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I think you're confusing the term "critical thinking" with criticism or negativity- it just means trying to be as objective as possible when reasoning about som

by mwfunk 12y ago

I think you're confusing the term "critical thinking" with criticism or negativity- it just means trying to be as objective as possible when reasoning about something. Critical thinking is more about rooting out your own biases than picking apart things said by other people (I would consider that to be just having an argumentative nature). Someone who has a hair trigger for jumping on other people when they say things that they disagree with is actually applying the opposite of critical thinking- they're not only not questioning their own beliefs, but they're trying to impose them on someone else.

ThomPete 12y ago
No I am well aware of what critical thinking is and I still stand by that I find it overrated. That does not mean it's not important it is but it's getting way more credit than it deserves. As I said another place this extends into corporate world where it's actually seen as providing value if you are able to point out problems with what others are suggesting. Critical thinking has it's place but it's unfortunately often mistaken for creation and there comes a point where it's useless.
- Bahamut 12y ago
  There is value in pointing out problems - if you aren't assessing the given pros/cons of a proposal, you're throwing knives blindfolded on a circus wheel...and I don't want to be the one pinned to the wheel with someone doing that. There are too many examples of where this type of thinking sinks everything it pollutes, including startups. Critical thinking is not given enough value in our society - a lot of people are not successful because they lack it. Spend a prolonged amount of time around many less fortunate people, and you will see this in abundance. Critical thinking is not the only important thing, but it is the fundamental baseline that is most lacking. There are more than enough creators - there are not enough people laying down foundation for creators to proliferate in. The ability to analyze and assess, and craft a beautiful solution based on the detailed analysis, cannot be possible without the first step of top level understanding. People forget this, and want to jump to the crafting part. The lack of understanding of fundamentals will prevent such people from succeeding, unless it is in spite of themselves. One cannot hope to come up with a beautiful proof of one of the Millennial Prize problems without an understanding of the basics of mathematics. One cannot hope to craft a beautiful composition of music or improvisation without having an intuitive understanding of how certain sounds/patterns move people. One cannot create a fine work of art without a similar understanding of how colors, combinations of colors, and texture affect the total perception. There cannot be enough stress on the importance of the foundation that is critical thinking. Each of those examples I cited above are examples of critical thinking in action, each in different forms. Critical thinking is not just the formal realm of abstract thought - it is about how we as humans think on a basic level, and how we derive at our conclusions. Certain applications of it involve tapping into previous experiences and quickly determining what should be the next path to take. Others involve carefully reasoned thought.
  - ThomPete 12y ago
    Yes there is value in pointing out problem. I pointed out a problem with critical thinking being applied too much in too many situations at the cost of actually creating something. Thats why I called it overrated and not useless. You are wrong about critical thinking being a requirement for creation it's not and has never been. It can be used, sometimes with success but many times it's being mis-used to represent constructive thinking when it's really just playing devils advocate.
    - Bahamut 12y ago
      "Yes there is value in pointing out problem. I pointed out a problem with critical thinking being applied too much in too many situations at the cost of actually creating something." That critical thinking - critical thinking would take that into account. What you are complaining about is overthinking, not critical thinking - abusing the term is dishonest. "You are wrong about critical thinking being a requirement for creation it's not and has never been. It can be used, sometimes with success but many times it's being mis-used to represent constructive thinking when it's really just playing devils advocate." That's a very weak argument with no substance.
      - ThomPete 12y ago
        No I am not complaining about overthinking I am complaining about how people who learn critical thinking confuse it with constructive thinking, just like you do now.

by mwfunk 12y ago

ThomPete 12y ago

No I am well aware of what critical thinking is and I still stand by that I find it overrated. That does not mean it's not important it is but it's getting way more credit than it deserves. As I said another place this extends into corporate world where it's actually seen as providing value if you are able to point out problems with what others are suggesting. Critical thinking has it's place but it's unfortunately often mistaken for creation and there comes a point where it's useless.

Bahamut 12y ago
There is value in pointing out problems - if you aren't assessing the given pros/cons of a proposal, you're throwing knives blindfolded on a circus wheel...and I don't want to be the one pinned to the wheel with someone doing that. There are too many examples of where this type of thinking sinks everything it pollutes, including startups. Critical thinking is not given enough value in our society - a lot of people are not successful because they lack it. Spend a prolonged amount of time around many less fortunate people, and you will see this in abundance. Critical thinking is not the only important thing, but it is the fundamental baseline that is most lacking. There are more than enough creators - there are not enough people laying down foundation for creators to proliferate in. The ability to analyze and assess, and craft a beautiful solution based on the detailed analysis, cannot be possible without the first step of top level understanding. People forget this, and want to jump to the crafting part. The lack of understanding of fundamentals will prevent such people from succeeding, unless it is in spite of themselves. One cannot hope to come up with a beautiful proof of one of the Millennial Prize problems without an understanding of the basics of mathematics. One cannot hope to craft a beautiful composition of music or improvisation without having an intuitive understanding of how certain sounds/patterns move people. One cannot create a fine work of art without a similar understanding of how colors, combinations of colors, and texture affect the total perception. There cannot be enough stress on the importance of the foundation that is critical thinking. Each of those examples I cited above are examples of critical thinking in action, each in different forms. Critical thinking is not just the formal realm of abstract thought - it is about how we as humans think on a basic level, and how we derive at our conclusions. Certain applications of it involve tapping into previous experiences and quickly determining what should be the next path to take. Others involve carefully reasoned thought.
- ThomPete 12y ago
  Yes there is value in pointing out problem. I pointed out a problem with critical thinking being applied too much in too many situations at the cost of actually creating something. Thats why I called it overrated and not useless. You are wrong about critical thinking being a requirement for creation it's not and has never been. It can be used, sometimes with success but many times it's being mis-used to represent constructive thinking when it's really just playing devils advocate.
  - Bahamut 12y ago
    "Yes there is value in pointing out problem. I pointed out a problem with critical thinking being applied too much in too many situations at the cost of actually creating something." That critical thinking - critical thinking would take that into account. What you are complaining about is overthinking, not critical thinking - abusing the term is dishonest. "You are wrong about critical thinking being a requirement for creation it's not and has never been. It can be used, sometimes with success but many times it's being mis-used to represent constructive thinking when it's really just playing devils advocate." That's a very weak argument with no substance.
    - ThomPete 12y ago
      No I am not complaining about overthinking I am complaining about how people who learn critical thinking confuse it with constructive thinking, just like you do now.