Critical Thinking.
Quick Hits
10 random key ideas.
1.
History is a disciplined extension of the journalism truth hammer. Using historical traces like a reporter, historians create stories of the past like a journalist.
2.
Quote:
- Thomas Gray.
- 1742.
Meaning:
Wisdom is not the removal of every illusion. It is knowing which truths help you flourish, and which details only feed fear, obsession, or paralysis.
3.
From History: A constant state of self-assessment.
Reflective inquiry is the act of exploring and examining one’s own thoughts, beliefs, and assumptions to clear the illusions of life.
4.
Counterfactuals ask what would be true if something had been different. In the Idea of Ideas, they are just ideas.
5.
Quote:
- Bernard of Chartres.
- circa 1130 CE.
Meaning:
Transcendental intelligence is the capacity to transmit ideas beyond individual minds and lifespans, allowing knowledge itself to accumulate across generations.
6.
From History: By 14 Million Years Ago
Skin color diversity is far older than humanity. Across many animals, pigmentation varied by species, population, body region, environment, and evolutionary history.
7.
Evidence. Inductive reasoning is evidence based; abductive reasoning is a best guess from limited evidence.
8.
Quote:
- Philo of Alexandria.
- circa 20 CE.
Meaning:
With your entertainment, with literature, art, and movies, allegories allow for deeper understanding. Enrich your life by looking for the wisdom embedded within the stories you consume.
9.
From History: Spirituality is exploration.
When publicly discussing spirituality, distinguish thought of the material world, what we directly experience, from the spiritual interpretations beyond it. Organize each spiritual idea into agnostic, non-theistic, and theistic.
10.
Authority is a cognitive shortcut for managing complexity. Choose your authorities carefully, and never stop auditing them.
Done. Refresh for another set.