5 Impediments (Obstacles) to Critical Thinking
5 impediments (obstacles) to critical thinking
It is my understanding that the most common impediments to critical thinking should be sorted into two categories: (1) Those hindrances that arise because of how we think (2) Those that occur because of what we think.
Much of the thinking of the untrained mind is distorted, incomplete, biased, uninformed and prejudiced. The five impediments to critical thinking that I find to be an obstacle are: egocentricity, bias, cultural assumption, prejudice, and empirical. Describing why I think these are impediments and my developed strategy to overcome each one.
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Egocentricity: By definition is a tendency to view everything in relationship to oneself; to confuse immediate perception (how things seem) with reality. Egocentricity is probably one of the most common fundamental impediments to critical thinking in my opinion. So, when one learns to think critically, then one also learns to become more logical, and less egocentric.
Bias: By definition is a mental leaning or inclination. To clearly distinguish there are two different senses of the word ’’bias’’. The first one is neutral, the other negative. In the neutral sense we are referring simply to the fact that, because of one's point of view, one notices some things rather than others, emphasizes some points rather than others, and thinks in one direction rather than others. This is not in itself a criticism because thinking within a point of view is unavoidable. In the negative sense, we are implying blindness or irrational resistance to weaknesses within one's own point of view or to the strength or insight within a point of view one opposes.
Cultural assumption: By definition is often a belief adopted by virtue of upbringing in a society. By one being raised in a specific society, we unconsciously take on the point of views, values, beliefs, and practices of that society. Not knowing that we perceive, conceive, think, and experience within
It is my understanding that the most common impediments to critical thinking should be sorted into two categories: (1) Those hindrances that arise because of how we think (2) Those that occur because of what we think.
Much of the thinking of the untrained mind is distorted, incomplete, biased, uninformed and prejudiced. The five impediments to critical thinking that I find to be an obstacle are: egocentricity, bias, cultural assumption, prejudice, and empirical. Describing why I think these are impediments and my developed strategy to overcome each one.
.
Egocentricity: By definition is a tendency to view everything in relationship to oneself; to confuse immediate perception (how things seem) with reality. Egocentricity is probably one of the most common fundamental impediments to critical thinking in my opinion. So, when one learns to think critically, then one also learns to become more logical, and less egocentric.
Bias: By definition is a mental leaning or inclination. To clearly distinguish there are two different senses of the word ’’bias’’. The first one is neutral, the other negative. In the neutral sense we are referring simply to the fact that, because of one's point of view, one notices some things rather than others, emphasizes some points rather than others, and thinks in one direction rather than others. This is not in itself a criticism because thinking within a point of view is unavoidable. In the negative sense, we are implying blindness or irrational resistance to weaknesses within one's own point of view or to the strength or insight within a point of view one opposes.
Cultural assumption: By definition is often a belief adopted by virtue of upbringing in a society. By one being raised in a specific society, we unconsciously take on the point of views, values, beliefs, and practices of that society. Not knowing that we perceive, conceive, think, and experience within