Critical Thinking Archives

Make-Believe Leadership

There’s a huge delta between what most people perceive as leadership and what true leadership actually entails. The textbook case study of this is President Donald Trump. For mental health reasons we won’t explore here, he’s a big fan of make-believe leadership. The Apprentice was the perfect platform for Trump because it allowed him to play a leader on TV. He didn’t have to make real decisions or face real consequences, because there was a safety net in place to make sure he always looked like a commanding captain of industry. No one on the show could file a complaint with HR about getting fired for some petty contrived controversy because it was a make-believe show. The participants had all willingly signed up for the reality show schtick.

Think for Yourself…

Imagine you were a screenwriter and you went to a Hollywood studio to pitch your movie idea about a coronavirus pandemic that threatens the world. You wouldn’t be able to sell the concept. Because the studio exec would tell you that your script was so implausible, that only the most dim-witted moviegoer would believe such a preposterous plot. Think of the outline you would present…

The People Like You…

Got a very enthusiastic response to this week’s Friday Filosophy newsletter about the need for individualism today. In it, I highlighted the failures of our institutions – the failsafe, backups we count on – to protect us during this current pandemic. It seems not a day goes by that another glaring weakness is exposed. In light of the response I received, it seems like expanding on the topic here would be helpful.

Pandemic + Politics = Death

In the case of a worldwide pandemic, lots of people die. And unfortunately, lots of them die needlessly. These unnecessary deaths are usually because of politics.

Upgrade Your Thinking

One of the masterminds I participate in is a WhatsApp chat group that we’ve labeled Juxtaposed Jedi. It’s a daily chat with three of us, where we’re bouncing ideas off each other, conducting thought experiments, and getting and giving advice. One of the most valuable parts of the process is when we point out faulty thinking. This could be a confirmation bias someone has, making an assumption from a bad premise, emotional irrationality, or simply sloppy logic.

What Have We Learned from the Pandemic?

One of the wisest things economist Milton Friedman ever taught was that only a crisis — actual or perceived — produces real change. It is times of crisis that cause our preconceived beliefs and confirmation biases to get shaken and stirred. Things that weeks ago seemed politically impossible become politically inevitable. Countries and cultures mirror individual people in the sense that we usually learn a lot more from our challenges than we do from our victories.

Stay Safe During the Corona Virus Pandemic

Below is a copy of my "Friday Filosophy" newsletter. Normally it goes exclusively to my subscribers, but since the information this week could be helpful to many others, I’m reposting it here on my blog.

Creating a Critical Thinking Mastermind

In this post, we discussed the importance of having someone in your life that you can count on to give you good guidance and tell you the truth. Then in the next post, I shared some thoughts on how you create those relationships. Now let’s look at creating an extended mastermind of critical thinkers you can draw on.

Category: Critical Thinking