Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is the objective analysis of facts to form a judgment. The subject is complex, and several different definitions exist, which generally include the rational, skeptical, unbiased analysis, or evaluation of factual evidence.

Many people throw around the term “critical thinking”, but seem to use it in different ways. Does it mean you think negatively about everything, that you’re overly critical? Or maybe it means you’re really into logic and puzzles?

We all know that we think, at least we hope we do. But the difference between thinking and critical thinking is that while we think every day, critical thinking is a deliberate mental exercise. It is the ability to analyse and think objectively about the world around us, by using logic and other skills.

Critical thinking is essential to almost every subject you will study in secondary school and beyond, being useful in your university as well as during your career. The skills that you pick up, to analyse something objectively, to use logic for problem solving, to engage with issues in a deeper way, will come in handy in ways that maybe specific subjects like math or English literature never might.

Critical thinking is a process. It is the ability to think clearly and rationally about what to do or what to believe. It includes the ability to engage in reflective and independent thinking. Someone with critical thinking skills is able to do the following: understand the logical connections between ideas.

Critical thinking involve several steps or phases, each of which enable you to make reasonable, rationale and well-thought out decisions about the tasks and challenges you face in life. Develop your critical thinking skills. Boost your ability to solve problems and make the right decisions at professionally, domestically and academically.

Critical thinking is a widely accepted educational goal. Its definition is contested, but the competing definitions can be understood as differing conceptions of the same basic concept: careful thinking directed to a goal. Conceptions differ with respect to the scope of such thinking, the type of goal, the criteria and norms for thinking carefully, and the aspects or components on which we focus.

As Maurice-Matar Wehbe, a UX/UI designer & thinker at UX Collective puts it best in:

“Raw thoughts of a UX designer: for a prosperous polity”

“Sir, the people aren’t happy…”, “Well let’s go talk to them and find out what we can do” — said no government ever.

In his classic text, the Republic (380 B.C.), Plato suggested that the polis (or polity) is primarily an economic association; it is very different in character from an amorphous aggregation of people who happen to share a common language, territory or culture and who may, or may not, engage in arms-length exchanges.

A polity is characterized by a mutually-beneficial specialization of roles and a division of labor (or, more precisely, “a combination of labor”) and, equally important, interdependence concerning the satisfaction of our various needs and wants.

As Plato observed, “A city or a state, is a response to human needs. No human being is self-sufficient, and all of us have many wants… Since each person has many wants, many partners and purveyors will be required to furnish them. Owing to this interchange of services, a multitude of persons will gather and dwell together in what we have come to call the city or the state….”

As citizens we have needs. In the first forms of governments, our needs were pretty basic. We only needed to eat and have a place to sleep. However, with time, our needs have grown more and more complex. Today we are asking for decent healthcare, infrastructure, education system, and a regulated economy. We are also asking for a reduction or raise of taxes depending on our income… We are fighting for our rights regarding our sexual, religious or gender orientation…the list never ends.

As Plato said, our governments (our purveyors) should respond to our needs, but since our problems are morphing into wicked problems, we are starting to question the abilities of our elected officials.

Looking at some governments in the world we can see that the most influential leaders are either bankers, billionaires, war criminals, military leaders or lawyers… The kind of profiles that lack emotional intelligence and aspire to build a wall, create a racist military government or fight over some parliament seats for years.

None of these profiles are doctors, philanthropists, journalists…People that have emotional intelligence, who understand others and try to find concrete solutions as soon as possible. Profiles who know that solving a problem isn’t only a statistic equation but also a moral and ethical one.

Among these missing people in governments are services and users experiences designers who can be wild cards for any government. Armed with data, facts, and testimonies, they can offer tangible solutions to everyday problems with the available resources.

Their approach to problem-solving is different than electing laws to ban concepts and divide public opinion. Their approach is also different than raising taxes and trigger national movements. Every time a law is enforced, it complicates the implementation of future solutions. A better approach would be a well thought and designed solution that everyone will approve, and that’s how designers proceed.

Designers can work with cross multidisciplinary teams to design complex systems to answer small or large scale problems, systems that are designed to serve the people. Thus when are we going to open our minds and realize that governments should be filled with designers, for a prosperous polity?

Views for thought!