Critical thinking discussed in a technical manner. Critical Thinking is considered the second most important skill till 2020 and beyond in the age of information and data analytics. Thus its "critical" to look at things in a more objective manner to enhance our decision making and problem solving abilities.

3. How we think our Solar system operates...

4. How it actually works...

5. source.gif

6. Agenda
• Human Evolution Timeline
• The “Pre-Frontal Coretx”, Thinking Giant!
• Introduction to Thinking
• Introduction to Critical thinking
• Stages to Critical Thinking
• Core Skills of Critical Thinking
• Importance & Principles of Critical thinking
• Examples of Using Critical thinking
• Judging vs Critical Thinking
• Q & A

7. A BRIEF HISTORY OF HUMANS

8. How Max Tegmark Reflects on “Life”
Courtesy: Life 3.0 by Max Tegmark

9. HISTORICAL ANALYSIS: THE AGE OF
HUNTER/GATHERERS
• Initiation to live as “groups” but not more than 150.
• The “survival instinct” inhibited “cooperation”
• It all started when humans “Learned” about “Learning” first.
• The “fire” was mastered almost 100,000 years a go
• The first ever technology for humans
• Was used as a source of light, warmth, defense
• Most importantly “cooked food” was the major breakthrough
• Cooking meat makes it easier to chew
• Unwinds the proteins within it which go undigested in raw food
• Thus the additional proteins helped humans to grow brains to
unprecedented complexity.
• “Mimetic”, first stage of communication

10. THE AGE OF AGRICULTURE (NEOLITHIC AGE)
• The birth of farming
• New skills and techniques were developed eg: Wheel
• Arrangement of food got more organized
• Commerce was introduced (initially as barter system)
• Specifications of skills and bifurcation of responsibilities
• With larger communities and writing as newly discovered
technology, the “codes” were written.
• With more skills required, “learning” got organized as well.
• Specialized skills paved way for “creativity & innovation”

11. Four Phases of Industrial Revolution

12. Thinking and Humans
(The Pre-Frontal Cortex)
• The prefrontal cortex helps people set and achieve
goals
• It receives input from multiple regions of the brain to
process information and adapts accordingly
• The prefrontal cortex contributes to a wide variety of
executive functions, including:
• Focusing one’s attention
• Predicting the consequences of one’s actions; anticipating
events in the environment
• Impulse control; managing emotional reactions
• Planning for the future
• Coordinating and adjusting complex behaviors (“I can’t
do A until B happens”)
Source: https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychpedia/prefrontal-cortex

13. Continued...
• The PFA is the source is the part of our brain that;
• Primarily responsible for our thinking and acting
• In the Ways that differentiate us from other animals
• Is the most connected part of our brain
• Makes sense of all the inputs received from other parts of the
nervous system.
» Whats new?
» Whats Recurrent?
» Whats Important?
» What correlates with something else?
• The brain develops in a back to front pattern
• The prefrontal cortex is the last portion of the brain to fully
develop
• Children do not develop the complex decision-making and
planning skills adults have until they are older
• Most neurologists agree that the prefrontal cortex is not fully
developed until around the age of 25
Source: https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychpedia/prefrontal-cortex

14. What is Thinking?
“Some people study all their life and
at their death they have
”
– Francois Domergue

15. Types of Thinking
Problem Solving
Decision Making
Left

16. What is Thinking?
WARNING: THIS MAN IS NOT THINKING CRITICALLY!!

17. Continued...
“Critical thinking consists of a mental process of analyzing or
evaluating information, particularly statements or propositions that
people have offered as true. It forms a process of reflecting upon
the meaning of statements, examining the
, and forming judgments about the facts.”
– Wikipedia

18. Continued...
• Critical Thinking is the general term given to a wide
range of cognitive and intellectual skills needed to:
• Effectively identify, analyze, and evaluate arguments.
• Discover and overcome personal prejudices and
biases.
• Formulate and present convincing reasons in support
of conclusions.
• Make reasonable, intelligent decisions about what to
believe and what to do.

19. Critical Thinking Skills

20. The of Critical thinking
The ability to think logically to formulate fair
judgements and justify a position. In other
words, it is about identifying, analysing and
evaluating arguments
To make good decisions we need
to start by identifying good
information. With more and more
information available, we need to
ensure we are using reliable or
credible information
A n a l y s i n g m e a n s
c a r e f u l l y e x a m i n i n g
information in order to
understand, interpret and
e x p l a i n i t . T h i s c a n
i n v o l v e i d e n t i f y i n g
assumptions, gaps and
connections between
such things as data,
reasoning or evidence
Reflection is a metacognitive process, which means it involves thinking about our thinking.This
is a form of analysis with a focus on you, your thinking, behaviour and actions
Evaluation skills help
y o u m a k e g o o d
judgements on the
reliability of information
and the soundness of
arguments

21. Why Critical Thinking?
– what direction do we go in and how do we get there?
– how can we capitalise on changes in technology?
– what has got us here won’t get us there, so now what?
– how do we develop informed plans?
– who do we involve to tap into their thinking?
– what are our options and on what basis do we decide?

22. Core Skills for Critical Thinking
• Curiosity
• It is the desire to learn more informaiton and
seek evidence as well as being open to new
ideas.
• Scepticism
• It involves having a healthy questioning
attitude about new infroamtion that you are
exposed to.
• Humility
• It is the ability to admit that your opinions and
ideas are wrong when faced with new
convincing evidence that state otherwise.

23. Importance of Critical Thinking
• Promotes
• Crucial for
• Helps to seperate
• Enhances
• Enhances

24. Principles of Critical Thinking

26. Evaluating Online Information
• Fake news, Twitter bots, altered
images
• With increased access to
information comes an increased
need for critical thinking skills
• Who published this?
• Why did they make it?
• What are their sources?
• What are their intentions?
• Are they representing themselves or
another interest?

27. Making Purchase Decisions
• Which review sites, forums, and blogs offer
insight into the brands that provide the best
value?
• Is it worth buying expensive products that are
made of better material? How about budgeting
money to justify a hefty purchase?
• And with all those reviews available, how do
we sift through the positives and negatives to
come to the best decision?

28. Choosing a Career Path
• College or no college? Online courses from home? Part-time
work? Startup, non-profit, or corporation?
• Choosing a career takes time
• We must formulate an argument for each potential option
• consider the context of financial, social, and professional life
• After settling on a choice, we must project the impact of that
decision one, five, and ten years into the future

29. Judging vs Critical Thinking