Very powerful message. The reminder to slow down, question things, and think for ourselves really hit home. It’s something we all need to practice more.
A timely reminder that critical thinking is a daily practice of conscious engagement, and that staying deliberate and questioning assumptions is the key to retaining agency in a world optimized for speed and certainty
In my late teens my father taught me 3 filters all in the conversational inputs (that I expanded to all inputs) 1. Motive? - what's in it for the person speaking/sharing the information (onlinenews outlets sell clicks to advertisors not facts so I don't consume news as a rule). Motive cuts the inputs down 2. Are they an expert? 99% of people are not an expert in their field. They're communicating parrot fashion. 3. Do I care anyway? The more time I spend with the highest quality people with great expertise (GOATs) who have good motives on the subjects that I care about or related to my critical path then more light speed I can create. So this 3 step filter is now 30+ years old for me and put me in good stead. Hopefully it can help people out there - "be intentional " stop wasting valuable time. We're only burning time in life, we have a finite amount of logs to burn, be really mindful who sits around your fire. 🔥
Love your article Dennis! Critical thinking, to me, is simply the courage to pause. To not just absorb what’s loud or popular, but to ask, “Is this actually true for me?” 🧡
One of my most important Substack reads lately. Breaks down the biggest issues underlying many phenomena today: automacy, lack of critical thinking. In the times when we need it most.
This was a truly eye-opening piece, Dennis. Thank you for sharing it.
Thank you so much Sophia. Appreciate you!
Great insight, Dennis. Thank you👍🏻
Really enjoyed this read, Dennis!
This was an eye-opening read, Dennis. Thank you for sharing such powerful insights. It really gave me something to reflect on.
Loved this, Dennis. Critical thinking is really just having the courage to pause and ask, “Is this true for me?”
Very powerful message. The reminder to slow down, question things, and think for ourselves really hit home. It’s something we all need to practice more.
oh, I love the pic of you and your wife. beautiful!
A timely reminder that critical thinking is a daily practice of conscious engagement, and that staying deliberate and questioning assumptions is the key to retaining agency in a world optimized for speed and certainty
Discipline keeps you sharp.
In my late teens my father taught me 3 filters all in the conversational inputs (that I expanded to all inputs) 1. Motive? - what's in it for the person speaking/sharing the information (onlinenews outlets sell clicks to advertisors not facts so I don't consume news as a rule). Motive cuts the inputs down 2. Are they an expert? 99% of people are not an expert in their field. They're communicating parrot fashion. 3. Do I care anyway? The more time I spend with the highest quality people with great expertise (GOATs) who have good motives on the subjects that I care about or related to my critical path then more light speed I can create. So this 3 step filter is now 30+ years old for me and put me in good stead. Hopefully it can help people out there - "be intentional " stop wasting valuable time. We're only burning time in life, we have a finite amount of logs to burn, be really mindful who sits around your fire. 🔥
I think the Internet and particularly social media has just exposed how dumb we all are...just saying 🤔
This really made me think. Pausing and thinking for ourselves is more important now than ever. Thanks for sharing this perspective.
Love your article Dennis! Critical thinking, to me, is simply the courage to pause. To not just absorb what’s loud or popular, but to ask, “Is this actually true for me?” 🧡
Really enjoyed this article, and your personal experience and observations, Dennis.
One of my most important Substack reads lately. Breaks down the biggest issues underlying many phenomena today: automacy, lack of critical thinking. In the times when we need it most.
Building that "pause" into daily life is probably the most underrated competitive advantage someone can have right now.