
Ask HN: How to improve critical thinking? - mohitmun
How do you avoid biases when taking any decisions or judgement.
======
jfaucett
Here's some things I do.

1\. Make predictions over short (next day, next hour) to long (next
month,year) term. When you are right or wrong ask why. Make a hypothesis and
test it out in your next prediction. You can and should do this with
everything.

2\. Understand how measurement correlates to meaning. Study metrology even,
Measure things constantly and form your judgements and opinions from
measurements.

3\. Accept you and all humans are not rational (when was the last time you
made an everyday choice after computing the mathematical probabilities) but
driven by emotions and gut desires which are rationalized. You can read books
about this but most of the time knowing you are biased wont protect you or
stop you from being biased. Accept this, learn, strive to be better anyway,
dont get frustrated.

4\. Surround yourself by people who don't agree with you on everything.

5\. Take on and argue for things you don't agree with or like to the point of
being able to convince other people of them. It forces you to see another side
of an issue and can be a good way to gain additional insight.

~~~
aalhour
Your advice is great, thanks for sharing. Can you share some more of the stuff
that you do?

------
makecheck
Make plain statements of fact and expect the same (or distill what you read
until it looks plain).

Typically this means that everything you read and write should say exactly
what’s going on, nothing more. Who said/did what and when. If you are
distracted by someone’s appearance, etc. then you’re probably experiencing a
bias and should imagine what you’d think if you saw the same words printed
with no attribution: does the statement stand by itself?

And if a statement might not stand by itself, have questions in your head
that, if answered, would let the combined statements stand.

For example, “up to 50% off” sounds like a great deal and when emotions take
over you might miss the fact that the statement doesn’t stand on its own.
Example follow-up questions: 1. What is the minimum discount? 2. What was the
price last week and last month? 3. What do competitors charge? 4. If this
discount is taken, are other coupons also honored? It’s pretty amazing how
many statements start to fall apart under slight scrutiny.

------
cyberjunkie
Question everything you've taken for granted, or the matters that are of
utmost importance. Question the big points, then narrow down to every aspect
of it. Accept reasoning, but question it too.

Don't be afraid of being wrong, don't be afraid of questioning anyone on
anything. The outcome of this realization is always going to be 'right'.

Try it - start with your own faith maybe?

~~~
sitkack
Remove Ego from the pursuit of Truth.

------
rahimnathwani
The question in the body "How do you avoid biases when taking any decisions or
judgement" is easier, so I'll try to answer that one.

When about to take an important action, imagine you have to get the decision
approved by someone else (could be a real person, or an imaginary one). Write
a document detailing the decision to be made, the options (including not doing
anything), the rationale, and finally your recommended course of action.

When you're done, imagine that person saying your analysis is insufficient to
support the decision you're recommending. Why (again in your imagination) did
they reach that conclusion?

The act of writing this stuff down will force your brain to slow down and put
some structure around the decisions.

Also: assume anything anyone tells you is for their own benefit, and either
untrue or, if technically true, misleading to the max.

Also: once you're comfortable applying this to big things, you can more easily
(and maybe without paper) apply it to smaller things.

------
mythrwy
A better question may be how to mitigate bias.

 _A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging
their prejudices._

\--William James

------
DoreenMichele
I did a lot of therapy in my teens and twenties and I journaled for a long
time. Then I blogged for a long time to help me figure out what I really think
so I am not merely "rearranging my prejudices." I also talk a lot with two
people I trust who work well as a sounding board.

I look for patterns, both in my own words or behavior and in that of other
people. I learned long ago to "trust my eyes over my ears." People frequently
say one thing, but do another. In most cases, I think they don't even realize
it. In some cases, they are outright lying because they have an ugly agenda,
but most people seem pretty oblivious to their own motivations and goals. I
try to not take it too personally while trying to avoid getting sucked in.

------
ShirsenduK
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dItUGF8GdTw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dItUGF8GdTw)

------
hkmurakami
First abandon your own positions, preferences, world views, opinions, etc.

------
rajacombinator
Question everything. Sounds easy, but apparently not.

------
arca_vorago
Quadrivium and the Trivium.

