How recently have you dialed a phone number from memory? Would you remember the phone numbers of critical people in you life, your parents, spouse or kids -if you ever lost your "smart" phone?
When was the last time you analysed and mapped out a route to your destination using a map instead of relying on GPS to get you there? Do you even remember how to read a map properly?
How frequently do you do mathematical exercises with your mind rather than relying on calculators, phones or computers to do the calculations for you? Is your mind as capable of calculating as it once was?
And how much do you actually remember of your Googled answers compared to in-depth research you may have done over time? Have instant answers diminished your capacity for critical analysis?
Most of us can clearly remember numbers, facts, and details of journeys from our childhood, yet we can't remember what we read, or what our trajectory was from point A to B just yesterday. Are we simply more overloaded with information, or have our brains diminished in computing capability as we increasingly rely on technology? Perhaps both. And what might AI do to our ability to critically think in the future?
As our willingness or capability to critically think diminishes, we are more inclined to base our views and conclusions on what some may call "intuition", though what it often boils down to is a form of emotional gratification. Without critical analysis we tend resonate with information or views which confirm and gratify our deeply ingrained views. In extreme cases, we can become doomscrolling junkies gravitating towards affirming posts, rather than critically investigating the facts or alternative perspectives.
In this era where there's more disinformation than information, more disparity than clarity, how is your critical thinking? And just how critical are you of your own pattern of thinking?
