Is independent Thinking on the Verge of Extinction?
The structure of independent thinking
If you have the amount of information that we get bombarded by every single day, it’s really hard to decide the difference between truth, propaganda and fantasy.
Human beings as a group tend to want to think as a group. There are many reasons for this but it is actually quite primal. If you go along with the rest of the group to get to stay in the tribe. Independent thinking is not only discouraged but many times punished.
For this reason… people are basically just lazy. Most people seem to want to find somebody there to make decisions for them and tell them what to believe.
Ironically it is the independent thinkers that tend to be the most successful because they are more creative, that more outside the box thinking, and more creative problem-solving.
So here’s a short guide on how to think more independently and make up your mind for yourself.
Number one, look at the most obvious answer presented then promptly ignore it. Just because it’s obvious doesn’t necessarily make it the correct answer to the correct opinion. Most people never get beyond number one because they just accept what they’re being told. If you have confirmation bias into a damn if what they’re being told is in alignment with what they already believe or with the desire to believe that they’re more willing to just accept it and stop there.
Number two, if it’s not number one then what are the other possibilities. I find this really useful in problem-solving because many times the most obvious answer just doesn’t work. If that doesn’t work what are my other options. If I’m being presented is not true but all the alternatives.
Number three, do research from sources that you are the least likely to agree with. If you’re not willing to look at something from all sides then you’re nothing more than a follower. You have to be able to look at the opposite opinion of what your initial response is. The same is true of problem-solving. Sometimes you have to look at the least likely answer to your problem in order to find it.
Number four, make decisions based upon the information that you find not the information that you wish was true. If you are emotionally attached to the answer that you want to happen when you’re not in a make good decisions. That means you have to be able to accept the flaws in your own way of thinking in order to find an answer.
Number five, sometimes the most obvious answer is true. The concept of Occam’s razor is there for a reason. The problem is that sometimes the most obvious answer is not the one we want to believe. When that happens we can tend to ignore Occam’s razor and make up a story that fits the belief that we want to have.
