Critical Thinking Tip In Two Minutes

Before you say something as a fact - stop and consider how you say it. Often we say something as a fact without any disclaimers, doubts or leaving a way out for ourselves. For example. Today while boiling eggs, I was about to say to my girlfriend: “Did you know that eggs boil for a different amount of time in different altitudes?”. Then I stopped and asked myself: how do I know this? I realized that once when I was living in Switzerland a woman once told me this when we were boiling eggs at a mountain house. That’s the only reason I presumed it’s true.

00:30 - Is it though? Maybe… Am I sure that the woman had the right facts herself? Nope. Now before saying this “fact” to my girlfriend I could go online and do some fact checking. But I also have another choice. Instead of saying it as a fact I decided to say: “Have you ever Heard that eggs boil for a different amount of time in different altitudes?”. It’s a small change, but a big difference. Now I present this unchecked idea in a way, which makes a hint that I am not certain of it myself. This will likely prevent my girlfriend from going to others and continuing to pass it on as an unchecked fact too.

01:04 - When I say it this way, I also give myself space to be corrected. Maybe my GF heard something else? I encourage her to debate and to be curious together. And most importantly: I don’t make Myself believe something without checking it, by telling it as a fact. Instead I open up the way to question my own knowledge. I could even say: “A woman once told me that eggs boil for a different amount of time in different altitudes. It sounds cool right? I wonder if it’s true.”.

01:30 - For more critical thinking tips, click here on this playlist that the red arrow points to: This is Rokas from Critical Thinkers and let’s keep creating a culture of critical thinking together. .