【讀】Asking the right questions（1）Preface and Chapter 1

Introduction to logic被我棄書了（我的能力匹配不上這本書的深度），但是critical thinking仍然需要練習，於是，在豆瓣上找了一下書評，發現Asking the right questions的可讀性要強一些。同時找了Critical thinking（Authors： Moore and Parker），發現這本和Introduction to logic的難度看起來相似（我一看到公式就頭暈），於是放棄了）。

下面就是我的讀書筆記了：

書的版本是第11版本，作者如下：

Preface：

Preface部份作者主要說了以下幾個問題：

為什麼寫這本書？We need the critical thinking and especially “democracy works best with a public capable of critical thinking”。（CT的能力的重要性不言而喻，尤其是在這個虛假新聞和標題黨爆炸的年代）

作者強調這本書的特點之一是“simple format”，增強applicability to life experiences。

適用人群：各行各業。（這樣說像是說這本書包治百病，我覺得是側面強調它很好讀）。

新版本的特點：

Addition of a new chapter about cognitive biases and other obstacles to the CT；

Integration of insights from Daniel Kahneman Thinking， Fast and Slow （立個flag，看完這本書我去看《思考，快與慢》）

Expression of critical-thinking responses in the practice passages

Emphasis of interactive or social natural of CT

New examples

Chapter 1 The benefits and manner of asking the right questions

The noisy, confused world we live in

Image a world where no CT is needed；

We live in a world where those trying to persuade us do not play fair with us； we have no wise people or experts to listen to； our fast thinking is controlled by emotions；

Experts can not rescue us， despite what they say

Experts often sound as if they know far more than they do； They give you what you want to hear。

Experts provides us more or less reasonable assertions； we measure and construct these assertions into a decision that is ours。

We listen to experts to construct our answers。

（比如在網上諮詢職業規劃等個人問題。專家的意見是很重要的，比如給你分析行業前景，比如告訴你某個崗位需要怎樣的人。但是，和這個崗位是否匹配、如何取得個人的發展，還是需要個人聽從自己內心的聲音，如作者所說，要“construct our answers“。

The necessity of relying on our mind

A heavy responsibility （作者全部大寫，敲黑板）：We must assert rational control of our believes and conclusions； the alternative is being the mental slave of whoever impresses our system 1 brain。

CT refers to：

awareness of a set of interrelated questions；

ability to ask and answer these questions in an appropriate manner；

desire to actively use the CT。

CT assists you：

react critically to an essay or to evidence in a textbook/periodical/Website （很多時候，我們對我們看到的文章的舉例、觀點都是不假思索地全收。要多問問：這個的premises是對的嗎？conclusion對嗎？argument是否valid呢？）

judge the quality of a lecture or a speech；

form an argument；

write an essay based on a reading assignment；

participate in class；

The sponge and panning for gold: alternative thinking styles

Sponge:

absorbing the water； analogy： “absorbing” the knowledge。

Advantages：

Foundation for a complicated thinking；

Relatively passive and rather quick and easy （disadvantage： it provides no method for deciding which information and opinion to accept and which to reject）；

Panning-for-gold style of thinking

Active interaction with knowledge as it is being presented。 The most important characteristic of panning-for-gold style of thinking is interactive involvement。

Mental checklist:

Why someone wants me to believe something？

Did I take notes as I thought about potential problems of what was being said？

Did I evaluate what was being said？

Did I form my conclusion about the topic？

Weak-sense and strong-sense critical thinking

CT can be used to （1） defend or （2） evaluate and revise your initial beliefs。

（定義）Weak-sense thinking： to use CT to defend your current beliefs； the purpose of weak-sense thinking is to resist and annihilate opinions and reasoning different from yours。

（定義）Strong-sense thinking is the use of the same skills to evaluate all claims and beliefs， especially your own； this requires us to apply critical questions to all claims， including our own。

The importance of practice

The practice at the end of each chapter

Critical thinking and other people

Values and other people

The interaction work in shaped by your values and the values you perceive in those with whom you interact。 （人和人之間的交流是建立在價值觀基礎上的）

Values的定義：Values are ideas that someone thinks worthwhile。 The importance that one assigns to abstract ideas has the major influence on one’s choice and behavior。 （書裡舉例：看重“地位”的人熱衷於結交“大人物”。“地位”是abstract ideas，“大人物”是“concrete ideas”）。

練習：

What do you value？

I value：

Self-respect

Self-prosperity

Esteem of human beings

Respect of others’ rights as human beings

Honesty

Strive to do better in anything that I value

。。。

What standards of conduct do you want your children to develop？

The same as the values listed above。

Many of our interactions or learning experiences start with those who have similar value priorities。（價值觀接近的人是我們的comfort zone）

Our huge challenge is to work hard to understand those whose values differ from ours。 （走出我們的comfort zone）

Primary values of a critical thinker

Autonomy （有時我們會刻意地不去聽和我們價值觀不同的聲音，這個是要克服的一個傾向）

Curiosity。 You really read and listen。

Humility。 Each of us is very limited。

Respect for good reasoning wherever you find it。 Rely on a strong reasoning， regardless of the sex， race， political party， age， wealth or citizenship of the speaker of writer。

“Might I be wrong？”

Keep the conversation going

（這一部分是我需要反思的。我就很不喜歡和別人辯論，無法和人以一種平和的語氣去爭論某個問題，而是喜歡迴避問題。）

Some verbal strategies to keep conversation going：

Try to clarify your understanding of what the other person intends。 （很多衝突都是因為我們誤解了人家的意思）

Ask the other person if there is any evidence that could cause him to change his mind。 （或者，你提出evidence去改變人家的想法嘛）

Suggest a time-out to find the best evidence for the conclusion you hold。

Ask why the other person thinks that the evidence on which you are relying is so weak。

Try to come together。（就是看你們兩個的觀點是否並非本質的衝突可以合二為一）；

Search for the common values or other shared conclusions to serve as a basis for determining where the disagreement first appeared in your conversation。 （擱置爭議，找出雙方都認同的價值觀）

You are learners， not warriors。 （敲黑板，我就經常在辯論裡像個女戰士）

Humility （和人爭論時不要自己是權威的樣子，記住自己只是一個learner）

Create a friendly environment for communication

Create an environment that welcomes discussions and question-asking。

It’s easier to shoot down a question than to respond to it。 （舉個例子：有人問“清華好還是北大好？”。回答：“都挺好，不過你哪個也考不上，就別操這個心了。”嚶嚶嚶，我不想考學，只是想聽聽你對兩個學校的學術科研、師資、就業、學生滿意度的對比啊。）