This document discusses mental habits that can act as obstacles to critical thinking. It identifies several common mental habits, such as overreliance on personal experiences, confirmation bias in information seeking, use of stereotypes, hasty generalizations from limited examples, availability heuristic, and wishful thinking. It also discusses familiar obstacles like groupthink, unwillingness to listen to others, and use of logical fallacies. Overcoming these obstacles requires awareness of them and a commitment to using critical thinking skills in all aspects of life.

1. CHAPTER 14
Overcoming Obstacles ,
to Critical Thinking

2. REVIEWING FAMILIAR
OBSTACLES

3. BAD MENTAL HABITS

4. MENTAL HABITS BETRAY US
 We are limited and
betrayed by a series of
mental habits.

5. MENTAL HABITS: PERSONAL EX.
 Seductive quality of
personal experience
 In any conversation we
have a tendency to stress
personal experiences
 We weigh these higher
than scientific
observation.

6. MENTAL HABITS
 We only get our
information from
sources that align
with ours
 We only seek out
social groups that
have many
similarities
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7. MENTAL HABITS
 Stereotypes: distorted
assumptions
 We claim that a
particular group has a
specific set of
characteristics.

8. EXAMPLES
 Men with facial hair are wise
 Overweight individuals are jolly.
 No all people who are “cool” are alternative.
 Japanese are industrious.
 Women make the best secretaries.
 Welfare recipients are lazy.

9. MENTAL HABITS: HASTY GENERALIZATION
 We use one example
to carry the weight of
our claim.

10. AVAILABLE HEURISTIC
 A tendency to rely on information and memories
that are easily retrieved as a basis for our
decisions and judgments.

11. WISHFUL THINKING
 wish X were true.
Therefore, X is true.
 We form beliefs through a form of wishful
thinking.
 What we wish to be true, we simply declare it IS
true.

12. FAMILIAR OBSTACLES
 Group Think: to go along with the group, the
team, the club, etc.

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14.  What evidence is used in Group Think?
 How can we overcome this?

15. FAMILIAR OBSTACLES
 Unwillingness to listen to others

16.  How can we overcome this?

17. FAMILIAR OBSTACLES
 Using fallacies
 Think of one you have used before. . .why is it so
common to use?
 We are so quick to rush to a judgment.

18.  Bandwagon fallacy: we are pushed along by the
force of the group’s decision

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20. FINAL WORD
 Critical thinking is a tool
 It serves a function for you.
 Remember the skills in this class transcend these
walls. Use them in your lives.

21. MAKE CRITICAL THINKING BASIS
FOR YOUR CREATION OF YOUR
CHARACTER. ONE YOU ARE PROUD
OF.