What Critical Thinking is?

Critical Thinking is just not thinking a lot.

PhD Road

It still takes some time to materialize the different parts of this map, but it feels I am on the right track.

Learning life

These words of wisdom by Richad Bawden, the systems thinker, I have printed out today and stuck on my board. I have understood them and relate to them very well, now I need to learn them. From understanding to learning a thought, there is a long way, which is living that though.

"If you always think what you have always thought
Then you will always bring what you have always brought
And always teach what you have always taught
and always fight what you have always fought.
If you always think what you have always thought
You will always seek what you have always sought
Then you will always catch what you have always caught
and always wreak what you have always wrought.
If you always live by what is and never ought
Then your power will always be nearer nought".

The Teacher

© UNICEF/HQ07-1086/Noorani

A teacher is a person who taps on you shoulder and says: "you could do it better next time."
A teacher is someone who takes your hand and says: "I am going this way, but look! there are other ways you can choose."
The teacher finds you, and takes you as serious as a research project.; he thinks about you, investigates you, structures you, re-structures you, reads for you, corrects you, crosses you out sometimes, puts you in different perspectives, polishes you up, and learns for you.

The teacher stays awake to awaken you.

I have a teacher.

Why do I read scientific articles?

“Like the vine which, though the most distinguished of all trees, yet needs the support of canes or stake or other trees which bear no fruit, the powerful and the learned need the help of lesser men.” From History of the logo of the Elsevier Publishing Company

To me, reading about something that I know nothing about has never been the actual start of learning process. In order to transform a reading process to a learning experience, my mind must have gone through a confusing state beforehand. Then reading about appropriate and relevant studies by other thinkers could help to convert my confusion to knowledge.

I read articles in order to

• frame the previous ambiguous thoughts that I had in mind into clear questions,
• find the answer of others to the questions that I had framed myself,
• learn about the new terms that have the capacity of covering broader set of concepts,
• learn and memorize more extensive and articulate explanations of the concepts that I already know,
  
• know the confusions of other people.
  

What else could be fulfilled by reading?

Dendrite

Dendrite: A short arm-like protuberance from a nerve cell (a neuron). Dendrites from neurons next to one another are tipped by synapses (tiny transmitters and receivers for chemical messages between the cells).

The word "dendrite" means "branched like a tree." It comes from the Greek "dendron" (tree).

Source: Webster's New World™ Medical Dictionary, 3rd Edition



Whatever it is, it must be there.