Going Critical—How to and Why to Give and Take Proper Criticism

We live in an ever more complex world. On a daily basis we must make more decisions about more kinds of things than people ever had to before in the history of the world so now more than ever we need to sort out the facts from the fantasies, the b.s. from the bullion.The book is intended to prompt you to reflect on how properly critical or uncritical your thinking and judgment are about the many events of your everyday life and how much difference that makes to you and to the world. It is intended to make you more aware of the manipulations all around and how to deal with those so your life will become more lived out and less drifted through. Too often when you ask, How can they get away with doing that? the most realistic answer is that you let them to do it because you were unaware of what was happening or didn’t do anything effective to prevent it. This book is an attention-getter, not a list of rules or formulas that will solve all problems and conflicts. It is intended to stimulate thought and discussion to find the best solutions to the problems since those must always be matched to the individual circumstances. It aims to get you to confirm your right - and your ability and obligation - to consider alternatives and to decide what you are going to do to try to improve things. Before you can correct abuses and misuses and before you can reasonably argue for throwing things out and replacing them with new or different systems you need a clear view of what is involved and what the likely results of the change will be. This means you need to critically evaluate the situation. So the book proposes that you overthrow the status quo in whatever places or ways things are stacked against your best interests. It advocates throwing out the ineffective, even if that is the traditional way, but urges such discarding only after careful weighing of the value and effects of such changes. This is not a book on literary criticism, a list of complaints, or lessons on nagging. It is not a report of a psychological or sociological study and it is not authenticated or validated by quotes or footnoted references to such works. It is not therapy and does not attempt to deal with problems that call for professional help. It urges personal change but is not a call for a large scale, organized movement.You are consciously and unconsciously taught good manners, the techniques of lying and cheating, and how to manipulate others to get them to do what you want but few are drilled in critical thinking so you are an easy target for a variety of manipulators, users, and con men who understand and take advantage of your weaknesses. This book may only confirm what you already think and know. It may suggest some new viewpoints. It may bring into focus why you feel dissatisfied with the way you and others deal one another. All around you there are people doing things that will directly or indirectly affect you. Some of them are trying to cheat you, use you, or patronize you. Others are working actively to be of service to you and to give you your money’s worth in the broad sense. Both types need your attention: the first group so you can circumvent their purposes; the latter group so you can appreciate them and give them an appropriate supportive response. Both activities are elements of criticism.The book counsels being realistic. Some people can probably never be given a criticism effectively. Others will receive them only with considerable difficulty and after long wrangling and argumentation. But many will accept criticism if it is given properly, i.e., in a constructive manner. Of course some people will accept anything you say to them but it has no effect and a few are so insecure that they will take you too seriously and completely. Among the chapters are ones about constructive criticism, self-criticism, the value and importance of praise, the duty to criticize appropriately, apologies, and saying no.