Throughout history, dictators have skillfully employed rhetoric as a tool to capture and consolidate power, as well as to perpetrate horrific acts of genocide. By leveraging rhetorical devices, these leaders have effectively manipulated emotions, suppressed dissent, and maintained control over their nations. In this article, we will explore the cult of personality, scapegoating and otherization rhetorical devices as used by dictators such as Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini. We will also briefly look at some recent dictators in South America and Africa. Cult of Personality Dictators often cultivate a cult-like following by fostering an intense devotion to their personality, equating their leadership with the nation's well-being. Here are some examples: Adolf Hitler Hitler employed the "cult of personality" by positioning himself as the embodiment of the German nation. He utilized grand public spectacles and speeches to captivate audiences and create an almost religious fervor around his leadership. Here are some quotes from...

A cognitive bias is a systematic pattern of deviation from norm or rationality in judgment. They lead to errors in judgement. These  errors in judgment derail critical thinking and distort decision-making processes. Understanding and mitigating these biases is important for organizations to ensure their decision making process is not tainted. In this article, we will explore three prominent cognitive biases—confirmation bias, the peak-end rule, and availability bias—and examine their potential impact on decision making in the workplace. We will also highlight the importance of awareness and education in preventing the negative effects of these biases.   Confirmation Bias Confirmation bias refers to the tendency to seek information that confirms pre-existing beliefs while ignoring or downplaying contradictory evidence. In the workplace, this bias can lead to flawed decision making by reinforcing existing opinions rather than considering alternative perspectives. Here are a couple of examples: Example 1: A manager, convinced that a particular employee...

In the world of persuasive communication, fallacies and rhetorical devices hold a significant role in shaping opinions and influencing decisions. However, their use can lead to illegitimate persuasion, where individuals are convinced to believe something based on deceptive tactics. This article briefly examines the interplay between fallacies and persuasive rhetorical devices, and uncovering the mechanisms behind illegitimate persuasion. It also very briefly discusses the impact and implications of these illegitimate persuasion tactics.    Understanding Fallacies and Persuasive Rhetorical Devices: Fallacies are flawed patterns of reasoning that undermine the logical integrity of an argument. On the other hand, persuasive rhetorical devices are techniques employed to influence and manipulate an audience. By combining fallacies and persuasive rhetorical devices, individuals can craft powerful yet misleading messages. Some commonly encountered fallacies and devices include: Ad Hominem Fallacy This fallacy involves attacking the character of the person making an argument instead of addressing the argument itself....

Critical thinking is a very important skill for success on the job or in academics. It is also an indispensable skill for organizations. Failing to develop and apply critical thinking skills can lead to several negative consequences. This article examines the risks associated with a critical thinking deficit, specifically focusing on how it negatively affects problem-solving abilities, limitations in ability to reason logically , ignorance of assumptions and fallacies, and vulnerability to poor decision-making. It also explores the personal implications, such as susceptibility to illegitimate persuasion and lack of confidence in one's analysis, conclusions and decisions.    The Organizational Impact 1.1 Poor Problem-Solving skills A lack of holistic thinking and failure to consider all relevant evidence hinder effective problem-solving within organizations. Without a comprehensive approach, critical factors may be overlooked, leading to incomplete solutions and unresolved issues. This can impede progress, delay projects, and hinder the overall efficiency and productivity of the...

Anchoring bias is a cognitive bias that describes the tendency for people to rely too heavily on the first piece of information they receive when making subsequent judgments or decisions. The initial piece of information, or "anchor," serves as a reference point for all subsequent judgments or decisions, and may bias the final outcome towards that initial value. For example, if someone is told that a particular product costs Rs.10,000, they may be more likely to perceive a similar product that costs Rs.8,000 as a good deal, even if the Rs.8,000 product is still overpriced. This bias can be observed in a wide range of contexts, from negotiation and pricing to decision making in general. In his book "Thinking, Fast and Slow," Kahneman described an experiment he conducted on anchoring bias. A group of students were selected to be subjects in the experiment. The experiment used a rigged roulette wheel...

Two systems of thinking Over the decades there has been plenty of research into how we think and make decisions. Daniel Kahneman is a noble prize winning researcher who did a lot of research on the cognitive processes of the brain and how it makes judgments under various conditions.  Kahneman in his book ‘Thinking fast and Slow’ states that we need to look at our thinking processes as consisting of two distinct and different types of processes. He calls them ‘System 1 thinking’ and System 2 thinking’.  System 1 and system 2 are not associated with the left or right brains or with creativity or any physical parts of the brain in the human body. But these are names given to two different types of thinking.  Kahneman gives some examples to illustrate the two types of thinking:   The Angry woman  When you look at the picture above, and are asked...

Convergent arguments are the most commonly used arguments in politics, business, day to day reasoning and even in science. In politics, each political party provides several independent reasons for why the voter should vote them into power.  In business, we use convergent reasoning to justify business investments, strategies, plans and decisions. In our day to day reasoning we use convergent arguments to justify our personal capital purchases such as property, automobiles and also for personal investments. Many of our decisions about our children's education are reasoned and justified using convergent arguments. When scientists want to figure out why and when Dinosaurs became extinct, they use several independent pieces of evidence to support their hypothesis regarding the causes and period when it happened. This is nothing but a convergent argument. What is a convergent argument? A convergent argument is one in which the premises offer independent support to the claim. Here's...

Critical thinking VS Creative thinking Creative thinking and critical thinking are two cognitive processes that are often considered distinct but can also be interconnected and mutually supportive. While they are different in nature, they can complement each other in problem-solving, decision-making, and intellectual exploration. Here's an overview of their relationship: Different Processes: Creative thinking involves generating ideas, exploring possibilities, and thinking outside the box. It emphasizes imagination, novelty, and originality. On the other hand, critical thinking involves analyzing, evaluating, and reasoning about information or ideas. It emphasizes logical reasoning, evidence-based assessment, and objective analysis. Interdependence: Creative thinking and critical thinking are interdependent and can enhance each other. Creative thinking generates innovative ideas and solutions, while critical thinking provides the tools to evaluate, refine, and implement those ideas effectively. Critical thinking helps validate the viability and practicality of creative ideas, ensuring they are well-grounded and supported by evidence. Problem-Solving: Creative thinking...

For different people critical thinking means different things. The most common trait that everyone equates critical thinking is analytical thinking. However there is no agreement amongst scholars and academicians on what the definition of critical thinking should be, or what all it entails. I will not burden you with more definitions here, as a google search will bring you to many academic definitions, many of which are hard for non-academic folks to decipher or relate to. In the workplace , you will hear employers and recruiters stating that critical thinking skills are very important for success. A survey of employers in 2020 by the World Economic Forum revealed that employers consider critical thinking to be amongst the top job skills for success. Not only that, when we analyze the top ten skills that the employers declare as being critical for success in their business, we see that critical thinking is...

Critical thinking skills are essential in the workplace for several reasons: Problem-Solving: Critical thinking enables employees to analyze complex problems, identify root causes, and develop effective solutions. It involves gathering and evaluating information, considering multiple perspectives, and making reasoned judgments. With critical thinking skills, employees can approach challenges systematically, think creatively, and make informed decisions. Decision-Making: In the workplace, decisions can have significant consequences. Critical thinking skills help employees assess options, weigh pros and cons, and consider potential risks and benefits. By evaluating information objectively and applying logical reasoning, employees can make well-founded decisions that align with organizational goals and values. Innovation and Adaptability: Critical thinking fosters innovation by encouraging employees to question assumptions, challenge existing processes, and explore new ideas. It promotes a mindset of curiosity, exploration, and continuous improvement. In today's rapidly changing business landscape, critical thinking skills are crucial for adapting to new technologies, market shifts, and...

There are many definitions of critical thinking out there. Some are short, sweet and simple, while there are others that are extremely long and try to include every single aspect of critical thinking. I prefer to go with the short one: "Critical thinking is the process of making clear  and  reasoned judgements ' by Beyer. There are three key elements in this 1. Clear thinking and communication : Our thinking and communication needs to be clear. You may ask what can go wrong with it? Well, the most common causes of leading one away from critical thinking are : (a) ambiguity arising from semantic ambiguity or syntactic ambiguity. Consider these sentences : "This fisherman does not use glasses". Glasses could either mean spectacles, or they could mean drinking glasses. Now consider another sentence " She saw the fisherman with binoculars" . In this sentence the ambiguity arises due to the way...

That critical thinking is an important skill and is essential to have is being increasingly recognized. As a matter of fact, the World Economic Forum puts critical thinking very high in the top ten jobs skills for success in the workplace. And six of the other skills listed there need critical thinking as a foundational skill. So what exactly is critical thinking and how does one go about building this into the organization? There are two elements to Critical thinking, the first of which is 'how to think critically about an issue', and the second one is more fundamental, which is 'How to think'.  Thinking critically about an issue:   All of us quite have partial experience of this skill that comes into play when trying to solve a problem, resolve an issue, evaluate multiple decision options and making or evaluating plans and strategies. However, it is quite likely that...

Shakespeare was the first known man to say ‘Alls well that ends well”.Was he a psychologist? Recent experiments by psychologists shows us that it is important for an experience to end well to feel good about it in the future. Experiments in psychology suggest that what we recall of our experiences and what we actually experienced are different. In a Ted Talk, Daniel Kahneman, a Noble prize-winning economist and psychologist illustrates this concept by recalling a discussion he had with a participant in one of his talks. The participant was narrating his experience in listening to a symphony. He said that he was immensely enjoying listening to a LP record (Vinyl) of a symphony till there was a loud screeching noise at the end due to a scratch on the LP record. The participant said that the screech in the end ruined his entire experience. Kahneman points out that in...

Through and the day and over the year, we are constantly required to form beliefs, solve problems, make decisions and to act. What is it that guides each of these processes? How do we decide what or whom to believe, what determines our formulating solutions to problems or making decisions, and what are the guiding variables that determine what action to take or not to take?  At the root is the process of being persuaded to a belief, a solution, a decision, or the move to act.We accept a belief, solution of a decision, or move to act once we are persuaded that it is the right thing for us to do. And how do get persuaded that something is right or wrong?According to Aristotle, there are three principal ways of persuading anyone:  By the application of logic, credibility, or rhetoric (In greek this is Logos, Ethos, and Pathos). In...

Amongst the highest top of mind anxieties for parents and undergraduate students seeking the post, graduate admissions are whether the student will be able to get admission in a good post-graduation course or college. The competition for seats in good universities and institutions is intense In India. There are a hundred or more competent aspirants for each seat in reputed institutions. The admission criteria are of a very high standard, and then comes the intense elimination rounds where each student is pitted against the other to prove themselves as more deserving and competent than others.

  Critical thinking training results in better decision-making and problem-solving skills A good decision moves the company forward, while a poor one can set the company back. Critical Thinking training helps making sound inferences while avoiding fallacies. It also helps you take protective measures against cognitive biases. The powerful critical thinking framework ensures 360 degree evaluation of issues while taking cognizance of implications, assumptions and point of view.   The management of every company is witness to innumerable errors in decision making that arise due to a lack of critical thinking skills. Employees take decisions that are made on the basis of hasty generalizations or hasty decisions made on poor diagnosis of the problem. Errors of judgment regularly creep in due to cognitive biases such as 'confirmation and authority biases'. Critical thinking training in Sales Sales leaders trained in critical thinking would appreciate Aristotle's triangle of persuasion, and easily apply...

Why logic and evidence thoroughly fail to change opinions and beliefs Today,  supporters and opponents of Mr. Donald Trump in the USA and Mr. Modi in India are highly polarized. Supporters and detractors try very hard to provide to the other supporting their views. But contrary evidence only seems to harden and polarize opinions further. Why is neither side able to convince the other? Why do discussion and evidence result in further polarization?  Why do logic and evidence fail to convince?   Psychologists have studied this phenomenon and discovered that once we have formed a belief about something, we tend to seek out information that confirms our belief and filter out or reject any information that contradicts it. Psychologists initially dubbed this cognitive bias a the Confirmation bias, and later researchers (Gary Klein) seem to have termed this as  'Fixation'.  For this article, given its objective, I will be treating...

I was invited to conduct a workshop on Critical Thinking at JIPMER. The workshop size I prefer is a maximum of 30 participants. However since 68 participants wanted to take the workshop, we ended up conducting two batches back to back on 30th November and 1st December 2015. Both the workshops witnessed very active participants from the Doctors, HOD's

 

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Critical thinking helps students make better academic and work decisions  As a student you have to make several decisions about which college to join, courses to take and what areas to specialize in. Going forward you need to take decisions on what career to opt for. These are not easy decisions. Critical thinking enables you to gather impartial information, evaluate it and take decisions based on solid logical reasoning. This process of evaluation and thinking through results in better decision making.  World Economic Forum survey A survey of employers by the World economy forum in 2020 about the most important skills for success in the workplace put Critical thinking amongst the top 5 skills necessary for success. Not only that, of the total of ten skills listed as skills essential for success, critical thinking was required for seven of them. In...