Days To Better Thinking

25 Days to Better Thinking A Guide For Improving Every Aspect Of Your Life By Dr. Linda Elder and Dr. Richard Paul; Pearson Education, Inc, 2006

BOOK OF THE WEEK: There is nothing we do as humans that does not involve thinking. Our thinking tells us what to believe, what to reject, what is important and unimportant, what is true and false, who are our friends and enemies, what dreams to pursue, who we should marry, how we should raise our kids. The quality of your life is determined by the quality of your thinking.

reasoning. We are often prejudiced, hypocritical, negative, self-deceptive, worrying, blaming, selfserving, delusional and irrational. “25 Days to Better Thinking” shows us how we can improve our thinking and m a k e s m a r t e r, b e t t e r decisions. Through this book, you can take control of your thinking and improve your life. read the summary

The problem is our thinking is often flawed. Many of our mistakes result from faulty

INSIDE THIS SUMMARY: – The Big Idea –25 Days to Better Thinking

Published by BestSummaries.com, 3001-91, 11010 NW 30th St., Suite 104, Miami, Florida 33172 © 2007 BestSummaries.com. All rights reserved. No part of this summary may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, photocopying, or otherwise, without prior notice of BestSummaries.com.

Day 1. Learn To Empathize With Others Intellectual empathy means appreciating viewpoints that are different from ours. Don't assume that your viewpoint is the best one. Be willing to engage in dialog to understand other perspectives. Do not fear ideas and beliefs that you don't understand or have not considered. Those who think differently may possess truths we have not yet discovered. Through empathy, we understand others more fully, and gain new insights in our minds as well. Practice being empathetic by doing the following: When in an argument, state in your own words what you think the other person is saying. Ask the person if you have accurately stated his/her position. Notice the extent to which others empathize with you. Ask him/her to state what she understands you have been saying. Notice how sometimes people distort what you have been saying because they don't want to change your views.

recognize what you know and what you don't know. This will open your mind to seek to learn more, develop your intellectual abilities and expand your knowledge, and gain a healthy awareness of the limits of your knowledge. Actively question beliefs that seem obviously true to you-- especially religious, political, and cultural beliefs. Find alternative sources of information that represent viewpoints you have never considered. Explore new beliefs and be open to new insights. To practice intellectual humility, make a list of everything you absolutely know about someone you think you know well. Then make a list of things you think are true about that person, but that you cannot be absolutely sure about. Then make a list of things you do not know about that person. If you trust this person, show him/her your list to see how accurate you are and see what insights will emerge.

Day 3. Beware of Hypocrisy and Notice Contradictions In Your Life Day 2. Uncover Your Ignorance Stop assuming that whatever you believe is right. Actively focus on uncovering your ignorance. Develop intellectual humility, or the ability to

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Author: Dr. Linda Elder and Dr. Richard Paul Publisher: Pearson Education Date of Publication: 2006 ISBN : 0-13-173859-3 No. of Pages: 89 pages

25 Days to Better Thinking by Dr. Linda Elder and Dr. Richard Paul

Hypocrisy is a state of mind unconcerned with honesty. People are often hypocritical in three ways: they have higher standards for those they disagree with than those they agree with; they fail to live according to their beliefs; and they fail to see contradictions in the behavior of people with high status. To live a life of integrity, routinely examine your own inconsistencies and face them truthfully, without excuses. By facing your own hypocrisy, you begin to grow beyond it and start learning the truth about yourself. You learn to recognize it in others so that they are less able to manipulate you. To practice integrity, observe the people around you and analyze the extent to which they say one thing and do another. For example, notice how often people claim to love someone they

2 of 9

criticize behind the person's back, thus showing bad faith. Examine your relationships and see if you can identify hypocrisy or integrity in them.

after. Examine personal goals, career goals, political goals, economic goals, national goals. Make a list of your important goals and see if you find inconsistencies in them.

Day 4. Be Fair, Not Selfish Be on the lookout for selfishness in yourself and others. Human thinking is naturally selfserving or selfish. This is because selfishness is a native, not learned human tendency. But we tend to look out for “number one,” we tend to be unfair to persons “two” and “three”. Develop fair-mindedness and fair thinking. Consider the rights and needs of others as equivalent to your own. Step outside your point of view and into those of others. To practice fair-mindedness, be on the alert to catch yourself in the mental act of selfdeception for example, ignoring others' viewpoints. Log each time you do something selfish. Consider how you can avoid such behavior in future similar situations. Take every opportunity to think broadly about issues that involve multiple viewpoints.

Day 5. Know Your Purpose Thinking is always guided by human purposes. Your thinking goes wrong when you aren't clear about your purpose, have unrealistic purposes, have contradictory purposes, or don't stick to your expressed purpose. It is important to examine the purposes that guide how we live. Which are we aware of, and which lie beneath the surface? It is also important to assess other people's purposes, and see if they contradict with others, so that we are able to see through facades and avoid being manipulated by others. To know your purpose, figure out what you are after and how you are seeking it. See if your goals are interwoven or in conflict with each other, or are your real purposes different from your expressed ones. Figure out what your family members, associates, and friends are

Day 6. Clarify Your Thinking Be on the lookout for fuzzy, vague thinking-thinking that sounds good but doesn't exactly say anything. Our thinking usually seems clear to us, even when it is not. Vague, ambiguous, muddled, deceptive, or misleading thinking are significant problems. To practice clear thinking, learn to state one point at a time. Elaborate on what you mean. Give examples that connect your thoughts to life experiences. Use analogies or metaphors to help people connect your ideas to a variety of things they already understand. To clarify what other people are thinking, ask them to restate their point and give examples. Summarize in your own words what others are saying. Ask them if you understood them correctly. Be careful to neither agree nor disagree with what anyone says until you clearly understand what he or she is saying. Figure out the real meaning behind what people say. Look on and beneath the surface. Figure out the real meaning of important news stories.

Day 7. Stick To The Point Be on the lookout for fragmented thinking thinking that leaps about with no logical connections. When thinking is relevant, it is focused on the main task at hand. Learn to select what is germane, pertinent, related. Set aside what is immaterial, inappropriate, extraneous and beside the point. Undisciplined thinking is often guided by associations rather than what is logically connected. Disciplined thinking intervenes when thoughts wander and concentrates the mind on

25 Days to Better Thinking by Dr. Linda Elder and Dr. Richard Paul

3 of 9

the things that help it figure out what it needs to figure out. If you find your thinking digressing, try to figure out why. Is it simply wandering or do you need to deal with a different issue? If the latter, then address the issue your mind has surfaced. Know precisely, at any given moment, the issue you are addressing. And then stick to the issue until your have resolved it or decided to deal with it later. Do not allow your mind to wander aimlessly from idea to idea, issue to issue, without direction or discipline.

Day 8. Question, Question, Question Thinking is driven by questions. The quality of your questions determines the quality of your thinking. Superficial questions lead to superficial thinking. Deep questions lead to deep thinking. Creative questions lead to creative thinking. Questions also determine the intellectual tasks required of you. Questions lay out different, but specific, tasks for the mind to work through. Learn to ask powerful questions. Good thinkers ask questions to understand and effectively deal with the world around them. Question the status quo. Go beyond superficial or 'loaded' questions. When you also understand the questions people are asking, you can better understand their thinking and behavior. To practice asking good questions, ask a question whenever you don't understand something. When you have a complex problem, formulate the question you are trying to answer in different ways until you hit on that which best addresses the problem. When you plan to discuss an important issue, write down in advance the most significant questions.

Day 9. Think Through Implications Implications are the things that might happen if you decide to do this or that. Consequences are what actually happen once you act. When you consider implications, you explicitly choose the consequences that happen to you. Everything we do has implications. Not just our actions, but what we say and the words we decide to use. To practice thinking through implications, always choose your words carefully. Look at your life as a set of moment-to-moment options. Each and every act, and every pattern of action, has outcomes. What outcomes do you want? What must you do to anticipate likely outcomes? When faced with a problem, list down implications and then act in the way that is likely to lead to the outcome you want. Think about the implications of the way you are living your life now. Make a list of implications you probably will face for continuing to live as you are. Ask youself: Will you be satisfied with those implications?

Day 10. Get Control Of Your Emotions People often make the mistake of thinking feelings are different from thoughts. Thoughts and feelings are two sides of the same coin. If you think someone has been unjust to you, you will feel some negative emotion toward that person. The feeling happens in the mind as a result of how you think in the situation. Learn to examine your emotions and investigate the thinking that accounts for them. Take command of your emotions by taking command of the thinking that causes those emotions. To practice emotional control, notice the emotions you regularly experience. Every time you experience a negative emotion, ask yourself: what thinking is leading to this emotion? See if you can identify some irrational thinking underlying the emotion. If so, attack the thinking

25 Days to Better Thinking by Dr. Linda Elder and Dr. Richard Paul

4 of 9

with more sensible thinking. Once you act on the new thinking, your emotion should begin to shift accordingly. Write down your emotions to focus more concretely on them, especially negative emotions to identify problems in your thinking and behavior.

Day 11. Take Control Of Your Desires If you want to be in command of your life, you have to get command of the desires that direct your behavior. Otherwise, you may pursue irrational, destructive, and self-destructive desires, such as the desire to dominate. When you develop as a self-reflective thinker, you will be able to differentiate between desires that make sense and those that don't. You work to reject desires that lead to suffering. You break down habits that feed self-destructive desires. To practice controlling your desires, recognize that every action you take is driven by some purpose or desire you have. Make a list of every behavior you engage in that leads to humiliation, pain, or suffering, or that is dysfunctional in some way. For every behavior, write the reasons why you engage in this behavior. Question each. What motivates you? List something you can do immediately to alter your dysfunctional behavior and then make a more detailed plan on changing your behavior on the long-term.

Day 12. Be Reasonable. One of the hallmarks of a critical thinker is the disposition to change one's mind when given a good reason to change. Good thinkers want to change their thinking when they discover better thinking. In other words, they can be moved by reason. But the mind is not naturally malleable; in fact, it is rigid and often shuts out good reasons readily available to it. To become more reasonable, you need to open your mind to the possibility, at any given moment, that you might be wrong and another person may be right. You need to be willing

25 Days to Better Thinking by Dr. Linda Elder and Dr. Richard Paul

and able to change your mind when the situation or evidence requires it. Recognize that you don't lose anything by admitting you were wrong. To practice being reasonable, practice having the courage to say, in an argument, “Of course, I may be wrong. You may be right.” Recognize that you are being unreasonable when you are unwilling to listen to someone else's reasons, you are irritated by reasons people give you before thinking them through, and when you become defensive during a discussion.

Day 13. Show Mercy Be on the lookout for opportunities to show mercy to others, to display understanding, compassion, and forgiveness. These are rare qualities. Most people feel this way toward their own families and friends. Few demonstrate compassion and tolerance to those who think and act differently from themselves. To others who are different, the attitude is often, “show no mercy”. To practice showing mercy, ask yourself how often punishment is extreme in causing human suffering. Think of ways to deal with cultural deviance (prostitution, recreational drug use, etc) without extreme punishment and social vengeance. Whenever you think someone should be punished, ask yourself whether the greater good may not be better served in some other way, such as rehabilitation instead of prison? Study the situations within which you find yourself most lacking in mercy, forgiveness, and understanding. Consider the influence of social conditioning on your ability to see things from multiple perspectives.

Day 14. Don't Be A Conformist Living entails membership in a variety of human groups - peer group, family, religion, profession, culture, and nation. Every group has an identity and rules that guide the behavior of members. While group membership offers advantages, it

5 of 9

also has its price conformity. But conformity can be dangerous because through it, arbitrary social rules are treated as if they were inherently good and right. And arbitrary rules can lead to any number of unjust practices. Consider the ways in which people who do not abide by social conventions are marginalized atheists, people who protest wars, etc. When you become a skilled, independent thinker, you do not mindlessly follow the crowd. You think for yourself. You figure out what makes sense to believe and to reject. This is difficult because many conventions are systematically indoctrinated into our thinking within our culture. Overcoming conformity and indoctrination requires committed effort, insight, and courage. To practice independent thinking, write down the answers to these questions: What are some of the taboos in my culture? What behaviors are considered shocking or disgusting? What beliefs are considered sacred? What penalties exist for breaking the rules? Examine the extent to which you uncritically accept the taboos and requirements of your culture. Make a list of problems that result from mass conformity.

people and groups who invest in controlling others.

Day 16. Don't Be An Underdog Be on the lookout for submissive behavior yours and others'. One of hallmarks of submissiveness is conformity. Underdogs often submit to the domination of others in exchange for security, protection, or advancement. To get command of any submissive behavior you may have, begin observing your behavior closely when you are with others. Do you tend to go along with others without thinking through whether it makes sense to do so? Do you resent doing so afterwards? Do you feel someone else has control over you? Only by confronting your subservient thinking and behavior can you get command of it and change it. When you catch yourself being submissive or going along with others without good reason, speak up and say what you think. Notice the sense of self you gain.

Day 17. Don't Be A Worrywart Day 15. Don't Be A Top Dog Be on the lookout for dominating behavior yours and others'. Dominating behavior involves an attempt to control others to your advantage. Domination is often indirect and difficult to detect. While dominating others may get you what you want, you need to recognize the unethical nature of dominating behavior. Rational persons do not dominate others, even when they can, even when they can benefit from doing so. They would rather give up something themselves than hurt others to get what they want. Practice letting go of dominating behavior by identifying the areas in your life in which you irrationally try to control others. At home? At work? Consider the consequences. Does it fulfill you or frustrate you? Notice how people justify dominating others. Observe the usual results of domination in different situations. Develop your awareness of

25 Days to Better Thinking by Dr. Linda Elder and Dr. Richard Paul

Many people go through life worrying about problems rather than actively working to solve them. Sometimes they obsess about problems they can do nothing about. But worry never adds to the quality of your life, it can only diminish it. Be on the lookout for when you worry about problems rather than acting to solve them. Notice when you worry while presenting a calm exterior. Notice the negative emotions you experience when you worry. When you have a problem, you need to do your best thinking to see if you can find a solution. Open your mind to possibilities. If you cannot solve the problem, you need to let it go. When you catch yourself worrying, apply this Mother Goose rhyme: For every problem under the sun There is a solution or there is none If there be one, seek till you find it

6 of 9

If there be none, then never mind it.

Day 18. Stop Blaming Your Parents Very few people survive childhood without emotional scars. All parents make mistakes, some more than others. But as adults, we need to take responsibility for who we are and who we are becoming. This involves recognizing emotional baggage and getting past it. Living in misery, blaming our parents, and focusing on ourselves as victims lead to a life of depression and resentment. Thinking negative thoughts about your parents does not help them or you. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. We all have a choice. By taking charge of our thinking, we can become who we want to be. The past is gone. The present and the future remain. If you find yourself blaming your parents, write down exactly what you think they've done and what damage they have caused. Make sure you distinguish between fact and belief. Read this carefully and ask yourself what you hope to gain by dwelling on any of these memories. Take every moment you typically use to blame your parents and transform that energy into positive actions for your present and future.

Day 19. Don't Be Brainwashed By The News Media Every society and culture has a unique worldview that shapes what people see and how they see it. News media across the world reflect the worldview of their own culture and society. News media need to present news in ways that are palatable and interesting to their audience. Mainstream news coverage in any culture operates on these maxims: This is how it appears to us from our point of view; therefore, this is the way it is. These are the facts that support our way of looking at this; therefore these are the most important facts.

25 Days to Better Thinking by Dr. Linda Elder and Dr. Richard Paul

These countries are friendly to us; therefore, these countries deserve praise. These countries are unfriendly to us; therefore, these countries deserve criticism. These are the stories that are most interesting and sensational to our audience; therefore, these are the most important stories in the news. But the truth of what is happening in world is more complicated than what appears true to people in any culture. Learn to recognize bias in your nation's views, and detect ideology, slant, and spin. When you recognize propaganda and bias, you can determine what media messages need to be supplemented, counterbalanced, or thrown out entirely. Become a critical consumer of media and develop skills of media analysis. Study alternative perspectives and worldviews, learning how to interpret events from the perspective of multiple views. Seek understanding and insight through multiple sources of thought and information. Learn to identify viewpoints embedded in news stories. Notice contradictions and inconsistencies. Notice what facts are covered and which are ignored.

Day 20. Don't Be Bamboozled By Politicians Politicians would have us believe that they are deeply concerned about the welfare of people, that their actions are determined by what best serves the people. In other words, politicians present themselves as statesmen. Don't buy it. If you read between the lines, you will notice that money, not concern for the public interest, is usually where the action is, with big money protecting big money. For example, when the Bush administration demanded changes to a World Health Organization plan to fight obesity, after the plan was applauded by public health advocates worldwide, what does it tell

7 of 9

us? The same plan was opposed by big food manufacturers and the sugar industry.

international sources. Then compare what your country is doing about the problem.

To see through politicians, listen closely to what politicians say. Always ask, “What is the interest of big money here?” “What is the public interest?” Identify politicians' vested interests and keep them in mind. Become a student of political history by reading broadly in alternative sources to identify repeating patterns in political behavior throughout the years.

Day 22. Don't Get Your Views

Day 21. Strive To Be A Citizen Of The World It is becoming increasingly clear that the survival and well-being of humans depends largely on our ability to work together successfully and productively, to reach out to one another, to help one another. But people are raised to see their country, or their group, as better than others. This is natural tendency of the human mind. But if we are to create a world that advances justice for the vast majority of people across the globe, we must become citizens of the world. We must think within a global, rather than just a national, view. We must take a long-term view. We must see the lives of people in other countries as no less precious than the lives of those in our own country. We must oppose the pursuit of narrow selfish or group interests. Integrity and justice must become important to us than national advantage and power. Question the motives and actions of all governments. Recognize the similarity of politicians in all countries, and the similarity of news media serving vested interests across all countries. Support the development of altruistic international groups unconnected with vested interests. Imagine yourself as a citizen of the world. Put world needs ahead of national agendas. Notice the evolution of your views as you learn to think within a global perspective. Take a global problem global warming, malnutrition, disease, overpopulation and find out as much as you can from multiple

25 Days to Better Thinking by Dr. Linda Elder and Dr. Richard Paul

Question the news, values and information that you get from mainstream media and advertising. Most shows and ads on TV are aimed at the intellectual level of an eleven-year -old. TV shows and ads are designed to amuse and engage, not to challenge the mind or educate. Such shows, with their preponderance of violence, sex, and sensationalism, can also negatively affect our thinking and behavior. Learn to be critical of the information you get. Get more information from multiple and alternative sources. Think what vested interests may be behind a certain article or news story. Watch alternative channels like C-SPAN or Free Speech TV.

Day 23. Do Something, Anything, To Make The World Better Select a local or international organization, big or small, that is working to make the world better and join it. It doesn't matter if all you do is contribute money. At your workplace or at home, find ways in which you can get others to contribute or help/reach out to those who need it. Work to create environments where people help people, even in just your own circle. Discover your strengths, and use them to contribute. If you are good at writing, you may write letters to the editor or small pieces to highlight topics of interest or urgency.

Day 24. Educate Yourself Commit yourself to lifelong learning. This is the only way you can truly become a good thinker. Place the cultivation of your mind at the heart of your personal values. Begin to develop a plan for

8 of 9

lifelong self-development. Study your own behavior. See through the shallowness of celebrity and status, pomp and ceremony. Recognize that deep learning of new ideas is the key to an educated mind. Identify opportunities to be with people who want to improve their minds. Read widely. Create a library. Become your own historian, sociologist and economist. Understanding what is really happening in the world requires broad reading from multiple sources and perspectives, as well as reading the works of the world's best thinkers.

Day 25. Figure Out Where To Go From Here The first twenty-four steps show you how to begin to start thinking better. The last step shows you what you need to do further. On the 25th day of your 25-day plan, create a 25week plan, focusing on one of the 24 ideas presented here per week. Make a list of books you want to read. Consider keeping a daily journal. Figure out how you can continue to enhance your critical thinking skills. Visit the Foundation for Critical Thinking at www.criticalthinking.org. Commit yourself to applying a new idea per day or per week. Set aside a certain time each day for self-development.

ABOUT BESTSUMMARIES BestSummaries.com is a book summary service. We provide abridged versions of top self-help, motivational and inspirational books, where you can learn--in minutes-- what it takes to live life and live it well. With BestSummaries, you will know the guidelines and helpful tips to a happy and balanced life. BestSummaries offers easy-does-it tips in structured outline for easy reading and comprehension. Summaries are available in PDF, PDA, audio and print formats. DO YOU LIKE THIS SUMMARY but not a member yet? Subscribe now and learn what it takes to live a happy and fulfilled life. Simply go to http://www.bestsum.com/offer01.htm.

25 Days to Better Thinking by Dr. Linda Elder and Dr. Richard Paul

9 of 9