如何培养独立思考能力？
盲目服从权威，别人说什么就做什么不是什么好习惯。Allen Galbraith认为独立思考是一种随着年龄增长必须拥有的一种能力，并且总结了他培养独立思考能力的十个窍门：
有疑问就发问。不要害怕问问题，即便是别人都没问过的问题。 经验比权威更重要。如果有专家、权威人士要让你相信什么和你的实际经验向抵触的东西，不要被他们吓倒。 理解对方的意图。别人找你谈话的意图是什么？他们对你所说的话有没有什么背后的原因？ 不要觉得你必须随大流。 相信自己的感觉。如果你觉得不对头，很可能真的有什么不对的地方。 保持冷静。保持冷静和客观可以让你头脑更清醒。 积累事实。事实是验证真理的唯一标准。 从不同的角度看问题。每个事物都有其多面性，尝试从不同的角度去认识问题解决问题。 设身处地。了解对方的处境才能更好的了解对方的想法。 勇敢。鼓励自己站起来说“我不同意”。不要害怕，经过磨练才能成长。
Thinking for yourself is one of those skills I had to learn as I got older. I had a really bad habit of blindly following what an authority figure would say without ever questioning the reasoning behind it. Another example would be doing something a certain way as this has always been the way it has been done. Well I have put together some strategies here that I think will help you develop your thought processes, to think in a more independent fashion. If you can think of any more methods or strategies, let me know by submitting a comment.
1) If in doubt - ask a question.
Don‘t be afraid to question things. Don‘t be afraid to offer a question even though other people in your peer group have not questioned before.
2) Place experience over authority.
If one reflects upon what the authority figure is conveying to you, does it pan out with your real life experience? For example, if someone tells you that all red heads are moody - have you experienced this in your life?
3) Understand People.
Does the person communicating with you have an agenda that might be influencing what they are telling you? What is motivating this person? Why do you think they think this way?
4) Don‘t feel you have to follow the crowd.
Remember the old adage - if Johnny put his hand in the fire does that mean you have to do that too?
5) Trust your feelings.
Trusting your "gut instinct" about something is often an over looked trait. If something does not feel right to you there is probably something wrong (or at least something seriously flawed) with what you are being told.
6) Remain calm.
Remaining calm and collected will help you remain objective and help you to think clearly. If you get caught up in a heated debated and loose your cool, your capacity for rational thinking is diminished.
7) Gather the facts.
Like any good thinker would do - gather all the facts before making a judgment. Ask yourself do you have all the facts? Are there gaps in your knowledge that is keeping me from the truth or from the solution to a problem?
8) Look at Things from Different Perspectives.
If you are trying to solve a problem - try coming at it in a different way. If one way hasn’t worked for you - try a different one! Try and see ideas or concepts from different perspectives. For example, would someone growing up in Japan think the same way about a subject as someone from Ireland?
9) Cultivate Empathy.
It is easier to understand why people think the way they do if you understand their situation. If I said "All red heads are moody and I don‘t want anything to do with them!" - there could be a reason for me to be saying this. Maybe I was bullied by a red head in school for example. Empathizing with people helps you understand that you may have a different opinion about something but that’s OK!
10) Be Brave.
It takes courage to stand up and say “I don‘t agree with you." Be kind to yourself, be patient and don‘t give up. If you want to learn how to think more independently -it does take time.