Every day, a sea of decisions stretches before us. Some are small and unimportant, but others have a larger impact on our lives. For example, which politician should I vote for? Should I try the latest diet craze? Or will email make me a millionaire? We're bombarded with so many decisions that it's impossible to make a perfect choice every time. But there are many ways to improve our chances, and one particularly effective technique is critical thinking. This is a way of approaching a question that allows us to carefully deconstruct a situation, reveal its hidden issues, such as bias and manipulation, and make the best decision. If the critical part sounds negative that's because in a way it is. Rather than choosing an answer because it feels right, a person who uses critical thinking subjects all available options to scrutiny and skepticism. Using the tools at their disposal, they'll eliminate everything but the most useful and reliable information. There are many different ways of approaching critical thinking, but here's one five-step process that may help you solve any number of problems. One: formulate your question. In other words, know what you're looking for. This isn't always as straightforward as it sounds. For example, if you're deciding whether to try out the newest diet craze, your reasons for doing so may be obscured by other factors, like claims that you'll see results in just two weeks. But if you approach the situation with a clear view of what you're actually trying to accomplish by dieting, whether that's weight loss, better nutrition, or having more energy, that'll equip you to sift through this information critically, find what you're looking for, and decide whether the new fad really suits your needs. Two: gather your information. There's lots of it out there, so having a clear idea of your question will help you determine what's relevant. If you're trying to decide on a diet to improve your nutrition, you may ask an expert for their advice, or seek other people's testimonies. Information gathering helps you weigh different options, moving you closer to a decision that meets your goal.
Egunero, mila erabakiri aurre egin behar diegu. Batzuk, txikiak eta garrantzi gabekoak, baina beste batzuk garrantzitsuagoak gure bizitzarako. Adibidez, zein politikariren alde bozkatu beharko nuke? Modan dagoen dieta saiatu beharko nuke? Agian e-mail horrek aberastuko nau? Hainbeste erabaki hartu behar ditugu ezinezkoa dela aldiro erabaki perfektua hartzea. Baina era ugari daude gure aukerak hobetzeko, eta teknika eraginkor bat pentsamendu kritikoa da. Hau, galdera bat erantzuteko modu bat da, egoera arretaz zatituz ezkutatutako arazoak azaleratzen dituena, adibidez alderdikotasuna edota manipulazioa, erabaki hoberena hartzeko gai izan gaitezen. "Kritiko" hitzak txarto jotzen badigu belarrira, zerbaitegatik da. Ondo iruditzen zaigula erantzun ordez, pentsamendu kritikoa erabiltzen duen pertsonak aukera guztiak eszeptizismo ikuspegitik aztertzen ditu. Eskura dauzkan tresnak erabiliz, erabilgarri eta fidagarri ez den informazioa deuseztatuz. Hainbat era daude pentsamendu kritikoari ekiteko, baina badago 5 urratseko prozesu bat arazo ugari konpontzen lagunduko dizuna. Bat: zure galdera azaldu. Beste era batera esanda, argi izan lortu nahi duzuna. Hau ez da beti dirudien bezain erraza. Adibidez, modan dagoen dieta egin ala ez zalantzan bazaude baliteke zure arrazoiak beste faktore ilunen mempe egotea, esate baterako, bi aste barru emaitzak ikusiko direla dioten iragarkien menpe. Baina egoera aztertzen baduzu dieta egiteko helburua argi izanez, esaterako, argaldu, hobeto elikatu edota energia haunditu, horrek lagunduko dizu informazioa modu kritikoan ikertzen, bilatzen ari zarena aurkitzen, eta moda horrek zure beharra asetzen ote duen erabakitzen. Bi: informazioa lortu. Informazio asko dago hor zehar, beraz zure helburua argi izateak lagunduko dizu garrantzizkoa dena zehazten. Dieta baten bidez zure elikadura hobetu nahi baduzu, aditu baten aholkua eskatu dezakezu, edo beste lagunen esperientzia bilatu. Informazioa aurkituz gero aukera desberdinak baloratu ditzakezu,
Three: apply the information, something you do by asking critical questions. Facing a decision, ask yourself, "What concepts are at work?" "What assumptions exist?" "Is my interpretation of the information logically sound?" For example, in an email that promises you millions, you should consider, "What is shaping my approach to this situation?" "Do I assume the sender is telling the truth?" "Based on the evidence, is it logical to assume I'll win any money?" Four: consider the implications. Imagine it's election time, and you've selected a political candidate based on their promise to make it cheaper for drivers to fill up on gas. At first glance, that seems great. But what about the long-term environmental effects? If gasoline use is less restricted by cost, this could also cause a huge surge in air pollution, an unintended consequence that's important to think about. Five: explore other points of view. Ask yourself why so many people are drawn to the policies of the opposing political candidate. Even if you disagree with everything that candidate says, exploring the full spectrum of viewpoints might explain why some policies that don't seem valid to you appeal to others. This will allow you to explore alternatives, evaluate your own choices, and ultimately help you make more informed decisions. This five-step process is just one tool, and it certainly won't eradicate difficult decisions from our lives. But it can help us increase the number of positive choices we make. Critical thinking can give us the tools to sift through a sea of information and find what we're looking for. And if enough of us use it, it has the power to make the world a more reasonable place.
zure helburua lortzeko erabakirik hoberena har dezazun. Hiru: informazioa erabili, galdera kritikoak eginez. Erabakia hartzerakoan, galdetu zure buruari: "Zein kontzeptu daude jokoan?" Zer jotzen dut ziurtzat? Informazioa ulertzen dudan moduak logikoa dirudi? Adibidez, milioiak agintzen dizkizun e-mail batean kontuan hartu beharko zenuke: "Nola ari naiz egoera honetara hurbiltzen?" "Nire ustez, igorlea egia esaten ari da?" "Ebidentzian oinarrituz, arrazoizkoa da dirua lortuko dudala pentsatzea?" Lau: Inplikazioak kontuan hartu. Demagun hauteskundeak direla, eta gogoko duzula politikari bat gidaiariei gasolina merkeagotuko diela agindu duelako. Lehen begi-kolpean, ideia bikaina dirudi. Baina, nolako eragina izango du ingurumenean hemendik aurrera? Gasolinaren salneurria jeitsiz gero, aire kutsadura igo daiteke. Ondo pentsatu beharko dugun nahigabeko ondorio larria. Bost: beste ikuspuntuak miatu. Galdetu zure buruari zergatik hainbeste pertsona beste hautagaiaren alde dauden. Politikari horren ideien aurka egon arren, ikuspuntu guztiak kontutan hartuz besteentzat erakargarriak diren politikak ulertzea errezagoa egingo zaizu. Alternatiba berriak aztertzeko aukera izango duzu, aukerak ebaluatu, eta ondorioz, erabaki informatuagoak hartzeko. 5 urratseko prozesu hau tresna bat besterik ez da, eta ez ditu erabaki zailak kenduko gure bizitzatik, baina erabaki onak hartzeko aukerak gehitu ditzakegu. Pentsamendu kritikoari esker trebeagoak izango gara informazio itsasoan nabigatzeko eta behar duguna lortzeko. Gero eta jende gehiagok erabiltzen badu gero eta mundu bidezkoago bat lortzeko gaitasuna izango dugu.