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Critical Thinking Means Business
Did you know critical thinking was rated the NEW #1 workplace skill? Download our paper: Critical Thinking Means Business
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Wishful Thinking vs. Cynical Thinking: Which is Better?
Let’s first start by defining Wishful vs. Cynical Thinking. Wishful Thinking (according to Wikipedia) is the formation of beliefs and making decisions according to what might be pleasing to imagine instead of by appealing to evidence, rationality or reality. Cynical Thinking (which is NOT the same thing as Critical Thinking) is thinking that is predisposed to doubt and lack of [...]
Best Critical Thinking Posts of 2011
We wrote 149 posts on this blog about critical thinking in 2011. We’ve covered everything from Devil’s Advocates to eating walnuts. We’ve analyzed decisions by Southwest Airlines, Zappos, Panera, Lebron James and many others. We’ve even covered the latest books and assessments on critical thinking. With only 10 days left in 2011, we thought it [...]
What is Your Thinking Style?
What is your thinking style? Are you Analytical, Inquisitive, or Timely? Now you can find out for free with the My Thinking Styles™ assessment at ThinkWatson.com. The My Thinking Styles™ assessment helps you learn the thinking styles you use most often in life to make decisions, solve problems, and innovate. Learning about your thinking style will help you [...]
You Disagree? Then You’re Not a Critical Thinker!
I have a Twitter search set up to alert me anytime someone says “critical thinking” or “critical thinker.” Do you know how those terms are used most often on social media? It looks something like this: “Oh, you’re a Republican? Then you’re not a critical thinker” (and you can replace the word Republican with any [...]
Was Netflix Thinking Critically? Are You?
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard about the Netflix price hike. That’s right! Many customers, including me, will see a 60% rate hike to enjoy the same amenities they experience now. Sixty percent! What was Netflix thinking?!?! Clearly they knew customers would be angry because they hired extra customer service reps to [...]
Stephen Colbert on Belief Systems and Skeptics
Stephen Colbert interviews author Michael Shermer about his new book “The Believing Brain.” There are some interesting critical thinking tid-bits in this humorous interview. What do you think about Shermer’s take on the brain’s desire to believe? The Colbert Report Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c Michael Shermer www.colbertnation.com Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor [...]
Making Difficult Decisions Despite Ambiguous Information: That’s Life!
Yesterday, Chad Fife wrote a post about how too many choices and too much information can cause “decision paralysis.“ His post hit home for me as it mirrored many shopping trips I’ve taken with my husband (more on that next week). But I also want to explore the opposite issue- when there is a lack [...]
The Simplest Answer is Usually Correct
One day when I was about 5 years old, my mom walked into my room and with a look of shock on her face exclaimed “what happened in here?!” I quickly explained “I know!!! A bomb went off and scattered my toys everywhere, but I wasn’t hurt by it, so it’s okay.” Aside from getting [...]
Critical Thinking Fail: Police Shoot at Concrete Lawn Alligator
When I first heard this story on the local news I laughed. But then as I thought about it more thoroughly, I think this is truly an example of how emotions often override logic. On Sunday, police in Independence, MO received a report that a child had spotted an alligator on the loose. They arrived [...]
Analytical Thinking: Can It Be a Bad Thing?
I came across a blog post recently called “10 Curses of the Analytical Thinker” which questioned whether being an analytical thinker is really a good thing. I found the whole idea interesting and would love to hear your point of view. You’ll want to read the full blog post, but here is a summary of [...]