Five simple strategies to sharpen your critical thinking | BBC Ideas

 

                                              

We’re lucky to live in an age where the sum total of human knowledge

is pretty much available at the click of a button.

We’ve never had access to so much information.

But not all of what’s out there is quite what it seems.

So here’s a few strategies to navigate your way through.

And avoid falling out with people along the way.

We all enjoy that sweet dopamine hit of feeling like we’re right.

In repeated experiments, psychologists have shown

we’re much more likely to accept something as evidence

if it confirms what we already think we know.

And much more likely to discount information

if it contradicts our views.

It’s what’s known as “confirmation bias”.

It’s one of the key “cognitive biases” that humans have,

and it operates at an unconscious level -

affecting our ability to process information.

This is especially true for issues which are emotionally charged,

or where our views are deeply held.

But it can come into play at any time.

So don’t rush to decide,

and be actively prepared to change your mind.

So many of our discussions take place on social media platforms

where algorithms reward our desire to see and hear our views confirmed.

But in life, most situations are nuanced and complicated –

acknowledging that can enrich the way that we view the world.

For example, what colour is the sky? Well, the obvious answer is blue.

But at sunrise or sunset, it can be red.

On a cold misty morning, white or grey.

At night, midnight blue or black.

But imagine for a moment the blue of the sky on a sunny day.

Is it really blue?

The colour blue has a short wavelength,

meaning it scatters more than other colours -

making it more visible to the human eye.

So the sky looks blue to us humans,

even though there’s a whole spectrum of colours out there.

Even something that seems totally self-evident

can be more nuanced than you think.

One approach to, well, arguing,

is to let go of the idea of being “right”.

Or at least seriously consider that you might actually be wrong.

Putting yourself in the other person’s shoes

can lead to much more productive outcomes.

Really try to understand where the other person is coming from.

It’s what’s called “intellectual empathy”.

It can be challenging, but that’s the point.

This can only work when both parties are engaging in good faith.

Arguing just to waste somebody’s time,

known online as “sea lioning”,

not only makes you that guy or girl people avoid at parties,

but we are intellectually, socially and politically worse off for it.

It’s more important than ever

to know where your information is coming from.

That sciency-looking graph about the dangers of feral Dalmatian puppies

might look very convincing, until you dig a little deeper

and find it was commissioned by fur-coat-coveting

Disney villain, Cruella de Vil.

Be on the lookout for ulterior motives and vested interests.

Becoming literate in the basics of scientific methodology,

the use of data and the way it’s presented

are all weapons in your arsenal when it comes to critical thinking.

Whether engaging in online debates or arguing with Uncle Frank,

it’s very easy to lose our cool and resort to some

less-than-sound tactics.

One common tactic is what philosophers call,

“The Straw Man” fallacy.

Instead of engaging with the actual belief,

you engage with a caricature.

For example, if I said, “I prefer hamsters to gerbils,”

you might respond, “Oh, so you want to drown all gerbils?”

A viewpoint that’s much easier to take down.

Another fallacy is the “ad hominem fallacy”,

where you discount an argument

because of your opinion of the person making it.

This can lead to ad hominem attacks,

which is basically Latin for name-calling.

In that situation, it’s fair to say that everybody loses.

Engaging in critical thinking isn’t as fun as picking up a pitchfork,

or feeling like you’re fundamentally right.

But in the long run, it leads to a more curious,

educated and harmonious society,

which ultimately is the biggest win of all.

English (United Kingdom)

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A Simple Trick on How to Save Up A Lot of Money Fast

                                                                                                                              

a simple trick that will teach you how

to save money. if only I could stop

spending money on stuff I don't need I

would buy so many useful things. have you

ever thought this? then this video is

just for you. there is a simple and

efficient way to save money and as a

bonus we'll show you the worst places to

hide your emergency cash.

rule number one

zero out your money every evening, it's

pretty easy you have to zero out the

unspent money every evening.for instance

you decided to zero out two,  one zero in

the evening you have five hundred and

thirty two dollars in cash two thousand

four hundred and twenty five dollars, 

available on your bank card what you

should do, 

subtract the last digit from each number

to get a zero at the end it's easier to

zero out cash into a piggy bank and you

may use a savings account or any other

bank account to transfer the money from

your card.for example five hundred and

thirty two dollars minus 2 dollars

equals five hundred and thirty dollars.

two thousand four hundred and twenty

five dollars minus five dollars equals

two thousand,  four hundred and twenty

dollars.you may also zero out two more

zeros for example,  two to five hundred

and thirty-two dollars minus thirty-two

dollars , equals five hundred dollars two

thousand four hundred and twenty five

dollars , minus twenty five dollars equals

two thousand four hundred dollars.

rule number two move any unspent money

to your saving account,  save everything

that's left over before payday. zero out

one more time at the end of the month.

for instance you still have three

hundred dollars in cash and one thousand

dollars in the bank,  just move it to your

savings account.

what are the advantages

of this simple method here,  they are you

know how much money you have every

morning and it's always a round number

you start to control your spendings

and stop buying crap.most importantly

you actually

save money,  and finally here's our bonus

the 8 worst places to hide your cash.

people have many reasons why they don't

use a bank and instead hide their cash

at home. are you one of those who keep

their emergency savings under the

mattress? if you are , we want to warn you

that keeping money stashed around the

house is not always safe. 1 in the

backyard, 

burying your cash in the backyard is not

a good idea for three simple reasons, 

your neighbor might see you hiding it. if

your pet loves digging holes it can

easily find your money buried in the

ground .your rainy day fund may be ruined

by rain.

- under your mattress

although hiding your dollars under the

mattress has become a classic,  don't

think that keeping your cash there is a

good idea just because you sleep on it.

when you're not at home it'll be the

first place for thieves to check.

3 in

shopping bags, even if thieves don't look

for your savings and random shopping

bags, they might need them to carry the

stuff they stole and you don't want to

give them another pleasant surprise.

right for in old wallets and handbags

don't put your emergency cash in your

old wallets and handbags even if you

don't use them anymore.it doesn't mean

they are a good place to keep the money.

5. in laundry baskets, you might think

it's a good idea to keep your money in

the basket for dirty clothes,  an object

that no one would want to touch

however thieves use those baskets to

transport stolen objects,  so sometimes a

laundry basket is exactly what they need.

6. behind a picture or photo in a frame.

another classic thieves watch the same

movies as the rest of us and they won't

hesitate to check such sneaky places

even if it means breaking your most

precious memories.

7.and safes that are

not bolted down, it doesn't matter if

it's small or large your safe is useless.

if the thieves can carry it it's a good

idea to bolt your safe down so that it

is difficult to move and carry a wall a

floor

even a piece of furniture will do fine.

[Music]

eight in drawers and cabinets.

neither drawers nor closed cabinets are

safe to keep your money in. thieves often

have screwdrivers and crowbars with them

so close pieces of furniture are among

the places they check first.if you feel

like you have run out of places to hide

your money try the following suggestions, 

wrap your money in a plastic bag and

tape it to the bottom of the kitchen

counter , pour it to the bottom of your

kids toy box the best option is to

create a false bottom in it in a

waterproof containers stored in the

lowest drawer of your refrigerator,  or

freezer. make sure it doesn't read ice

cream or something else,  yummy thieves

might want to try hide your savings

among buttons threads and other sewing

accessories unless the , if suddenly need

to sew something they most probably

won't look for your money in there in a

pair of old shoes clothes or maybe in an

old computer that no longer works.

 make

sure it all looks like junk you have not

disposed of yet , so are you saving money

for anything important let us know in

the comments. what you're saving up for

don't forget to share this video with

your friends to help them spend money

wisely.hit the like button below if you

want to see more videos on a similar

topic.

English (auto-generated)

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