3y, Posted for: Whole Community
Assumptions, Benefits and Costs
Posted by: Joseph Halter
{"ops":[{"insert":"One of the elements of critical thinking are Assumptions. Assumptions are ideas or things that we take for granted. For example, when I go to my car, I assume the vehicle will start when I turn the ignition with my car key. Nearly, 99.9% of the time, my assumption is true. It, however, has not been true 100% of the times. \n\nMany things in life are assumed. It makes our lives easier than trying to calibrate every situation that we encounter. As you can imagine, assumptions become habits over a period of time. Habits are useful to a point but can be harmful and protect us from our blind spots. \n\nThus, when a situation did not occur according to our \"plan\", we should reflect on our assumptions made and determine what we could have changed. \n\nI recently read this article by Jonathan Clement on "},{"attributes":{"link":"https://humbledollar.com/2020/11/never-assume/"},"insert":"Never Assume "},{"insert":"and it helps us to understand some of the ordinary assumptions we make everyday. \n"}]}
Posted by: Linda Elder
{"ops":[{"insert":"Thank you for this comment Joseph. Though it is true that we need to check our assumptions, it is important to recognize that we must make assumptions to live a human life. Some things must be taken for granted for us to function. The question is, how good are your assumptions? Are they justifiable in context? How do we access our assumptions to check them for justifiability? Are we even open to examining our assumptions. Here is a starting place, in our Wheel of Reason, for finding one's assumptions in thinking:\nhttps://community.criticalthinking.org/wheelOfReasonActivityInferences?activity=none \n"}]}