PAST NEWSLETTERS
PAST NEWSLETTERS
Critical Thinking and The Art of Good Questioning
Sunday, August 18th, 2024
This week’s letter explores the important connection between critical thinking and the art of good questioning. Learn how asking the right questions and managing conversations with empathy and skill can enhance your critical thinking, enable deeper understanding, and improve your communication and the ability to be pursuasive in everyday interactions.
There is no Critical Thinking without Comprehension
Sunday, August 11th, 2024
We will explore the critical connection between comprehension and critical thinking in today’s information-saturated world. As we move through the challenges of the information revolution, this letter focuses on how understanding ideas deeply and fairly is essential to overcoming biases and cultivating intelligent thinking. Learn practical steps to enhance your comprehension skills and apply them in your daily life for clearer, more thoughtful engagement with the world around you.
Critical Thinking: Everyday Life and Social Resilience
Sunday, August 4th, 2024
This week I focus on critical thinking for everyday life and its impact on social resilience or lack of. You will think about how understanding and applying CT can help you navigate information, manage emotions, and overcome biases to improve your mental well-being and instead thrive in today’s complex world as opposed to succumbing to it.
Artificial Intelligence and Critical Thinking: A Thought Piece
Sunday, July 28th, 2024
This article discusses threats posed by short-form content and artificial intelligence (AI) to critical thinking (CT). It explains how platforms like Threads, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok promote instant gratification and cognitive complacency through rapid information delivery, while also introducing a new era of AI that further challenges CT by providing instant answers and personalised content. The author emphasises the importance of learning CT skills and ethical reflection to navigate these technological impacts.
The Art of Articulation
Sunday, July 21st, 2024
If you want to learn to be more articulate, this week’s letter will teach you exactly how to get there. There is only one way to do it and I have unlocked this already in my life. This letter explains the vital elements required as we take in information. Becoming more articulate is also a default of critical thinking.
24 BIASES OF THE MIND - PART TWO
Sunday, July 14th, 2024
This week follows up with Part 2 of the 24 biases series. See the previous letter for the first 12 biases. We battle with these biases every day and no one is immune. The more you are aware of what your mind is geared to do the better you can use it to succeed.
24 BIASES OF THE MIND - PART ONE
Sunday, July 7th, 2024
This week I introduce you to 12 of 24 biases of the mind which we battle with every day no matter who you are. Our minds are geared to be irrational and selfish but as you learn more about this, awareness will assist you with becoming a better thinker. The sooner you accept and understand your human mind the better you will use it. Next week I follow up with the remaining 12!
Egocentric & Sociocentric Thought: Two Major Barriers to Critical Thinking
Sunday, June 30th, 2024
This week I introduce these two concepts as barriers to intelligent or good thinking. Egocentric thinking is self-centered and dismisses other perspectives, while sociocentric thinking prioritises group norms over individual critical thought, both leading to biased judgments and a lack of intellectual humility. They erect barriers and have little effect of dismantling them.
Reconnecting The Self: Relationship between Philosophy & Critical Thinking
Sunday, June 23rd, 2024
This week I explore the challenges of navigating a fast-paced, information-driven world where discerning truth from falsehood is crucial yet complex. I emphasise the importance of slowing down, engaging in critical thinking but that we must remain rooted in personal insight and philosophical understanding or we lose all sight of ourselves. I also discuss bridging generational and cultural divides to enrich our collective wisdom and empathy.
How to become a master thinker with an almost impenetrable mind
Sunday, June 16th, 2024
This letter introduces two overarching steps required to achieve critical thinking and personal liberation. The latter meaning coming to terms with any grievances associated with your past. By following the practical steps outlined, you will learn how to become a more articulate, effective, and efficient thinker. The focus is on embracing diverse ideas and allowing the world to challenge and improve your thought processes, ultimately leading to self-liberation and personal growth.
A Charitable Approach to Thinking for Intellectual Progress
Sunday, June 9th, 2024
The article discusses the importance of a charitable approach to thinking for intellectual progress. It emphasises that taking the more challenging path of engaging deeply with others' viewpoints, especially through constructive dialogue and assuming sincerity, leads to better problem-solving, innovation, and overall intellectual growth. This is how you become a critical thinker, better communicator and a better leader.
Intellectual Empathy in Online Communication and the Real World
Sunday, June 2nd, 2024
With online communication lacking the nuances of face-to-face interactions, understanding and appreciating others' perspectives becomes crucial for fostering compassionate and intelligent dialogue. Intellectual empathy is fundamental for critical thinking practice. You can not learn without truly listening to and hearing the stories of others.
POINT OF VIEW OR WHAT IS THE POINT TO YOUR VIEW?
Sunday, May 26th, 2024
We view all things, issues, ideas, thoughts, or events from a cognitive place, which is called our point of view. Knowing exactly what that point is or what is the point of our views, helps us learn how and why we think certain ways. For critical thinking practice, awareness of this is a fundamental skill. It also assists in understanding diverse points of view and ultimately this is what increases tolerance for diversity.
THE IMPORTANCE OF DISCOMFORT FOR CRITICAL THINKING
Sunday, May 19th, 2024
Fear of cognitive discomfort is one of the biggest barriers to CT and intellectual advancement. As soon as something feels uncomfortable, we shut it down, push back, or attack. There is an important balance here however, learn how to recognise cognitive discomfort which helps intellectual advancement versus cognitive discomfort which is a real threat.
KNOWLEDGE INSECURITY: A BARRIER TO CRITICAL THINKING
Sunday, May 12th, 2024
Knowledge insecurity (KI) hinders critical thinking by fostering bias, combative behaviour, and disrupted solutions, ultimately stunting knowledge progress and harming relationships. Addressing KI requires honesty about our knowledge gaps, emotional maturity, and a commitment to continuous learning and self-reflection.
HOW DO WE GET OTHERS TO THINK CRITICALLY?
Sunday, May 5th, 2024
To guide others toward critical thinking, start with acknowledging the right to subjective belief, then engage in productive conversation by asking quality questions that trigger reflection. Persuade ethically through ethos, pathos, and logos, avoiding manipulation or force, and remember, that language and tone play crucial roles in shaping interactions.
EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE: AWARENESS OF THE SELF, AND THE OTHER
Sunday, April 28th, 2024
In order to be an effective critical thinker for every day life, you must have emotional intelligence (EI). EI increases your ability to understand people, and in turn be successful within important relationships. In order to work on improving EI, you need to learn how to understand yourself first. When you understand the flaws of the self, you accept the flaws in others. In understanding people, you gain better understand of the world.
THERE IS NO CRITICAL THINKING WITHOUT REFLECTIVE THINKING
Sunday, April 21st, 2024
Reflective thinking is fundamental to critical thinking. Learn about the art of introspection by looking at yourself from the outside in, and think about what fuels your thoughts, ideas, assumptions and biases.
HOW DOES CRITICAL THINKING HAPPEN?
Sunday, April 7th, 2024
We need critical thinking skills for our every day. This letter talks about the importance of information and how to use our interactions with people to enhance the way we see the world and in turn, improve our critical thinking skills.
SEVEN STRUCTURES OF THOUGHT
Sunday, March 31st, 2024
This week I introduce the he fundamental structures of thought, exploring the purpose, questions, information utilisation, conceptualisation, assumptions, implications, and perspectives that shape our thinking.
FAIRMINDEDNESS, HYPOCRISY, AND THE SELF
Sunday, March 24th, 2024
Explore your relationship with the self. This weeks letter discusses fair-mindedness, hypocrisy and your relationships with the self. Critical thinking really is simply training the mind to see things with a fair mind as opposed to a selfish mind. We are hard wired to more naturally do the latter without cognitive training.
THE EIGHT THINKING PRINCIPLES FOR CRITICAL THINKING
Sunday, March 17th, 2024
This letter gives you the eight thinking principles or intellectual traits you can practice and learn in order to become a critical thinker. The letter also introduces the concept of reflexivity— a deep reflective process of self-awareness which enables you to become a more objective thinker. Reflexivity is foundational to the eight principles of thinking.
CURIOSITY AND THE IMPERMANENCE OF INFORMATION
Sunday, March 10th, 2024
In order to be exposed to and. encourage new knowledge, we need to be curious as well as willing to see knowledge as moveable. Rigidity cancels out curiosity, and curiosity is vital for the critical thinker.
AWARENESS OF THE SUBJECTIVE AND OBJECTIVE MIND
Sunday, March 3rd, 2024
You must attempt to obtain balance between the subjective (emotional) and objective (logical) mind. These are the intellectual habits which turn you into a critical thinker.
DO YOU UNDERSTAND? THE ART OF COMPREHENSION
Sunday, February 25th, 2024
You must be sure that you comprehend before you react. Confirmation bias blocks comprehension and critical thinking.
CLEAN UP YOUR MIND
Sunday, February 18th, 2024
The way to reduce mind clutter and avoid problematic thinking patterns, is to organise the mind.
EMOTION AND LOGIC: INTELLIGENT THINKING
Sunday, February 11th, 2024
This relationship is permanent but the lack of balance is the reason for most of our bad decisions and reduced critical thinking.
Do not let time take your superpower!
Sunday, February 4th, 2024
Your superpower is the ability to think. Why do we need critical thinking and what is it?
Bias is your main problem
Sunday, January 28th, 2024
What lens do you use to see the world? These are your biases and they control how you see things,