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The Power of Critical Thinking 2

The Power of Critical Thinking 2

Last updated on: June 13, 2026 at 4:00 pm by Roger E. Olson

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The Power of Critical Thinking 2 2026-06-13T16:00:09-05:00 Roger E. Olson

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I began this series in the immediately preceding essay. You should read that before reading this one. There I suggested two habits that enhance critical thinking: reading and suspicion. Read widely and deeply. Fiction and nonfiction. Simply reading rewires the brain to think critically. Scientific studies have shown it. Receive messages that contain truth claims made authoritatively with suspicion. Especially when you are expected to believe them and when they are controlling. Whether it be a sermon or a lecture or a proposed law or political platform or whatever.

Train yourself not to be gullible. Look for errors in such messages. Don’t reject them only because they are such messages, but don’t accept them uncritically just because they come from authorities. Question authority.

Critical thinking can and should help you to help others. It’s not just for your benefit. Critical thinking can and should lead you to help others to avoid falling into errors, abuses, manipulation.

The first thing to look for in such messages is illogic, contradictions. Not only contradictions between specific statements of fact but also between claims description and prescriptive that contradict accepted principles. Everyone claims to want fairness. When a prescriptive statement (“You shall”) contradicts fairness you should note that and point it out. Most people understand that double standards are wrong. They abound. They are often unrecognized.

For example: I served on a HOA board that was revising the declaration of the association, its governing document. I kept an eye out for unprincipled rules and double standards. Others on the board did not see some that I saw.

A critical thinker will look at a message or prescriptive document with a somewhat jaundiced eye because he or she knows that most people do not think critically. These things slip by them. By “these things” I mean contradictions, double standards and claims that violate accepted principles.

Thinking critically will inevitably make you something of an outsider in groups. You have to decide how important it is to speak up and point out the errors.

My poor wife has learned to put up with my vocal criticisms of nonsense on television. Especially, but not only, advertising. TV commercials are often full of nonsense. Obvious example: “You deserve shiny hair.” But there are many less obvious examples. One meme in insurance advertising on TV is “only pay for what you need”—as if that insurance company is the only one that allows you to tailor your purchase of insurance to your needs for insurance.

”Make America Great Again” is a slogan that requires critical thinking. When was America not great? According to the person saying it? What does “great” mean? What will it take to make America “great” according to the person saying it? Is it worth it? Etc.

Negative advertising. It’s election year. Half the commercials on TV are negative ads about candidates. A critical thinker will question all such ads. Doubt them. A current one where I live says that a particular candidate supported the incarceration in cages of immigrant children many of who died as a result. I immediately doubt that because the candidate is a liberal Democrat. What actually happened was that the accused candidate voted for a bill in Congress that contained funding for an immigrant deportation center. That was an ad-on to the bill which was about a more general funding for law enforcement. The choice was either vote for the bill or defund police.

As a general rule of thumb doubt all negative political ads. If you allow TV (or other commercials) to influence your voting, pay attention only to what the candidates say. Even then, consider context. Watch debates, read policy statements written by candidates themselves.

Developing critical thinking absolutely requires a degree of suspicion and doubt which almost always makes you feel like an outsider. That’s the cost of critical thinking but it is the only way to avoid being victimized by demagogues and manipulated by powerful influencers.

*Note: If you choose to comment, make sure your comment is relatively brief (no more than 100 words), on topic, addressed to me, civil and respectful (not hostile or argumentative) and devoid of pictures or links.*

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