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Thinking Critically When Things Get Complicated
Girvin
October 21, 2024
Hey Fam,
In the edition The Real Reason You Struggle with Critical Thinking (And How to Fix It), I mentioned I’d share my thoughts on thinking critically in complex situations in a later edition.
Critical thinking is not a matter of accumulating information. A person with a good memory and who knows a lot of facts is not necessarily good at critical thinking. A critical thinker is able to deduce consequences from what he knows, and he knows how to make use of information to solve problems, and to seek relevant sources of information to inform himself.
Well, today is the day.
And it’s timely. Because I find…
Most people's "critical thinking" falls apart the moment things get complicated.
They panic.
They oversimplify.
They reach for the first explanation that doesn't make their brain hurt.
Because our world is getting more complex by the second, that's a recipe for disaster.
Here's the truth most experts miss:
Complex situations aren’t your enemy.
They're your opportunity to stand out when everyone else is drowning in confusion.
Resisting the urge to automatically default to simple answers is the first step to next-level critical thinking.
It’s about analyzing, evaluating, and synthesizing information when things get complicated.
But how?
I suggest 8 ways.
Let’s get it.