Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Course - 1 Day

Critical thinking is a systematic method to identify errors, inconsistencies, omissions and contradictions, in thinking, speaking, writing or action. The purpose of critical thinking is to rid ourselves of errors, and thus make it more likely we will succeed.

Logic is a more general term than critical thinking. Logic is constructive, in that it tells us more than how to spot an error. Logic tells us HOW to think correctly. Logic is defined as the “science of correct inference”.

We will analyse the reasons why we are almost certain to fail if we use irrational, emotionally driven thinking methods, in an attempt to solve real world problems. We introduce concepts such as Cause and Effect, and Natural Law.

Nothing is causeless. For every “effect” there is a set of “causal conditions”. To understand why anything is the way it is, we must accept and universally apply the principle of cause and effect.

The planets are governed by a set of universal NATURAL laws, which cannot be violated by anyone. If we want to succeed, we must use the natural laws to our advantage, and work with them.

“Nature, to be commanded, must be obeyed”, Francis Bacon.

There are a set of 7 common errors of thinking that are committed by most people, We will list them, and we ask delegates to assess how many common errors they are prone to.

Then we get into the positive, constructive portion of the course where we teach correct thinking methods, which themselves break into three types: Inductive, deductive and creative logic.

Inductive logic is classical scientific thinking, which is based upon intensive observation of facts, and the identification of the hidden patterns buried within them. This is the thought process of the detective. We will show you Mills Methods of Induction, which will help you to “crack the case”.

Deductive logic is the complementary style of thinking: Deduction is the act of explaining a fact by reference to a known principle.

This style is best expressed as the three-line syllogistic argument:

1. All fires require heat, oxygen and fuel
2. We have had a fire here
3. We know the oxygen is in the atmosphere, so our task is to identify the possible source of heat, and what was the primary fuel that fed the fire?

Is the use of the imagination to find new ways to combine old facts, to seek out new lines and new rationalisations, to boldly go where no mind has gone before!

Albert Einstein wrote, "Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution."

If it used properly, the imagination can be a tool for problem solving. We will show you how to harness the power of your imagination to transform it into a factory that creates a series of powerful ideas.

We have covered four forms of thinking:

1. Error detection
2. Inductive logic
3. Deductive logic
4. Creative logic

Each one of these tools is good to know on their own account. But each is limited, if used alone. The real power comes from combining all four methods to arrive at a system of thinking that will empower you to solve your problems.