5 tips to improve your critical thinking - Samantha Agoos

Translator: Nerea García Garmendia Reviewer: Jone Aliri Lazcano

Every day, a sea of decisions stretches before us.

Egunero, mila erabakiri aurre egin behar diegu.

Batzuk, txikiak eta garrantzi gabekoak,

Some are small and unimportant,

baina beste batzuk garrantzitsuagoak gure bizitzarako.

but others have a larger impact on our lives.

For example, which politician should I vote for?

Adibidez, zein politikariren alde bozkatu beharko nuke?

Should I try the latest diet craze?

Modan dagoen dieta saiatu beharko nuke?

Or will email make me a millionaire?

Agian e-mail horrek aberastuko nau?

We're bombarded with so many decisions

Hainbeste erabaki hartu behar ditugu

that it's impossible to make a perfect choice every time.

ezinezkoa dela aldiro erabaki perfektua hartzea.

But there are many ways to improve our chances,

Baina era ugari daude gure aukerak hobetzeko,

and one particularly effective technique is critical thinking.

eta teknika eraginkor bat pentsamendu kritikoa da.

This is a way of approaching a question

Hau, galdera bat erantzuteko modu bat da,

that allows us to carefully deconstruct a situation,

egoera arretaz zatituz ezkutatutako arazoak azaleratzen dituena,

reveal its hidden issues, such as bias and manipulation,

adibidez alderdikotasuna edota manipulazioa,

and make the best decision.

erabaki hoberena hartzeko gai izan gaitezen.

If the critical part sounds negative that's because in a way it is.

"Kritiko" hitzak txarto jotzen badigu belarrira, zerbaitegatik da.

Rather than choosing an answer because it feels right,

Ondo iruditzen zaigula erantzun ordez,

a person who uses critical thinking

pentsamendu kritikoa erabiltzen duen pertsonak

subjects all available options to scrutiny and skepticism.

aukera guztiak eszeptizismo ikuspegitik aztertzen ditu.

Using the tools at their disposal,

Eskura dauzkan tresnak erabiliz,

they'll eliminate everything but the most useful and reliable information.

erabilgarri eta fidagarri ez den informazioa deuseztatuz.

There are many different ways of approaching critical thinking,

Hainbat era daude pentsamendu kritikoari ekiteko,

but here's one five-step process

baina badago 5 urratseko prozesu bat

that may help you solve any number of problems.

arazo ugari konpontzen lagunduko dizuna.

One: formulate your question.

Bat: zure galdera azaldu.

In other words, know what you're looking for.

Beste era batera esanda, argi izan lortu nahi duzuna.

This isn't always as straightforward as it sounds.

Hau ez da beti dirudien bezain erraza.

For example, if you're deciding whether to try out the newest diet craze,

Adibidez, modan dagoen dieta egin ala ez zalantzan bazaude

your reasons for doing so may be obscured by other factors,

baliteke zure arrazoiak beste faktore ilunen mempe egotea,

esate baterako, bi aste barru emaitzak ikusiko direla dioten iragarkien menpe.

like claims that you'll see results in just two weeks.

But if you approach the situation

Baina egoera aztertzen baduzu dieta egiteko helburua argi izanez,

with a clear view of what you're actually trying to accomplish by dieting,

whether that's weight loss,

esaterako, argaldu, hobeto elikatu edota energia haunditu,

better nutrition,

or having more energy,

that'll equip you to sift through this information critically,

horrek lagunduko dizu informazioa modu kritikoan ikertzen,

find what you're looking for,

bilatzen ari zarena aurkitzen,

and decide whether the new fad really suits your needs.

eta moda horrek zure beharra asetzen ote duen erabakitzen.

Two: gather your information.

Bi: informazioa lortu.

There's lots of it out there,

Informazio asko dago hor zehar,

so having a clear idea of your question will help you determine what's relevant.

beraz zure helburua argi izateak

lagunduko dizu garrantzizkoa dena zehazten.

If you're trying to decide on a diet to improve your nutrition,

Dieta baten bidez zure elikadura hobetu nahi baduzu,

you may ask an expert for their advice,

aditu baten aholkua eskatu dezakezu,

or seek other people's testimonies.

edo beste lagunen esperientzia bilatu.

Information gathering helps you weigh different options,

Informazioa aurkituz gero aukera desberdinak baloratu ditzakezu,

moving you closer to a decision that meets your goal.

zure helburua lortzeko erabakirik hoberena har dezazun.

Three: apply the information,

Hiru: informazioa erabili,

something you do by asking critical questions.

galdera kritikoak eginez.

Facing a decision, ask yourself, "What concepts are at work?"

Erabakia hartzerakoan, galdetu zure buruari:

"Zein kontzeptu daude jokoan?"

"What assumptions exist?"

Zer jotzen dut ziurtzat?

"Is my interpretation of the information logically sound?"

Informazioa ulertzen dudan moduak logikoa dirudi?

For example, in an email that promises you millions,

Adibidez, milioiak agintzen dizkizun e-mail batean

you should consider, "What is shaping my approach to this situation?"

kontuan hartu beharko zenuke: "Nola ari naiz egoera honetara hurbiltzen?"

"Do I assume the sender is telling the truth?"

"Nire ustez, igorlea egia esaten ari da?"

"Based on the evidence, is it logical to assume I'll win any money?"

"Ebidentzian oinarrituz, arrazoizkoa da dirua lortuko dudala pentsatzea?"

Four: consider the implications.

Lau: Inplikazioak kontuan hartu.

Imagine it's election time,

Demagun hauteskundeak direla,

and you've selected a political candidate based on their promise

eta gogoko duzula politikari bat

gidaiariei gasolina merkeagotuko diela agindu duelako.

to make it cheaper for drivers to fill up on gas.

At first glance, that seems great.

Lehen begi-kolpean, ideia bikaina dirudi.

But what about the long-term environmental effects?

Baina, nolako eragina izango du ingurumenean hemendik aurrera?

If gasoline use is less restricted by cost,

Gasolinaren salneurria jeitsiz gero,

this could also cause a huge surge in air pollution,

aire kutsadura igo daiteke.

an unintended consequence that's important to think about.

Ondo pentsatu beharko dugun nahigabeko ondorio larria.

Five: explore other points of view.

Bost: beste ikuspuntuak miatu.

Ask yourself why so many people are drawn

Galdetu zure buruari zergatik hainbeste pertsona

to the policies of the opposing political candidate.

beste hautagaiaren alde dauden.

Even if you disagree with everything that candidate says,

Politikari horren ideien aurka egon arren,

exploring the full spectrum of viewpoints

ikuspuntu guztiak kontutan hartuz

might explain why some policies that don't seem valid to you appeal to others.

besteentzat erakargarriak diren politikak ulertzea errezagoa egingo zaizu.

This will allow you to explore alternatives,

Alternatiba berriak aztertzeko aukera izango duzu,

evaluate your own choices,

aukerak ebaluatu,

and ultimately help you make more informed decisions.

eta ondorioz, erabaki informatuagoak hartzeko.

This five-step process is just one tool,

5 urratseko prozesu hau tresna bat besterik ez da,

and it certainly won't eradicate difficult decisions from our lives.

eta ez ditu erabaki zailak kenduko gure bizitzatik,

But it can help us increase the number of positive choices we make.

baina erabaki onak hartzeko aukerak gehitu ditzakegu.

Critical thinking can give us the tools to sift through a sea of information

Pentsamendu kritikoari esker trebeagoak izango gara

informazio itsasoan nabigatzeko eta behar duguna lortzeko.

and find what we're looking for.

And if enough of us use it,

Gero eta jende gehiagok erabiltzen badu

it has the power to make the world a more reasonable place.

gero eta mundu bidezkoago bat lortzeko gaitasuna izango dugu.