25 Days to Better Thinking

A Guide For Improving Every Aspect Of Your Life

By Dr. Linda Elder and Dr. Richard Paul; Pearson Education, Inc, 2006

BOOK OF THE WEEK:

There is nothing we do as
humans that does not involve
thinking. Our thinking tells us
what to believe, what to
reject, what is important and
unimportant, what is true and
false, who are our friends and
enemies, what dreams to
pursue, who we should marry,
how we should raise our kids.
The quality of your life is
determined by the quality of
your thinking.
The problem is our thinking is
often flawed. Many of our
mistakes result from faulty
reasoning. We are often
prejudiced, hypocritical,
negative, self-deceptive,
worrying, blaming, self-
serving, delusional and
irrational. “25 Days to Better
Thinking” shows us how we
can improve our thinking and
m a k e s m a r t e r, b e t t e r
decisions. Through this book,
you can take control of your
thinking and improve your life.
read the summary

INSIDE THIS SUMMARY:

– The Big Idea
–25 Days to Better Thinking

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Day 1. Learn To Empathize With
Others
Intellectual empathy means appreciating
viewpoints that are different from ours. Don't
assume that your viewpoint is the best one. Be
willing to engage in dialog to understand other
perspectives. Do not fear ideas and beliefs that
you don't understand or have not considered.
Those who think differently may possess truths
we have not yet discovered.
Through empathy, we understand others more
fully, and gain new insights in our minds as well.
Practice being empathetic by doing the following:
When in an argument, state in your own words
what you think the other person is saying. Ask the
person if you have accurately stated his/her
position. Notice the extent to which others
empathize with you. Ask him/her to state what she
understands you have been saying. Notice how
sometimes people distort what you have been
saying because they don't want to change your
views.
Day 2. Uncover Your Ignorance
Stop assuming that whatever you believe is right.
Actively focus on uncovering your ignorance.
Develop intellectual humility, or the ability to
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Author: Dr. Linda Elder and Dr.
Richard Paul
Publisher: Pearson Education
Date of Publication: 2006
ISBN : 0-13-173859-3
No. of Pages: 89 pages
25 Days to Better Thinking by Dr. Linda Elder and Dr. Richard Paul
recognize what you know and what you don't
know. This will open your mind to seek to learn
more, develop your intellectual abilities and
expand your knowledge, and gain a healthy
awareness of the limits of your knowledge.
Actively question beliefs that seem obviously
true to you-- especially religious, political, and
cultural beliefs. Find alternative sources of
information that represent viewpoints you have
never considered. Explore new beliefs and be
open to new insights.
To practice intellectual humility, make a list of
everything you absolutely know about someone
you think you know well. Then make a list of
things you think are true about that person, but
that you cannot be absolutely sure about. Then
make a list of things you do not know about that
person. If you trust this person, show him/her
your list to see how accurate you are and see
what insights will emerge.
Day 3. Beware of Hypocrisy and
Notice Contradictions In Your Life
Hypocrisy is a state of mind unconcerned with
honesty. People are often hypocritical in three
ways: they have higher standards for those they
disagree with than those they agree with; they
fail to live according to their beliefs; and they fail
to see contradictions in the behavior of people
with high status.
To live a life of integrity, routinely examine your
own inconsistencies and face them truthfully,
without excuses. By facing your own hypocrisy,
you begin to grow beyond it and start learning
the truth about yourself. You learn to recognize
it in others so that they are less able to
manipulate you.
To practice integrity, observe the people around
you and analyze the extent to which they say
one thing and do another. For example, notice
how often people claim to love someone they
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criticize behind the person's back, thus showing
bad faith. Examine your relationships and see if
you can identify hypocrisy or integrity in them.
Day 4. Be Fair, Not Selfish
Be on the lookout for selfishness in yourself
and others. Human thinking is naturally self-
serving or selfish. This is because selfishness is
a native, not learned human tendency. But we
tend to look out for “number one,” we tend to be
unfair to persons “two” and “three”.
Develop fair-mindedness and fair thinking.
Consider the rights and needs of others as
equivalent to your own. Step outside your point
of view and into those of others.
To practice fair-mindedness, be on the alert to
catch yourself in the mental act of self-
deception for example, ignoring others'
viewpoints. Log each time you do something
selfish. Consider how you can avoid such
behavior in future similar situations. Take every
opportunity to think broadly about issues that
involve multiple viewpoints.
Day 5. Know Your Purpose
Thinking is always guided by human purposes.
Your thinking goes wrong when you aren't clear
about your purpose, have unrealistic purposes,
have contradictory purposes, or don't stick to
your expressed purpose.
It is important to examine the purposes that
guide how we live. Which are we aware of, and
which lie beneath the surface? It is also
important to assess other people's purposes,
and see if they contradict with others, so that
we are able to see through facades and avoid
being manipulated by others.
To know your purpose, figure out what you are
after and how you are seeking it. See if your
goals are interwoven or in conflict with each
other, or are your real purposes different from
your expressed ones. Figure out what your
family members, associates, and friends are
25 Days to Better Thinking by Dr. Linda Elder and Dr. Richard Paul
after. Examine personal goals, career goals,
political goals, economic goals, national goals.
Make a list of your important goals and see if
you find inconsistencies in them.
Day 6. Clarify Your Thinking
Be on the lookout for fuzzy, vague thinking--
thinking that sounds good but doesn't exactly
say anything. Our thinking usually seems clear
to us, even when it is not. Vague, ambiguous,
muddled, deceptive, or misleading thinking are
significant problems.
To practice clear thinking, learn to state one
point at a time. Elaborate on what you mean.
Give examples that connect your thoughts to life
experiences. Use analogies or metaphors to
help people connect your ideas to a variety of
things they already understand. To clarify what
other people are thinking, ask them to restate
their point and give examples.
Summarize in your own words what others are
saying. Ask them if you understood them
correctly. Be careful to neither agree nor
disagree with what anyone says until you clearly
understand what he or she is saying. Figure out
the real meaning behind what people say. Look
on and beneath the surface. Figure out the real
meaning of important news stories.
Day 7. Stick To The Point
Be on the lookout for fragmented thinking
thinking that leaps about with no logical
connections. When thinking is relevant, it is
focused on the main task at hand. Learn to
select what is germane, pertinent, related. Set
aside what is immaterial, inappropriate,
extraneous and beside the point.
Undisciplined thinking is often guided by
associations rather than what is logically
connected. Disciplined thinking intervenes when
thoughts wander and concentrates the mind on
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the things that help it figure out what it needs Day 9. Think Through Implications
to figure out.
Implications are the things that might happen if
you decide to do this or that. Consequences are
If you find your thinking digressing, try to figure
what actually happen once you act. When you
out why. Is it simply wandering or do you need
consider implications, you explicitly choose the
to deal with a different issue? If the latter, then
consequences that happen to you. Everything we
address the issue your mind has surfaced.
do has implications. Not just our actions, but what
we say and the words we decide to use.
Know precisely, at any given moment, the
issue you are addressing. And then stick to the
To practice thinking through implications, always
issue until your have resolved it or decided to
choose your words carefully. Look at your life as
deal with it later. Do not allow your mind to
a set of moment-to-moment options. Each and
wander aimlessly from idea to idea, issue to
every act, and every pattern of action, has
issue, without direction or discipline.
outcomes. What outcomes do you want? What
must you do to anticipate likely outcomes? When
faced with a problem, list down implications and
then act in the way that is likely to lead to the
outcome you want.
Day 8. Question, Question,
Think about the implications of the way you are
Question living your life now. Make a list of implications you
Thinking is driven by questions. The quality of probably will face for continuing to live as you
your questions determines the quality of your are. Ask youself: Will you be satisfied with those
thinking. Superficial questions lead to implications?
superficial thinking. Deep questions lead to
deep thinking. Creative questions lead to
creative thinking.

Questions also determine the intellectual tasks Day 10. Get Control Of Your
required of you. Questions lay out different, but Emotions
specific, tasks for the mind to work through.
People often make the mistake of thinking
Learn to ask powerful questions. Good
feelings are different from thoughts. Thoughts
thinkers ask questions to understand and
and feelings are two sides of the same coin. If
effectively deal with the world around them.
you think someone has been unjust to you, you
Question the status quo. Go beyond superficial
will feel some negative emotion toward that
or 'loaded' questions. When you also
person. The feeling happens in the mind as a
understand the questions people are asking,
result of how you think in the situation.
you can better understand their thinking and
behavior.
Learn to examine your emotions and investigate
the thinking that accounts for them. Take
To practice asking good questions, ask a
command of your emotions by taking command
question whenever you don't understand
of the thinking that causes those emotions.
something. When you have a complex
problem, formulate the question you are trying
To practice emotional control, notice the emotions
to answer in different ways until you hit on that
you regularly experience. Every time you
which best addresses the problem. When you
experience a negative emotion, ask yourself:
plan to discuss an important issue, write down
what thinking is leading to this emotion? See if
in advance the most significant questions.
you can identify some irrational thinking
underlying the emotion. If so, attack the thinking

25 Days to Better Thinking by Dr. Linda Elder and Dr. Richard Paul 4 of 9
with more sensible thinking. Once you act on the
new thinking, your emotion should begin to shift
accordingly.
Write down your emotions to focus more concretely
on them, especially negative emotions to identify
problems in your thinking and behavior.
Day 11. Take Control Of Your
Desires
If you want to be in command of your life, you have
to get command of the desires that direct your
behavior. Otherwise, you may pursue irrational,
destructive, and self-destructive desires, such as
the desire to dominate.
When you develop as a self-reflective thinker, you
will be able to differentiate between desires that
make sense and those that don't. You work to
reject desires that lead to suffering. You break
down habits that feed self-destructive desires.
To practice controlling your desires, recognize that
every action you take is driven by some purpose or
desire you have. Make a list of every behavior you
engage in that leads to humiliation, pain, or
suffering, or that is dysfunctional in some way. For
every behavior, write the reasons why you engage
in this behavior. Question each. What motivates
you? List something you can do immediately to
alter your dysfunctional behavior and then make a
more detailed plan on changing your behavior on
the long-term.
Day 12. Be Reasonable.
One of the hallmarks of a critical thinker is the
disposition to change one's mind when given a
good reason to change. Good thinkers want to
change their thinking when they discover better
thinking. In other words, they can be moved by
reason.
But the mind is not naturally malleable; in fact, it is
rigid and often shuts out good reasons readily
available to it. To become more reasonable, you
need to open your mind to the possibility, at any
given moment, that you might be wrong and
another person may be right. You need to be willing
25 Days to Better Thinking by Dr. Linda Elder and Dr. Richard Paul
and able to change your mind when the
situation or evidence requires it. Recognize that
you don't lose anything by admitting you were
wrong.
To practice being reasonable, practice having
the courage to say, in an argument, “Of course, I
may be wrong. You may be right.” Recognize
that you are being unreasonable when you are
unwilling to listen to someone else's reasons,
you are irritated by reasons people give you
before thinking them through, and when you
become defensive during a discussion.
Day 13. Show Mercy
Be on the lookout for opportunities to show
mercy to others, to display understanding,
compassion, and forgiveness. These are rare
qualities. Most people feel this way toward their
own families and friends. Few demonstrate
compassion and tolerance to those who think
and act differently from themselves. To others
who are different, the attitude is often, “show no
mercy”.
To practice showing mercy, ask yourself how
often punishment is extreme in causing human
suffering. Think of ways to deal with cultural
deviance (prostitution, recreational drug use,
etc) without extreme punishment and social
vengeance.
Whenever you think someone should be
punished, ask yourself whether the greater good
may not be better served in some other way,
such as rehabilitation instead of prison? Study
the situations within which you find yourself
most lacking in mercy, forgiveness, and
understanding. Consider the influence of social
conditioning on your ability to see things from
multiple perspectives.
Day 14. Don't Be A Conformist
Living entails membership in a variety of human
groups - peer group, family, religion, profession,
culture, and nation. Every group has an identity
and rules that guide the behavior of members.
While group membership offers advantages, it
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also has its price conformity.
But conformity can be dangerous because through
it, arbitrary social rules are treated as if they were
inherently good and right. And arbitrary rules can
lead to any number of unjust practices. Consider the
ways in which people who do not abide by social
conventions are marginalized atheists, people who
protest wars, etc.
When you become a skilled, independent thinker,
you do not mindlessly follow the crowd. You think for
yourself. You figure out what makes sense to
believe and to reject. This is difficult because many
conventions are systematically indoctrinated into our
thinking within our culture. Overcoming conformity
and indoctrination requires committed effort, insight,
and courage.
To practice independent thinking, write down the
answers to these questions: What are some of the
taboos in my culture? What behaviors are
considered shocking or disgusting? What beliefs are
considered sacred? What penalties exist for
breaking the rules? Examine the extent to which you
uncritically accept the taboos and requirements of
your culture. Make a list of problems that result from
mass conformity.
Day 15. Don't Be A Top Dog
Be on the lookout for dominating behavior yours and
others'. Dominating behavior involves an attempt to
control others to your advantage. Domination is
often indirect and difficult to detect. While
dominating others may get you what you want, you
need to recognize the unethical nature of
dominating behavior.
Rational persons do not dominate others, even
when they can, even when they can benefit from
doing so. They would rather give up something
themselves than hurt others to get what they want.
Practice letting go of dominating behavior by
identifying the areas in your life in which you
irrationally try to control others. At home? At work?
Consider the consequences. Does it fulfill you or
frustrate you? Notice how people justify dominating
others. Observe the usual results of domination in
different situations. Develop your awareness of
25 Days to Better Thinking by Dr. Linda Elder and Dr. Richard Paul
people and groups who invest in controlling
others.
Day 16. Don't Be An Underdog
Be on the lookout for submissive behavior
yours and others'. One of hallmarks of
submissiveness is conformity. Underdogs
often submit to the domination of others in
exchange for security, protection, or
advancement.
To get command of any submissive behavior
you may have, begin observing your behavior
closely when you are with others. Do you tend
to go along with others without thinking
through whether it makes sense to do so? Do
you resent doing so afterwards? Do you feel
someone else has control over you?
Only by confronting your subservient thinking
and behavior can you get command of it and
change it. When you catch yourself being
submissive or going along with others without
good reason, speak up and say what you
think. Notice the sense of self you gain.
Day 17. Don't Be A Worrywart
Many people go through life worrying about
problems rather than actively working to solve
them. Sometimes they obsess about problems
they can do nothing about. But worry never
adds to the quality of your life, it can only
diminish it.
Be on the lookout for when you worry about
problems rather than acting to solve them.
Notice when you worry while presenting a
calm exterior. Notice the negative emotions
you experience when you worry. When you
have a problem, you need to do your best
thinking to see if you can find a solution. Open
your mind to possibilities. If you cannot solve
the problem, you need to let it go. When you
catch yourself worrying, apply this Mother
Goose rhyme:
For every problem under the sun
There is a solution or there is none
If there be one, seek till you find it
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If there be none, then never mind it.
Day 18. Stop Blaming Your Parents
Very few people survive childhood without emotional
scars. All parents make mistakes, some more than
others. But as adults, we need to take responsibility
for who we are and who we are becoming. This
involves recognizing emotional baggage and getting
past it. Living in misery, blaming our parents, and
focusing on ourselves as victims lead to a life of
depression and resentment.
Thinking negative thoughts about your parents does
not help them or you. Stop feeling sorry for yourself.
We all have a choice. By taking charge of our
thinking, we can become who we want to be. The
past is gone. The present and the future remain.
If you find yourself blaming your parents, write down
exactly what you think they've done and what
damage they have caused. Make sure you
distinguish between fact and belief. Read this
carefully and ask yourself what you hope to gain by
dwelling on any of these memories. Take every
moment you typically use to blame your parents and
transform that energy into positive actions for your
present and future.
Day 19. Don't Be Brainwashed By
The News Media
Every society and culture has a unique worldview
that shapes what people see and how they see it.
News media across the world reflect the worldview of
their own culture and society. News media need to
present news in ways that are palatable and
interesting to their audience.
Mainstream news coverage in any culture operates
on these maxims:
This is how it appears to us from our point of view;
therefore, this is the way it is.
These are the facts that support our way of looking
at this; therefore these are the most important facts.
25 Days to Better Thinking by Dr. Linda Elder and Dr. Richard Paul
These countries are friendly to us; therefore,
these countries deserve praise.
These countries are unfriendly to us; therefore,
these countries deserve criticism.
These are the stories that are most interesting
and sensational to our audience; therefore,
these are the most important stories in the
news.
But the truth of what is happening in world is
more complicated than what appears true to
people in any culture. Learn to recognize bias
in your nation's views, and detect ideology,
slant, and spin. When you recognize
propaganda and bias, you can determine what
media messages need to be supplemented,
counterbalanced, or thrown out entirely.
Become a critical consumer of media and
develop skills of media analysis. Study
alternative perspectives and worldviews,
learning how to interpret events from the
perspective of multiple views. Seek
understanding and insight through multiple
sources of thought and information. Learn to
identify viewpoints embedded in news stories.
Notice contradictions and inconsistencies.
Notice what facts are covered and which are
ignored.
Day 20. Don't Be Bamboozled By
Politicians
Politicians would have us believe that they are
deeply concerned about the welfare of people,
that their actions are determined by what best
serves the people. In other words, politicians
present themselves as statesmen. Don't buy it.
If you read between the lines, you will notice
that money, not concern for the public interest,
is usually where the action is, with big money
protecting big money. For example, when the
Bush administration demanded changes to a
World Health Organization plan to fight
obesity, after the plan was applauded by public
health advocates worldwide, what does it tell
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us? The same plan was opposed by big food
manufacturers and the sugar industry.
To see through politicians, listen closely to what
politicians say. Always ask, “What is the interest of
big money here?” “What is the public interest?”
Identify politicians' vested interests and keep them
in mind. Become a student of political history by
reading broadly in alternative sources to identify
repeating patterns in political behavior throughout
the years.
Day 21. Strive To Be A Citizen Of
The World
It is becoming increasingly clear that the survival
and well-being of humans depends largely on our
ability to work together successfully and
productively, to reach out to one another, to help
one another. But people are raised to see their
country, or their group, as better than others. This
is natural tendency of the human mind.
But if we are to create a world that advances justice
for the vast majority of people across the globe, we
must become citizens of the world. We must think
within a global, rather than just a national, view. We
must take a long-term view. We must see the lives
of people in other countries as no less precious
than the lives of those in our own country.
We must oppose the pursuit of narrow selfish or
group interests. Integrity and justice must become
important to us than national advantage and power.
Question the motives and actions of all
governments. Recognize the similarity of politicians
in all countries, and the similarity of news media
serving vested interests across all countries.
Support the development of altruistic international
groups unconnected with vested interests. Imagine
yourself as a citizen of the world. Put world needs
ahead of national agendas. Notice the evolution of
your views as you learn to think within a global
perspective. Take a global problem global
warming, malnutrition, disease, overpopulation and
find out as much as you can from multiple
25 Days to Better Thinking by Dr. Linda Elder and Dr. Richard Paul
international sources. Then compare what your
country is doing about the problem.
Day 22. Don't Get Your Views
Question the news, values and information that
you get from mainstream media and advertising.
Most shows and ads on TV are aimed at the
intellectual level of an eleven-year -old. TV
shows and ads are designed to amuse and
engage, not to challenge the mind or educate.
Such shows, with their preponderance of
violence, sex, and sensationalism, can also
negatively affect our thinking and behavior.
Learn to be critical of the information you get.
Get more information from multiple and
alternative sources. Think what vested interests
may be behind a certain article or news story.
Watch alternative channels like C-SPAN or Free
Speech TV.
Day 23. Do Something, Anything,
To Make The World Better
Select a local or international organization, big or
small, that is working to make the world better
and join it. It doesn't matter if all you do is
contribute money. At your workplace or at home,
find ways in which you can get others to
contribute or help/reach out to those who need it.
Work to create environments where people help
people, even in just your own circle.
Discover your strengths, and use them to
contribute. If you are good at writing, you may
write letters to the editor or small pieces to
highlight topics of interest or urgency.
Day 24. Educate Yourself
Commit yourself to lifelong learning. This is the
only way you can truly become a good thinker.
Place the cultivation of your mind at the heart of
your personal values. Begin to develop a plan for
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lifelong self-development. Study your own
behavior.

See through the shallowness of celebrity and

status, pomp and ceremony. Recognize that deep
learning of new ideas is the key to an educated
mind.

Identify opportunities to be with people who want

to improve their minds. Read widely. Create a
library. Become your own historian, sociologist and
economist. Understanding what is really
happening in the world requires broad reading
from multiple sources and perspectives, as well as
reading the works of the world's best thinkers.

Day 25. Figure Out Where To Go

From Here
The first twenty-four steps show you how to begin
to start thinking better. The last step shows you
what you need to do further.

On the 25th day of your 25-day plan, create a 25-

week plan, focusing on one of the 24 ideas
presented here per week.

Make a list of books you want to read. Consider

keeping a daily journal. Figure out how you can
continue to enhance your critical thinking skills.
Visit the Foundation for Critical Thinking at
www.criticalthinking.org.

Commit yourself to applying a new idea per day or

per week. Set aside a certain time each day for
self-development.

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