, but you inferred that I did not respond to your final comment (deception is a lie you know).

I have offered you the opportunity to defend your position on biblical inerrancy in the comments section of my video. Additionally, I have offered to debate you in a forum such as Stickam. You have declined both. Why is this Monty?

Got integrity?

[RedBeetle]

@crazypills2

Steve, trying to change the subject when you are caught in a mistake is another informal logical fallacy. You just lost another exchange.

[crazypills2]

RB,

I'm sure you can defend biblical inerrancy :-)

[TheClarkianCalvinist]

Steve,

Of course it would be "irrational" to believe in contradictions. But this is a straw man, because as a Clarkian I reject contradiction and paradox. And you know this full well Steve.

As Clark said: "A contradiction is a charlie horse between the ears that can be relieved with rational massage".

[crazypills2]

Paul,

Contradiction in scripture is not a straw man. It is a legitimate problem that you should address. However, since you cannot reconcile these problems, you simply ignore it. This doesn't sound like the action of the logical.

Clark's use of the phrase ''charlie horse between the ears" is the explanation of a child. The fact is that Clark could not reconcile the problems.

[TheClarkianCalvinist]

Steve said:

"Children are not born with the skill to think critically."

Really Steve? How do you know this? Because you haven't had a deep, philosophical conversation with one? Again you have contradicted scripture, and again, you are ipso facto wrong.

Do you know the difference between "critical thinking" and logic? If so, you wouldn't be promoting critical thinking, but logic. Read Clark's book on logic, then you will abandon this silly topic.

[crazypills2]

Paul,

I do understand the difference between critical thinking and deductive logic. The problem with deduction is that it is only as good as its premises and many premises cannot be deduced (see my video "Truth and Unsound Arguments").

One of the differences between our thinking is that I need warrant for accepting non deduced premises and you want to dogmatically accept them. Validity of an argument doesn't provide truth if the premises are not sound.

[TheClarkianCalvinist]

Steve said:

"One of the differences between our thinking is that I need warrant for accepting non deduced premises and you want to dogmatically accept them."

This begs all questions Steve. What is "warrant" anyway? This always goes back to one's epistemology. I start with scripture--and you already know this--then I deduce all I claim to know from that axiom.

What is your axiom Steve? Sensation? Nude logic? We are still waiting for a good argument for empiricism or rationalism.

[crazypills2]

Paul,

Warrant is justification for what you believe. You have no justification, only faith.

I can demonstrate that the scripture contradicts itself, but you will ignore the evidence because it conflicts with your belief. This is irrational.

[TheClarkianCalvinist]

Steve,

Belief and faith are synonyms. It's disingenuous to call your beliefs, "beliefs"--and my beliefs, "faith". Faith of course--as you use it--is a euphemism for what theists, or "dumb sumbitches like me", believe.

Again, you have not yet demonstrated that there is such a thing as knowledge in the first place.

Epistemology Steve, epistemology. The thorn in the side of all atheists.

[crazypills2]

Paul,

You assume that knowledge requires certainty, which I reject. And, I think you might agree that you cannot have certainty about your "axioms." Instead, they are simply dogmatic assumptions that reject any evidence to the contrary.

[Care4alot]

You Silly man ;o)

How do you know this you where not there

[sittiz]

I enjoyed your brief presentation on critical thinking. Great discussion here in the comments section. It's nice to see what appears to be a friendly discussion of ideas mentioned in the video. I like the notion of critical thinking being taught as a way to benefit one and to liberate the mind. However, it also could be used to lock one into a way of thinking and used to control another. Sadly, much of society is about influence and control over others, so this potential concerns me.

[crazypills2]

sittiz,

You bring up an important point. Intelligence should never be used to control people. Instead, the critical thinker should look beyond simple survival to the greater good.

[Kurtlane]

I'm sorry, but this is not critical thinking or scientific method.

The problem is in "formulate a hypothesis" part. Right, formulate it. But how?

Having an idea (which might or might not develop into a hypothesis) is utterly unpredictable and chaotic. It requires imagination. So going "I must be rational, rational, rational" at this stage is a perfect way to block the mind.

(cont.)

[Kurtlane]

There is a famous case when a scientist was thinking about the formula for benzene, looking at sparks in his fireplace, and as he was falling asleep, imagined a spark turn into a snake that bit its own tail, forming a circle. This was his hunch that gave him the formula.

There are tons of examples like this.

Where critical thinking and scientific method come in is in the verification part.

In reality, this clean mechanical algorithm is suited for a computer, not a human being.

(cont.)

[Kurtlane]

Where people work, it's never as clear-cut and much more creative. It might be good to keep this somewhere at the back of one's mind, but following it strictly will only paralize the brain.

Imagination is more important than knowledge. Without imagination, no new ideas will ever be formulated.

[crazypills2]

(1 of 2)

Krutlane,

You make a valid point in that this conception of the scientific method does provide a misleading picture of scientific inquiry. Inquiry can occur only after a hypothesis has been formulated. And, as you suggest, induction is not the only way to formulate a hypothesis; creativity and intuition play a vital role here.

[crazypills2]

(2 of 2)

That being said, I think it is unwise to suggest abandoning all reason during the development of a hypothesis. Remember, a hypothesis is a possible answer to a question asked by reason. And, as you mentioned, reason is used during the verification of a hypothesis. Also, verification will likely reveal flaws that must be addressed again by the hypothesis. I don't think the clear separation of hypothesis from verification is as easy as you suggest.

[x1tekja]

Thanks for the Invite.. I love your "about me" on your profile.. I had a similar deconversion story. Although my epiphany came a little different..

This video is great also.

[crazypills2]

Thanks for stopping by x1tekja. I hope you will come back.

Steve

[x1tekja]

Sure thing.. keep up the great work and keep them coming.

[nathanaelstacy1]

Great video. I agree: critical thinking should most certainly be taught in schools. But it would be yet another up-hill battle against religion. Once kids started asking difficult questions, and not accepting overly simplistic answers, all hell would break loose.

[crazypills2]

nathanaelstacy1,

An uphill battle, maybe. But, a battle I'm willing to fight.

[KomicGenius]

Excellent video! 5 stars*****

[crazypills2]

Thanks KomicGenius.

Take care.

[kaxitaksi]

Great vid! 5*

[crazypills2]

Thanks so much kaxitaksi.

[QualiaSoup]

Superb work, Steve! Wonderfully clear explanations and beautifully crafted. I think you really get to the core of why critical thinking is so important.

I'm actually at the animation stage of a video on this topic myself but it's been slow-going as I'm currently battling winter flu(!)

Excellent, excellent video! ;^>

[crazypills2]

Thanks for the kind words Doug. As one of my favorite youtubers, your support means a lot to me.

I'm looking forward to your video.

Take care,

Steve

[dreamy2]

I think falsification-ism is the major anti-bias tool in science. Perhaps it has a lot to do with self-criticism and critical thinking.

[crazypills2]

dreamy2,

Falsification is definitely an important tool to determine if something is science or not. Testing, coupled with peer review, helps to keep science honest.

[ALEXHOPPE75]

Good job !!!!

[crazypills2]

I appreciate your support ALEXHOPPE75.

[AncientAtheist]

Good vid. We need to teach it from the earliest grades. It could end dogma.

[crazypills2]

Thanks for watching AncientAtheist.

[AncientAtheist]

Oh the hell with *me* watching... you got QualiaSoup watching! :D

[crazypills2]

AncientAtheist,

The hell with you watching? I bow to anyone who gets a shout out from Prof :-)

[pirbird14]

One point i hope you address in future videos:

The post-modernists like to claim that science is a cultural construct, which is true in a generals sense. What you see when you look at anything is partly influenced by a mindset shaped by social

influence. What they don't understand is that science is the only reliable method we have for testing our perceptions. This is partly because peer review acts as a self-correcting mechanism over time.

[crazypills2]

You're right pird14, science is the only way to test our perceptions. And without our perceptions, there is no knowledge.

[debbieomi]

I've always had a touch of critical thinker in me but I also played Follow The Leader. I'm looking forward to learning more about how to do this all the time.

Thanks for your effort.

[crazypills2]

Thanks debbieomi.

[crazypills2]

Thanks Johnsigl

[musekiteer]

Good video -- important topic.

At 4:13, I would have put a feedback arrow from "Hypothesis Tested" to "Hypothesis Formulated" because I think that this is what we actually do as we refine an idea, even at first formulation. Obviously, we do act "Bayesian" and also come back to old hypotheses later.

Off-topic questions. CyberLink PowerDirector? Did you make the titles within the graphics? I have found PD titles user-unfriendly. What format did you "produce" in?

[crazypills2]

Your comment is correct musekiteer, as critical thinking is definitely an iterative process.

I'm old-school and use PowerPoint for my slides. I just incorporate them into PowerDirector to be published.

[musekiteer]

Thanks ;) That makes sense -- PD titles are difficult. (Of course, this could reflect my unfamiliarity with the program.) Ironically, I find WWM easier if I am using lots of titles.

It was a very good video, whatever technique you used ;)

[crazypills2]

Thanks musekiteer .

[musekiteer]

You're welcome ;)

You forgot to tell me what mode you produce your PD video in before upload. I usually produce and upload straight to YT, but it might be easier to produce and upload later.

[crazypills2]

Sorry musekiteer. This is only the second video for which I've used PD. I used mpeg-2 for the two I've made with it. I'm still learning things....

[musekiteer]

Thanks. I wasn't sure which of the dizzying array of options to select @:/

[gustjorodedheo]

Good video. Most people don't even begin to know how to think. They'd rather be told what to think and do than do it for themselves. I couldn't ever be one of them...

[crazypills2]

gustjorodedheo,

It's much easier to allow someone to think for us. However, we will never reach our full potential as a species until we all learn to think for ourselves.

[333holly333]

Great video! One thing I've noticed in my own life is that there are people who are seem to be afraid of change, and they do view changing/evolving ideas as a negative. They value tradition over progress. It can be a hard pattern for a child to break out of when they've been raised to believe what they are told, rather than think critically and come to their own conclusions. :/

[crazypills2]

You are absolutely correct 333holly333. We must invest ourselves in teaching the young so they don't fall into the same traps that we did.

[Boepyne]

A good start to what looks to be an interesting series.

[crazypills2]

Thanks Beopyne. I've been wanting to make this series for a while. Now I just have to find the time :-)

[MagnusIan]

This is why I will rarely enter into a religious debate with a person who is very strongly set in their ways. I know that if someone pressed me on what I believed when I was still a Christian, I would've pushed back with more force. If a person cares enough about the truth (questioning their faith), they will naturally move away from their religion.

But that's just me.

Great vid, Steve. :D

[crazypills2]

Magnuslan,

You bring up a good point. Christians tend to become defensive when their beliefs are called into question. I did this on numerous occasions, as I was trained to not question anything in the bible.

I am one of the fortunate few who were indoctrinated for most of my life but was able to break free. It's difficult to reach the "old," which is why we must teach the young "how" to think. I want better for my children.

[LooseOnTheLonghorn]

5***** & Fav! Great vid.

[crazypills2]

Thanks LooseOnTheLonghorn...I appreciate your support.

[newexperiment]

The last thing I want to do is discourage people. But.. I was a critical thinker in my youth without any training whatsoever. Maybe i just played the right games, read the right books, and watched the right movies to develop it, but it really feels like a 2nd nature I've always had.

Also, why are so few unable to understand the meaning of

John is twice as old as sally was when john was as old as sally is now.

there aren't even any big words in there.

[crazypills2]

newexperiment,

I'm not sure I know the answer. However, I do know that I took several courses in calculus in college and never truly understood why I was solving the problems I was solving. It was only later when I took a step back that things seemed to make sense.

It's easy to memorize facts, but more difficult to sift through those facts and get a reliable conclusion.

[newexperiment]

I find it to be quite the opposite. I went into mathematics in university precisely so that I wouldn't have to memorize anything. Most 'facts' I need to know I can derive if it slips my mind from other simpler knowledge. I've derived, for example, the quadratic formula on a test. A student would be better off understanding 10% and knowing nothing than knowing the whole text and understanding nothing. I think that needs to be emphasized before children even begin to 'learn'.

[kevinbenko]

Excellent video.

Now, how do I get all the people in Utah to watch this video?

[crazypills2]

LOL kevinbenko...I can't help you with that.

[Blogrich55]

Do you play chess Steve? LOL

[crazypills2]

Thanks for stopping by Rich.

[TheraminTrees]

A great video Crazypills — I particularly liked your inclusion of the concept of creativity in critical thinking.

[crazypills2]

Thanks TheraminTrees. And as you are one of my favorite youtubers, I've been anxiously awaiting a new release from you :-)

[tattooskin72]

brief, but well stated... and the music was fine. At least I could hear you over it, that's all that matters to me.

[crazypills2]

Thanks for the comment tattoskin72.

[dannukesem]

Nice video. The mind is where it all starts, and is the major factor in determining our circumstances.

[crazypills2]

Thanks dannukesem.

[Choowbz]

With my first children

I thought to equip them with as many facts as possible and thought they would come to understand things in their own time

They didn't

They still refer to me for answers and accept my conclusions without question

With my last two children i just showed them how to use logic and research to answer their questions

And they look things up for themselves and then tell me the answers

The younger have learnt to think and their elders learnt to accept

[crazypills2]

Good comment Choowbz.

It's definitely easier to tell children what to think. It takes a lot of energy and effort to teach them how to think.

I sometimes lose patients with my 6-year-old because he always wants to know why. I must tread carefully to not squash his curiosity. I only wish I was as inquisitive.

[TheMudbrooker]

The Emerson quotation best sums up why critical thinking isn't more popular. It's difficult to give up the safety of pre-digested blocks of dogma and strike out on ones own. And, at the risk of sounding like a conspiricy nut, I would also add that those in power have a vested interest in maintaining a school system that produces, as George Carlin put it, "Drones just smart enough to run the machines and fill out the paperwork".

[crazypills2]

Hey TheMudbrooker.

Good point. People do tend to be uncomfortable with what they think to be shifting sands. Unfortunately, people invest too much in their conclusions. Since our understanding is imperfect, so are our conclusions.

[AnonEyeMouse]

Good video but the music was a distraction (I was actually looking around for a pop up because it was so out of place).

[216trixie]

Our panties in a bit of a bunch, anoneye??...."the music was a distraction"....the music was playing over only eight seconds of dialogue at the end, the rest was over script.

[AnonEyeMouse]

Don't wear panties, so they can't be in a bunch.

You are right, the music only played over eight seconds of dialogue.

I was trying to listen to that eight seconds of dialogue, thus it was distracting.

If it didn't bother you, then good for you but it did throw me and I was just letting Crazypills2 know, because he seems to take care in making his videos.

Or is constructive criticism a sound reason to start a flame war these days?

[216trixie]

No war. Just being snit-pickey, like I thought you were being......carry on.

[crazypills2]

Thanks for the feedback AnonEyeMouse. I should have lowered the sound level near the end.

Take care.