#15: Are We Mentally Stupid or Just Lazy?
Is Critical Thinking the Missing Secret Sauce for Career Success?
Are we too stupid to understand the current world? Short answer: No, but we ARE too lazy with our critical evaluation of information, preferring that the analysis be done for us instead.
With the infusion of slanted, biased posts online meant to sway our opinions (with hidden and often bad intentions behind them) the perceived lack of critical thinking in today's business environment and university classrooms should be a cause for concern.
We're living in an era of information overload, where it's becoming increasingly challenging to sift through the noise and understand the essence of the issues at hand. Yet, many seem hesitant to evaluate the information presented to them critically. But why is that? And more importantly, why is nurturing a critical-thinking mindset crucial in these contexts?
#MakingtheCase — #CriticalThinking
The Critical Thinking Gap
Critical thinking is essential for informed decision-making and active citizenship, but it is also important to develop your career in the way that you want. However, it is in short supply. According to a study by the University of Southern California, fake news often spreads because individuals either lack the critical thinking skills necessary to discern truth from falsehood or because strong beliefs skew their judgment. Dark marketing techniques have been utilized effectively to sell us things we don’t need, but also peddle agendas that might actually go against our long-term success. Look? Even censorship on social media was allowed to go on for a long time before people realized that the fact checkers were themselves biased. So we need more critical thinking, if only to fact-check the fact-checkers.
In university classrooms, the story isn't much different. Students are often hesitant to evaluate information presented by professors or in textbooks critically. This reluctance could be attributed to the fear of being on the wrong side of the argument or receiving a lower grade. However, critical thinking doesn't necessarily mean disagreeing; it's about understanding the information better to make the best decision possible.
I get it, though. Fear. We are fearful we will be painted as different or extreme. We are afraid of missing out on the promotion or losing our jobs. This should never be the situation we place others in, but that is the reality of our current global business climate. This should not be an excuse to surrender to the masses. It is too easy to let AI think for us now and just to input our thoughts and let AI convert them to something more mainstream. But innovation and creating a career or business that accommodates our future means we need to think critically and be aware of situations from multiple angles to try and better understand ourselves, our customers or coworkers, and our future wants and needs.
The Power of Critical Thinking
Let's take a look at two real-life examples that demonstrate the power of critical thinking.
Call to Action
As these examples illustrate, critical thinking is a powerful tool that can help us navigate complex issues, challenge assumptions, and make informed decisions. It's not just about disagreement; it's about understanding, analysis, and insight.
So, whether you're a student, an entrepreneur, or a young professional trying to make sense of the business and career landscape, I urge you to embrace critical thinking. Question assumptions, seek evidence, and don't be afraid to change your mind. It's not always easy, but it's a journey worth taking. In the next post, we'll delve into practical strategies to develop a critical-thinking mindset. Stay tuned!