How to (Actually) Think Clearly - 5 Real Steps

Transcript

0:00 · Things are pretty wild today. You have a 24-hour news cycle. We have more information and data and misinformation than ever before. And on top of that, everyone thinks they have to have an opinion on everything. And then, if that's not bad enough, everyone thinks they're an expert in everything. And yet, far less people are trained in grammar, logic, rhetoric, and debate than ever before. So, that's not super great for public discourse. that's not super great for you.

0:28 · So, what I want to do in this video is take some of the lessons that I've learned in a master's degree program in analytic philosophy and break down five tips to help you think more clearly. This video is sponsored by Brilliant, but more on that in a little bit. Let's jump in with tip number one. So, tip number one is pretty simple. It's just be slow to speak, quick to listen, and be slow to anger.

0:53 · This is ancient truth and it's truth.

0:57 · Like you should be these things. Be slow to speak. Be slow to give your opinion.

1:02 · You don't have to rush it out. And if you rush it out, it's probably not going to be well thought through. Be quick to listen. Listen to your opponents. Listen to opposing viewpoints. Really listen and take it in. Don't make a judgment without hearing everything that there is to hear. And then be slow to anger.

1:20 · Control yourself. Don't let it get you worked up. If you get worked up, then you've already lost. It's going to not help you think clearly. If your emotions are getting in there and messing with your reasoning faculties. So, be slow to speak, be quick to listen, and be slow to anger. Now, the second tip is just write down your thoughts, beliefs, opinions, feelings. Grab a pen and write them down on paper. That will help you have to catalyze what you actually think. Maybe you have a vague notion of what you believe or your opinion.

1:52 · Forcing yourself to write it down with a pen and paper actually makes you think in real time. What do I really believe?

2:00 · I have to actually put that into words.

2:02 · It's not just a vague opinion. It's not just a vague sense. I have to use words to clarify what do I actually believe.

2:10 · So tip number two is write down what you think, your opinions, your emotions.

2:16 · Write it down instead of just going to Facebook or Instagram or Reddit to just make a screed. Write it down first and think it through. Writing things down is so helpful for actually clarifying what you believe and then helping yourself see how to support what you believe. So, what you believe and then you're going to get to why you believe it. Now, after you've written down what you want to think about, whether it's your opinion or whether it's a counterargument, whatever the case, you are going to support your beliefs with reasons.

2:42 · These reasons are going to justify what you believe. Why do you believe what you believe? Think it through. Most of us don't take time to actually do that.

2:55 · Maybe we do it in conversation with someone when we're already arguing with them, but this is better. This is slower. This is by yourself. actually doing the rigorous work of saying here's what I believe and here's why I believe it. Here are the justifications for these beliefs. I believe this because of that. I've seen this and I've seen that and I understand that you might think this but that's actually not true for reasons X, Y, and Z. Support your beliefs with reasons.

3:22 · This whole process of clarifying your beliefs and then supporting them with reasons and creating arguments out of them. This just is analytic philosophy. I spent a whole lot of time learning this in academia, but you guys can do this on your own with a simple notebook. Now, you may be thinking to yourself, I'm not super good at formal arguments and debate. Well, that's okay. This is doing the work by yourself in your office with a pen and a notebook.

3:50 · But maybe you think, hey, I should learn a little bit of logic as well. I should learn formal arguments and maybe even a little bit of debate. I think you should. I think if you have time, then you should do that.

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5:15 · Now, let's get back to tip number four.

5:17 · Okay, so tip number four is anticipate objections. So, you are going to be slow to speak, quick to hear, slow to anger, and be calm about this. You're going to write down what you believe, and then you're going to write down why you believe it. In step number three, you're going to justify it with reasons. And then here in tip number four, you're going to anticipate objections, counter arguments, counter examples. What might my opponent say to the reasons that I've given for supporting my opinion, my belief, whatever. So, this is going to take a little bit of work. You're going to have to think outside the box.

5:46 · You're going to have to think outside of your own presuppositions maybe or your own biases. You're going to have to think hard because you're trying to anticipate what would my opponent say? And if I can anticipate what they're going to say, I can address that before they've said it.

6:02 · And then I will be strengthened in my own position. And maybe they're right.

6:05 · Maybe I come up with something that really just knocks my argument flat.

6:10 · That's good. Do that. It's better to do that here by yourself than to do it out in public and get spanked in front of everybody. So, work hard to anticipate objections. What's a counterpoint?

6:21 · What's a counter example? What am I missing? What could someone say against my opinion? And and do the hard work.

6:29 · Really think it through. Give them credit. Part of this is going to require you using empathy. You're going to have to think, why would my opponent feel any way different and not just because they're a terrible person? Maybe maybe they are. Maybe you're a great guy or gal. Uh but but probably there's a reason for why they take a contrary opinion to you. So think through, try to put yourself in their shoes and deliver your own argument to them. Here's my argument. Here's what I'm thinking.

6:59 · Here's the reasons that I've given. What would someone else say? What would they say to this? Okay, they might say this and that. Why would they think that?

7:06 · Well, because they're bad people. No, not just because they're bad people.

7:09 · Maybe they are, but what reasons would They're still semi-rational.

7:14 · What kind of reasons might they give for supporting their counterarguments? You don't want to get out over your skis.

7:22 · That's what happens when you're angry.

7:23 · That's what happens when you're quick to speak. That's what happens when you aren't listening well. you get out over your skis and you fall and you tumble because you were not thinking very clearly. Okay. And then tip number four, I wrote all these down, so let me just read this one so I don't mess it up. Tip number four is think about what evidence might help settle the debate or would be further help in supporting your position. So here we've done this kind of from the armchair. We have thought through our beliefs just on our own steam and that's really good.

7:53 · I think that's a really good first initial step.

7:58 · But if there's empirical evidence to have, then you should go out and find that. And I don't mean just finding empirical evidence that supports your position that way may just entrench you in your own biases. What kind of evidence would solve this debate? I have this disagreement with someone else and I've given my arguments. I've anticipated their counterarguments. Now, what would really settle the debate?

8:23 · Well, maybe some empirical facts. maybe some psychological study that speaks about the nature of men verse women thinking or whatever the case, whatever you're thinking about, go and and look up some evidence for it. Go look up some evidence against it. Go and look for a study that presents data on the thing that you have in mind. So, this just means going and doing some additional research.

8:50 · I think you can get pretty far just using your mind, just using logic, using argumentation, supporting your argument. I'm a philosopher. I This is what we do. But some areas of contention really demand empirical data. And you can't just get to that with armchair reasoning, unfortunately. So, if you follow these five steps, you are going to think more clearly. You are going to be slow to speak, quick to listen, and slow to anger. You're going to be like a better friend. This is going to help your friend group.

9:20 · This is going to help your family communications. You are going to be more thoughtful because you are going to take your thoughts more seriously than you ever have. If you haven't been writing them down before, start doing that and show yourself, hey, my thoughts are actually really important to me. I'm going to write them down. And you're going to become a more clear thinker because you're going to be training yourself to think in words, to write down a sentence explaining what it is that you feel or think or giving your opinion.

9:49 · You're going to get better at making arguments with those beliefs and for those beliefs. Hey, here are some supporting reasons. Here's why I think the way I do. And it's very clear and obvious how you can attack what I believe because here's a bunch of reasons for them. attack these reasons and maybe you're wrong and maybe your

10:08 · opponent or interlocutor people you talk with maybe they are right and if you are clear with what you believe you have a clear target that someone can aim at maybe they can help you out of some bad beliefs and alternatively if they can't destroy your argument which is easily laid out then maybe it's true that's a good sign for what you believe you're going to anticipate objections you're going to think outside the box you're going to think about what my opponent might say and you're going to learn to empathize with people who you disagree with, which is actually really good and it will help you in your own opinions.

10:41 · It may help you out of some of your opinions, but it may strengthen them as well because you're saying, "Look, I've thought about what you might say already. Now, now go ahead and say it, but is this why you're thinking that way? I' I've been thinking about it. Try to put myself in your shoes. Is this what you're thinking?" That's just good.

11:00 · It's good to learn how to sympathize and empathize with someone outside of yourself. Uh especially when it comes to beliefs so that they're not just a crazy psychopath. They're a person who thinks differently and maybe still wrong, but you can understand how they got there.

11:16 · And then lastly, you're going to be looking for evidence for and against your own positions. This is what good thinkers do. If I can find some evidence that totally debunks me, great. I can let it. It may be painful a little bit, but I'm going to let go of that belief if I can prove it wrong. And now I have more true beliefs. That's really good. I would like that. Please show me that I'm wrong so that I can not believe things that are wrong. This is another good lesson from analytic philosophy. We get excited if someone can like refute us.

11:51 · It's fun to go and debate and reason and poke holes in each other's arguments.

11:57 · Still, deep down we're humans. It still hurts a little bit, but not like in political debates or something else that's really emotionally charged where we're not thinking clearly. It's nice to take a step back and say, "Look, here's my argument. Here's my belief. Here's my opinion. I am not those things. I have them. But if they get destroyed through the process of reasoning, that's okay.

12:21 · I'm going to be a better person for it."

12:23 · Okay. So, there are five tips for you to help you think more clearly. And again, if you want to start studying some logic, I have a video on how to think more logically and that will be in the description or maybe I'll link it up here as well. Um, but definitely check out Brilliant and thanks to Brilliant for sponsoring this video. I want to hear from you guys. If you think there are more tips that I missed, please leave those in the comments. We all learn together. That is super helpful.

12:49 · And if you like this video, go ahead and leave me a little thinking emoji in the comments. All right, that's going to do it for now. I'll catch you guys next