Meditation and Critical Thinking: Teaching from the Inside Out

Abstract

This paper explores the question of whether meditation can effectively teach critical thinking. An examination of the fundamentals of critical thinking is offered in terms of both its skills and dispositions. Meditation is then discussed in terms of its ability to cultivate these skills and dispositions. An argument is made that meditation not only improves critical thinking, but that it is the single most effective way for teaching learners to think critically.

Keywords: critical thinking, dispositions, meditation, mindfulness

Moneyballing Criminal Justice

In her TEDTalk, Why smart statistics are the key to fighting crime (2013), Ann Milgram, former Attorney General for New Jersey, makes a case for an increased reliance upon objective data analysis (System 2 thinking) within the criminal justice system, what she calls “moneyballing criminal justice.”

Battle Royale: Experts vs. Monkeys

No individual is considered more of an NFL draft expert than ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr., who makes a living evaluating collegiate football talent in advance of draft day. In the months leading up to each draft, Kiper, like hundreds of his professional peers, releases a “mock draft”, his prediction regarding the exact order in which players will be drafted. In 2014, of the 32 players selected in round one, Kiper correctly predicted the selection of only 4 players (an accuracy rate of 12.5%). Similarly, Jay Mohr of the Jay Mohr Sports radio show on FOX sports radio, who is a season ticket holder for the Los Angeles Kings hockey team, predicted that the New York Rangers would beat the Kings in 6 games for the 2014 Stanley Cup (the series is currently 2-0 in the Kings’ favor). These examples support Daniel Kahneman’s comment in Thinking, Fast and Slow (2011) that, “people who spend their time, and earn their living, studying a particular topic produce poorer predictions than dart-throwing monkeys…” Reasons for the often wide discrepancy between expert predictions and actual results can be broken into two types: intentional and unintentional. This paper will examine these two types of reasons to explain the fallibility of expert predictions.

Amy Cuddy: Power Poses

Social psychologist Amy Cuddy, in her TEDTalk “Your body language shapes who you are” (2012), reveals how adopting a high-power pose for as little as two minutes a day enhances an individual’s experience of powerfulness. How this happens, precisely, can be explained by what Daniel Kahneman, in his book Thinking Fast & Slow (2011), describes as System 1 thinking.

Understanding Comics: Form Meeting Function

Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics (1993) takes a thorough and scholarly look at the world of comics, using the medium of comics itself to literally illustrate the points he makes about the history and anatomy of this often misunderstood and belittled art form. This comic book about comics stands as a quintessential example of form meeting function. McCloud not only educates readers about his medium, he takes them on an experiential journey into “understanding comics” by utilizing the medium itself as his means of expression. Though McCloud’s thoughtfulness and expertise sing from each page of his book, his skillful use of form with function leaves readers not only with a sense of McCloud’s erudition, but a sense of his deep affection for the medium as well. As a result, Understanding Comics stands both as an educational treatise and a personal love song, or homage, to the medium itself.

Capstone Essay on Critical Thinking

Abstract

Critical thinking plays an essential role in the scholarly work and attitudes of doctors and doctoral students. At this highest level of education, alumni and students of doctoral programs are expected to demonstrate fidelity to rigorous standards for both the evaluation and generation of information. This paper will examine this dual-natured role of critical thinking as it pertains particularly to new doctoral students.