So much of our thinking is ego driven, not fact based. It is emotional, stemming from our need to feel that we know "what's going on." Uncritical thinking causes us harm when it traps us in our foolish ways.

These are the five traps of egocentric thinking:

"It's true because I believe it."
"It's true because we believe it."
"It's true because I (or we) want to believe it."
"It's true because I (or we) have always believed it."
"It's true because it is in my selfish interest to believe it."

Sociocentric Thinking

Most people do not understand the degree to which they have uncritically internalized the dominant prejudices of their society or culture. This is called being "culture bound."

Take the following test. (Keep the results to yourself).

1. Do you place your own culture, nation, and religion above all others?

2. Do you select self-serving positive descriptions of ourselves and negative descriptions of those who think differently from us?

3. Do you internalize group norms and beliefs, take on group identities, and act as we are expected to act - without the least sense that what we are doing might reasonably be questioned?

4. Do you blindly conform to group restrictions (many of which may be arbitrary or coercive)?

5. Do you fail to think beyond the traditional prejudices of your culture, religion and nation?

6. Do you fail to study and internalize the insights of other cultures?

7. Do you fail to distinguish universal ethics from relativistic cultural requirements and taboos?

8. Do you fail to recognize that the mass media in every culture shapes the news from the point of view of that culture?

9. Do you fail to think historically and anthropologically?

10. Do you fail to see sociocentric thinking as a significant impediment to intellectual development?

- If you answered "yes" to any of these, you need to think about why, and change the way you think.

 

Life is full of choices and so is thinking . . . so which will you choose?

Intellectual Humility . . . or . . . Intellectual Arrogance

Intellectual Courage . . . or . . . Intellectual Cowardice

Intellectual Empathy . . . or . . . Intellectual Narrow-mindedness

Intellectual Autonomy . . . or . . . Intellectual Conformity

Intellectual Integrity . . . or . . . Intellectual Hypocrisy

Intellectual Perseverance . . . or . . . Intellectual Laziness

Confidence in Reason . . . or . . . Distrust of Reason and Evidence

Fair-mindedness . . . or . . . Closed-mindedness

 

 

 

All of the above is from: "The Miniture Guide to Critical Thinking Concepts and Tools," Paul & Elder, www.criticalthinking.org