Clear thinking is critical

Toolkit for making better decisions in age of misinformation

- DAVID CHARALAMBOUS, SINEAD STRINGER & DR DAVID THUNDER

'If that were true, it would be on the news.' How often do we hear that?

THERE are many of us who used to think that governments and media would keep us informed of important information, but we now find ourselves questioning that assumption and finding it to be false in many instances. It is an example of the vital importance of critical thought.

Chances are that you remember the moment when your perspective shifted; when a long-held belief no longer made sense. For some, these moments can lead to difficult consequences – losing friends, alienating family members, even facing professional setbacks.

So how can we avoid these traps in the future? How can we ensure that we're making decisions based on reality, not on assumptions or misinformation?

Let's test your thinking with a simple riddle.

A father and son are involved in a tragic accident. The father dies, and the son is rushed into surgery. The surgeon looks at the boy and says: 'I can't operate on him, he's my son.' How is this possible?

Believe it or not, only 15 per cent of people get this right. But why? Our unconscious beliefs, biases and processes cannot be switched off and most will realise only at the end that they have misinterpreted the information and need to re-read it, consciously, critically thinking.

The surgeon is, of course, the boy's mother. It illustrates how easily our judgment can be clouded and keep us from seeing the truth until we pause and think critically.