“Learning without thought is labour lost; thought without learning is perilous.”
– Confucius
Confucius was a Chinese philosopher and widely considered one of the most important and influential people in history on a par with Socrates and Aristotle. Because of that notoriety, I'll leave the backstory for another day. Instead, I'll focus more on the purpose of his quote.
This quote is about the balance between pure knowledge vs. understanding and application.
Learning brings knowledge, but without understanding and application, it's just an exercise in memorization.
Understanding there is a problem and trying to fix it without the knowledge to do so is a recipe for disaster.
In short, his quote is about critical thinking. A skill that is in short supply in today's society. But it doesn't have to be.
Here is a way to encourage critical thinking in yourself by asking a few simple questions.
* HOW DO YOU KNOW THIS? consider whether their source of information is reputable.
* DO I KNOW THIS OR FEEL THIS?
Remember to always ask yourself " Do I know this answer or does it just feel right?"
* HOW WOULD YOUR PERSPECTIVE BE DIFFERENT IF YOU WERE ON THE OPPOSING SIDE?
Better understand the broader situation by putting yourself in someone else shoes. Even if you don't agree try to understand why the opposing side feels the way they do.
* HOW WOULD YOU SOLVE THIS PROBLEM
Finding solutions to problems rather than just pointing them out is a valuable life skill.
* WHY? WHY? WHY?
Don't stop at the first or most convenient answer, to get to the real depth. Keep asking why? Is this the right answer?
* HOW COULD WE AVOID THIS?
Always be thinking "can we prevent this issue from reoccurring.
* WHY DOES IT MATTER?
When trying to solve an issue or discuss a topic, it's important to understand why the topic is relevant today.
* WHAT'S ANOTHER WAY TO LOOK AT THIS ISSUE?
A bit of a repeat but challenging yourself to think of a creative alternate perspective encourages you to be more thorough.
* THINK OF AN EXAMPLE
Do a thought experiment and plot through examples that not only could prove your theory but also disprove your theory.
* HOW CAN YOU TELL IF IT WORKED?
In scenarios where the results are less concrete force yourself to consider how you will know if your theory works.
* WHY DID THEY ASK THAT QUESTION?
Instead of automatically answering a question, think about any deeper meaning or motivations that might lie behind that question.
* WHO WOULD BE AFFECTED BY THIS?
When making any decision, it's important to consider who will be impacted and how.
* WHY IS THIS A PROBLEM?
Analyse why something is a problem instead of just accepting that it is.
These are all questions I try to ask myself every chance I get, admittedly not as often or as successfully as I'd like but it's a process. I hope you'll join me in that process.
-JB
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