The Environment of Critical

Thinking
Tehmina Yasser
Clinical Psychologist
 Outline: Lecture 2

 Psychological Obstacles
 Self and the Power of the Group
 Philosophical Obstacles
 Subjective and Social Relativism
 Skepticism
 What is Environment?

 Critical thinking takes place in the

minds of real people who almost
always have thoughts and feelings and
experiences that effect critical thinking.
 Cognitive Errors
 Cognitive errors are faulty thought
patterns.
 Blaming self
 Blaming others
 All or nothing thinking
 It requires awareness, practice, and
motivation.
 Obstacles to Critical Thinking

 Two main categories of the obstacles to critical

thinking are
 (1) Psychological obstacles (our fears, attitudes,
motivations, and desires)
 (2) Philosophical obstacles we have, our beliefs
about beliefs)
Psychological Obstacles
 Self Interest

 Self Interest
We may decide to accept a claim solely on
the grounds that it advances, or coincides
with, our interests.
 Wishful thinking
 To wish for something and do nothing.
  Examples
 I believe the city should lower the sales tax
for convenience stores because I own a
convenience store.
 I am against all forms of gun control because
I am a hunter.
 This University should not raise tuition
because I am a student, and I don’t want to
pay more tuition.
 Face saving
 Face saving means in order to make others think and
feel that you are the best, you show your best
version.
 Fabrication: We construct facts ourselves
 That is, our own desires and expectations help us to
make facts which are in favor of ourselves
 Consequences of Self centered
thinking

 Self destructive
 prevent careful evaluation of claims
 limit critical inquiry
 blind you to the facts
 provoke self-deception
 Problem in rationalizations
 lead you to suppress or ignore evidence
 Start wishful thinking.
 Selective Attention

 In selective attention, we notice certain things and

ignore others
 The remedy for this problem is to make a conscious
effort to look for opposing evidence.
 The Power of the Group

 We all belong to multiple groups—family, employees,

gender, religion, club, professional society, political
party, advocacy group, etc.
 Peer Pressure
Same age group people effect us
 An Appeal to Popularity (masses)
When the pressure comes from the mere
popularity of a belief
 An Appeal to common practice
When the pressure comes from what groups of
people do or how they behave
 In all cases, the lapse in critical thinking comes
from the use of group pressure alone to try to
support a claim