Living Well Through Critical Thinking

To live well requires one to think well. To think well a person needs to be reasonable in how they think. Ethics also play a part in all of this, for to be unethical demonstrates an inability to be reasonable and that implies not thinking well.

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Human animals have the capacity for reason, the capacity for rational thought. It doesn't mean we are automatically reasonable all the time, or rational all the time, or engaging in the most rational way. We also aren't automatically the most ethical or moral. The skill of rational or reasoned thinking can be developed, and so too can ethical thinking.

By default at an early age we develop a sense of self and are more ego-centric in our relation to the world and others. As we interact, we recognize others more and develop a theory of mind, of recognizing others as similar to ourselves. We learn about social interaction and blend an ego-centric and socio-centric way of living together.

Both early on and later, we are still predisposed to behave in ways that are self-serving. There is a basic motivation for what we think and feel is "good" for us and an avoidance of what we think and feel is "bad" for us. This comes automatically without much thinking at all, from our basic bio-natural programming of pleasure and pain for survival.

We are connected to our own pleasure and pain automatically at a biological and psychological level, but we aren't connected to others in the same way. Understanding how others are affected takes time as we grow up from being a new born baby. Our ego-centric focus means we are concerned with how things affect us more than how things affect others.

The rights and needs of others comes later, as we develop a more socio-centric perception and awareness. Interacting with others, we learn to cooperate. Cooperation is an optimized survival strategy. The alternative is complete individualism of non-interaction with others, and is less optimal for survival. It's to our advantage and self-interest to learn to recognize others, and teat them fairly, to respect their rights.

We may not start off as the most rational, reasonable, cooperative and ethical beings, but we can learn to develop those skills, and most of us do. Being ethical and moral are natural developments as part of interacting with others. Failure to learn through reciprocal cooperation and mutual respect for others, leads to diminished optimization of survival and is counter to our own betterment.

Having concern for others is to have concern for ourselves in the end. Having no concern for others works against our own self-interest. Moral living is ingrained in our natural development. Being more-or-less fair-minded, rational, reasonable and ethical thinkers is how we developed the societies we have.

Understanding how we function as a psyche/consciousness (psychology) and developing the capacities of our consciousness (reason, rationality, ethics, morality, cooperation, fairness) leads us to be successful individuals and create successful societies that live more-or-less in harmony.

Developing critical thinking skills is to develop our ability to reason and be ethical/moral in our way of life by being able to evaluate and analyze ourselves as well as others. We can then formulate better and more optimal decisions for how we live, and how we exist with others. If anarchy is to manifest as a way of life, this is what is required to make it last.

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Thank you for your time and attention. Peace.

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