I am quite interested in the concept of rationality. I've had this subject in school which was all about recognizing false beliefs. So here's my aim at starting to dive a bit more (again) in this topic.
List of interesting cognitive biases
- Confirmation bias
- Availability bias
- Negativity bias
- The fundamental attribution error⤴
Socratic questioning
Socratic questioning can be used to establish first principles through stringent analysis. This a disciplined questioning process, used to establish truths, reveal underlying assumptions, and separate knowledge from ignorance. The key distinction between Socratic questioning and normal discussions is that the former seeks to draw out first principles in a systematic manner.
Socratic questioning generally follows this process (source⤴):
- Clarifying your thinking and explaining the origins of your ideas (Why do I think this? What exactly do I think?)
- Challenging assumptions (How do I know this is true? What if I thought the opposite?)
- Looking for evidence (How can I back this up? What are the sources?)
- Considering alternative perspectives (What might others think? How do I know I am correct?)
- Examining consequences and implications (What if I am wrong? What are the consequences if I am?)
- Questioning the original questions (Why did I think that? Was I correct? What conclusions can I draw from the reasoning process?)
References
- Sequences⤴: a series of multiple posts on rationality