Critical thinking

[Propianotuner]

One longtime and passionate obsession of mine has been the idea of critical thinking. I've often asked myself: what is critical thinking? How well can I do it and how well do people in general do it, especially in comparison to the way they perceive their ability to think critically?

In the past I read much on forums for people with ASD about how folks on the spectrum tend to place more of a premium on being sober-minded and making logical assessments. As I've carefully practiced and studied the art of reasoning I've found that this may not be all that true, and most importantly that I need a more modest sense of self awareness, that I should be just as quick, if not more so, to recognize my own failures to reason well about the world around me.

How do you understand critical thinking? How much of the time do you believe you can do it to your satisfaction?

 

[SomeRandomAspie]

I don't actively think about critical thinking. I can think rationally if I want to, but I'm usually to engrossed in special interests to bother thinking about thinking.

 

[Progster]

According to Wikipedia, critical thinking is the "objective analysis of facts to form a judgement", objective meaning, I suppose, without any emotional involvement or vested interest. The question is really, how well can anyone have a critical judgement. We aren't born with knowldege, all knowledge comes from some source or another, and that source is often just one opinion, one presentation of a complex issue, or just one interpretation of one person. So what knowlege is truly objective? And how can we be sure to perform an objective analysis? We can't really, unless we are dealing with pure facts, and even then, there will be some who dispute those.
Edit: spelling

 

[Catana]

As far as I'm concerned, it's a myth that people on the spectrum are more logical and capable of critical thinking than the rest of the world. On forums and in blogs, I've seen just as much ignorance, resistance to logical arguments, and plain old nonsense as anywhere else. I wonder if that belief isn't just a side effect of the supposed lack of "mind blindness" and empathy. In my long life, I've come across very few people who regularly engage in critical thinking, or who engage in it at all. In fact, as a whole, the human race runs on emotions rather than rational thought.

 

[Fridgemagnetman]

As far as I'm concerned, it's a myth that people on the spectrum are more logical and capable of critical thinking than the rest of the world. On forums and in blogs, I've seen just as much ignorance, resistance to logical arguments, and plain old nonsense as anywhere else. I wonder if that belief isn't just a side effect of the supposed lack of "mind blindness" and empathy. In my long life, I've come across very few people who regularly engage in critical thinking, or who engage in it at all. In fact, as a whole, the human race runs on emotions rather than rational thought.

I sometimes look at us as individual sealed units.

Without the social benefit of becoming used to seeing things from another viewpoint, it may be easier for us to become entrenched in a singular view.

This can give them illusion of being objective or logical.

I often feel that our use of logic is also from the perspective of that sealed unit.

Perfect within it's own limits - ie from within the boundaries of me - but dubious from a wider perspective.

That being said,being part of the social world brings it's own illusions. It does not necessarily provide a benefit if you don't have a productive perspective on life.

 

[Theodiskaz]

One longtime and passionate obsession of mine has been the idea of critical thinking. I've often asked myself: what is critical thinking? How well can I do it and how well do people in general do it, especially in comparison to the way they perceive their ability to think critically?

In the past I read much on forums for people with ASD about how folks on the spectrum tend to place more of a premium on being sober-minded and making logical assessments. As I've carefully practiced and studied the art of reasoning I've found that this may not be all that true, and most importantly that I need a more modest sense of self awareness, that I should be just as quick, if not more so, to recognize my own failures to reason well about the world around me.

How do you understand critical thinking? How much of the time do you believe you can do it to your satisfaction?

 

[clg114]

I have never thought of how I think as "critical thinking". I think of it as "logical thinking". Everything that I believe to be true, all of my priorities and almost everything that I do is based on logical thought. I have never made a conscious decision to think like this, it is just the way that I am.

 

[WittyAspie]

While it’s true that not all Aspies are critical thinkers, I would argue that there are a higher percentage of critical thinkers among Aspies than among the general population.

I, for one, constantly contemplate the world around me. I critically analyze nearly everything. I have the type of brain that led to the stereotype, the type that clearly sees the world in a way others don’t understand. My way of seeing the world may not be any better than someone’s else way, but how I view the world was forged from a greater amount of contemplation than the average worldview.

My natural tendency to constantly think, constantly mull things over in my mind, is not a trait I have found if many (if any) NTs. The Aspie brain is more adept at developing critical thinking skills. So while not every Aspie thinks in the same manner as me, I would argue that the stereotype is based on the higher percentage of Aspies that are critical thinkers.

 

[Theodiskaz]

I too have been interested in metacognition for as long as I can remember. For me, the aphorism the unexamined life is not worth living ring completely true about 8 years ago. That's when I used clear critical thinking remove logical flaws inconsistencies and contradictions as well as old beliefs and associations inculcated upon me when I was young. I decided to try to be fully intentional about everything that I believed to be true.

One of my special interest is the humans all around us. I started analyzing their belief systems. Unsettling. I found that the emotion of fear, rather than an intellectual commitment to truth (or anything) was the glue that held most of these worldviews together.

Practically, I use critical thinking skills to assess the claims and analyze the the evid adduced for them in the socio-political firestorm I find myself in here in the US.

People are talking about news fatigue, like it's the fault of the media. Excuse me? No one's forcing you to watch the news! And if there's more happening now than in the past, it's because our culture and Society is evolving many times faster than normal at this moment. So, we all have to be cognitive misers since there's so much evidence out there to be sifted I use critical thinking skills to quickly determine if something is new, true and relevant. If not, then it's a waste of my time.

 

[Judge]

This reminds me of Dr. Asperger's observation of some of his test subjects which he often called "little professors". Certainly an attribute for a few of us, yet not for most of us either.

If anything, I suspect this remains a stereotype that may be more easily assumed. Otherwise most everyone in this community would likely be accomplished scientists, scholars or artists. Which of course we are not. Though I might be inclined to think many of us do share one particular attribute that shouldn't be confused with critical thinking. That we are more prone to indulge in over-thinking.

And also to recognize one attribute that some of us may or may not have which runs quite contrary to critical thinking- deficits in executive functioning. Difficulties with problem-solving skills involving one's working memory, cognitive flexibility, and inhibitory control. That if you have such issues, they are likely to be detrimental to whatever attributes of critical thinking you may have.

Am I critical thinker? Maybe. But if so judged, I would say that this is the result of my higher education, and not autism. I think like an underwriter because I became one as a result of employment over a long period of time. I also learned to temper my "black and white" thought process as a result of my education in political science. Where I learned that humanity has many shades of grey in between all that black and white thinking.

If in fact I am considered as a critical thinker, in my own case it is the result of environmental factors far more than any neurological ones.

 

[unreality]

I think everyone has at least basic critical thinking skills. It's been my experience that for whatever reasons most people are lazy thinkers. They avoid facts and fact checking. They're exceptionally biased. They're followers to a high degrees, flocking to their own kind and culture without thought. They love to spread gossip assuming it's fact based. They're egotistical and emotional, striving to save face. That's not to suggest everyone's like that. Just the majority. That's evolution. One hundred thousand years ago humans were probably more animal like, less destructive and egotistical. Hopefully in a thousand years from now humans will be good deep thinkers like the Einsteins, and less destructive while keeping their artistic, creative, and adventurous nature.

 

[Catana]

@WittyAspie "I would argue that there are a high percentage of critical thinkers among Aspies than among the general population." Any support for this? We can argue whatever we want, but anecdotal statements based on our own minds aren't evidence. As I said, long lifetime, much observation of both aspies and NTs.

 

[unreality]

Here's my 2 cents on AS vs NT. Generally speaking, it's been my observation that aspies tend to be more fact based, while NTs are more gossip and emotional based, but that's generally speaking. That includes most techie websites such as AI and software engineering. Although that's not true for academic science websites such as scienceforums.net. At least the threads on physics. They love their facts, fact checking, and math, but I also find them to have too much human emotions and ego for my taste.

 

[Catana]

@unreality Being fact-based is no guarantee of thinking skills, sorry to say. It's very easy (and is done all the time) to use facts to support the most twisted logic.

 

[Fridgemagnetman]

@WittyAspie "I would argue that there are a high percentage of critical thinkers among Aspies than among the general population." Any support for this? We can argue whatever we want, but anecdotal statements based on our own minds aren't evidence. As I said, long lifetime, much observation of both aspies and NTs.

Should we try to rephrase the comments you're referring to?

There is certainly a different thinking process.

Singular mind vs hive mind (social mind)

Our approach can lead us to label it critical thinking or logical.
Our means of expressing the difference may not be optimum.

A conscious,less emotional process .
An isolated one, with lack of social experience.
Not sure this would affect the ego.

I think critical thought and logical thought may fit better but we need to work to get there.

 

[Veruca Salt]

My anecdotal experience would suggest that the idea that aspies are somehow better adept at critical thought without training is largely unfounded.

Many Aspies I meet assume they are, without any effort on their part some kind of super human critical thinking machines.
It's hilarious to me as an actual critical thinking human being.

I consciously endeavor to improve always, and know I was not born equipped with knowing all of the different fallacies we can commit.

I concede that it is likely an advantage to be aspie, because we can detach from the emotional component of an argument and see the facts, But that's it. And hey, that's actually a pretty good advantage I think.

 

[unreality]

@unreality Being fact-based is no guarantee of thinking skills, sorry to say. It's very easy (and is done all the time) to use facts to support the most twisted logic.

True, but facts and fact checking is a requirement to having good critical thinking skills. You'll find people posting facts even in general forums, but not so often compared to a science forum.

 

[unreality]

Autism is a wide spectrum, but in terms of aspergers the average IQ is over 100. I read that you can't have asperger syndrome unless your IQ is at least 100. Is that correct? The average IQ of NTs is 100.

 

[WildCat]

I'm not buying into the idea that everyone on the spectrum is automatically blessed with superpowers. If they do happen to have a talent for it, that had to have been the result of some hard work and dedication rather than having had been born with it. I really don't get the aversion to being ordinary or average with some folks on the spectrum or why they refuse to accept the reality of things when there are plenty of ordinary people on this planet doing just fine. You don't need to be a superhero to survive in this world. Really, you don't.

Sure, I'd like to be more skilled with critical thinking...still trying my hand at it, don't know how well I'm doing or if I'm doing it right, but I'm not immune to all the faults that come with being human.

 

[WittyAspie]

@WittyAspie "I would argue that there are a high percentage of critical thinkers among Aspies than among the general population." Any support for this? We can argue whatever we want, but anecdotal statements based on our own minds aren't evidence. As I said, long lifetime, much observation of both aspies and NTs.

There isn’t a quantifiable test for critical thinking. This entire discussion is based on opinions developed through real life experiences. My opinion comes from spending my entire life unable to find anyone who could connect with me on an intellectual level until I stumbled across this site filled with people like me. I have found numerous Aspies who enjoy deep analytical thinking. It’s not such a rare thing here. After interacting with thousands of NTs I have discovered deep analytical thinking to be very rare, practically non-existent.

It took a bit of education to turn my deep thoughts into critical thoughts, but that’s true for anyone. Education exposes us to contrary opinions. However, unlike the vast majority of my peers in school, I took the time to critically analyze every argument for flaws. I do not claim to represent all Aspies, but other Aspies are the only ones who understand the way I processed education.