Understand before criticizing
When encountering any new viewpoint, we’re obligated to agree. Even so, critical thinking demands that we take the time to understand an idea before rejecting or modifying it. One mark of skilled debaters is that they can sum up the viewpoints they disagree with—often better than the people who hold those viewpoints can.
Strictly speaking, none of us lives in the same world. Our habits, preferences, outlooks, and values are as individual as our fingerprints. Each of them is shaped by our culture, our upbringing, our experiences, and our choices. Speeches, books, articles, works of art, television programs, views expressed in conversation—all come from people who inhabit a different world than yours. Until we’re lived in another person’s world for a while, it’s ineffective to dismiss her point of view.
This basic principle is central to many professions. Physicians diagnose before they prescribe. Lawyers brief themselves on the opponent’s case. Effective teachers find out what a student already knows before they guide her to ideas. Skilled salespeople find out what a customer’s needs are before they present a product.
Effective understanding calls for listening without judgment. To enter another person’s world, sum up her viewpoint in your own words. If you’re conversing with that person, keep revising your summary until she agrees you’ve stated her position accurately. If you’re reading an article, write a short summary of it. Then scan the article again, checking to see if your summary is on track.
Many of us find it difficult to fully permit others a point of view that is much different from ours. Instead we can actually celebrate other people’s opinions, knowing that diversity leads to valuable new ideas.
Watch for hot spots
Notice any anger or discomfort you feel when conversations shift to certain topics. During a presidential election, for instance, politics often becomes a “hot spot”—an area in which defenses rise, assumptions run rampant, and tempers quickly flare. All these things get in the way of thinking thoroughly.
Most of us have hot spots. For some people they include abortion or handgun control. Other people heat up when they talk about the death penalty or world government.
It pays for each of us to discover our special hot spots. We can also make a clear intention to practice critical thinking when we encounter these topics.
To cool down your hot spots, seek out the whole world of ideas. Avoid intellectual ruts. Read magazines and books that challenge the opinions you currently hold. If you consider yourself liberal, pick up the National Review. If you are a socialist, sample the Wall Street Journal. Do the same with radio and television programs. Make a point to talk with people who differ from you in education level, race, ethnic group, or political affiliation. And to hone your thinking skills, practice defending an idea you consider outrageous.
Consider the source
Look again at that article on the unfeasibility of cars powered by natural gas; it may have been written by an executive from an oil company. Check out the authority who disputes the connection between smoking and lung cancer; that person might be the president of a tobacco company.
This is not to say that we should dismiss the ideas of people who have a vested interest in their opinions. Rather, we can seek out contrasting viewpoints on theses issues.
Seek out alternative views
Imagine Karl Marx, Cesar Chavez, and Donald Trump gathered in one room to choose the most desirable economics system. Picture Gandhi, Winnie Mandela, and General George Patton in a seminar on conflict resolution. Visualize Jesse Jackson, Bill Clinton, and Mother Theresa in a discussion about how to balance the national budget. When you seek out alternative points of view, such events can take place in your mind’s arena.
Dozens of viewpoint exist on every critical issue how to reduce crime, end world hunger, prevent war, educate our children, and countless others. In fact, few problems allow for any permanent solution. Each generation produces new answers, based on current conditions. Our search for answers is a conversation that spans centuries. On each question, many voices are waiting to be heard. You can take advantage of this diversity by seeking out alternative viewpoints. 感谢您阅读《Ideas 》一文，出国留学网(liuxue86.com)编辑部希望本文能帮助到您。
