An Exercise to Think Critically
Critical thinking is an essential skill in navigating the complexities of modern life. It enables us to challenge our biases, consider alternative perspectives, and arrive at reasoned conclusions. However, many people struggle to engage in genuine critical thinking due to the influence of ego and an aversion to being proven wrong. To develop this skill, one effective exercise involves actively engaging with perspectives that oppose your own and approaching them with an open mind.
For example, if you dislike vegans for whatever reason, spend a week immersing yourself in pro-vegan content. Read books, watch documentaries, and explore articles that articulate the ethical, environmental, and health arguments for veganism. The goal is not simply to consume the content but to genuinely attempt to understand why others hold these views. Reflect on their arguments and consider their merit without allowing your initial biases to take over.
Similarly, if you aim to strengthen your religious faith, it may not be enough to only attend church or read scripture that affirms your beliefs. Instead, challenge yourself to read opposing viewpoints—academic critiques of religion, philosophical arguments for atheism, or theological perspectives from other faiths. Ironically, exposing yourself to criticism may ultimately reinforce your beliefs by helping you better articulate and understand them, or it might prompt you to refine them in meaningful ways.
A key part of this exercise is avoiding distractions or the temptation to dismiss opposing viewpoints outright. Don't just skim comments or look for flaws in arguments to confirm your own biases. Instead, focus on learning and understanding. Try to remove as much bias as possible and engage with the content on its own terms.
It's also essential to prioritise books and academic literature over overly simplified media, such as YouTube videos or viral social media content. While these platforms can provide an entry point into opposing views, they often oversimplify complex issues to the point where important nuances are lost. Deep, critical engagement requires a more detailed and robust exploration of ideas, which books and research papers are better equipped to provide.
However, this exercise will be pointless if approached with a "hate-reading" or "hate-watching" mindset. If your goal is to ridicule or reaffirm your own superiority rather than learn, you'll miss the opportunity to genuinely challenge your thinking. True critical thinking requires humility and the willingness to accept that you may be wrong or that your perspective may need refinement.
Unfortunately, most people will fail this exercise because of ego—the deep-seated desire to be right and the fear of admitting mistakes. Ego often prevents us from approaching opposing views with curiosity or respect. Yet, being able to think critically is not about being right all the time. It's about the process of evaluating ideas rationally and fairly. While critical thinking does not inherently make someone intelligent, intelligent individuals are more likely to practise it because they value the pursuit of truth over comfort.
By exposing ourselves to opposing views and engaging with them thoughtfully, we can begin to think more critically. This exercise challenges our biases, deepens our understanding, and fosters intellectual humility. It may be uncomfortable at first, but the rewards—greater self-awareness, more informed opinions, and stronger arguments—are well worth the effort. In a world full of oversimplified narratives, the ability to think critically is an invaluable skill that everyone should strive to cultivate.