Critical Thinking in Ghost Hunting
Critical thinking is an intellectual art of analyzing and evaluating experiences. Ghost hunters must become adept at this process. Critical thinking means being able to see both sides of an issue and being open to new theories, experiences and evidence that invalidates current ideas. Critical thinkers can identify complex patterns, solve problems and make conclusions based on the facts. There is simply not enough critical thinking occurring in the practice of ghost hunting. Ghost hunting is damaged by short sightedness, personal bias, disinformation and lack of education.
Anyone can be taught critical-thinking skills. Being an effective thinker should be the most important goal of education. However, critical thinking skills are rarely taught in school. The vast majority of education teaches students how to memorize but not how to dig into a problem and see past the surface layer into the complexities of an issue. Critical thinking is something that a child can do well but even trained scientists fail at it because of a lack of training and education.
Subject knowledge and continual practice are the keys to critical-thinking success. Ghost hunters with more knowledge will plan more informative ghost hunts and make better use of investigation outcomes. Critical thinking helps determine the meaning and significance of what is observed and experienced while ghost hunting.
A well-cultivated critical thinker will do the following:
- Raise vital questions and problems, formulating them clearly and precisely.
- Gather and assess relevant information, using abstract ideas to interpret it effectively.
- Come to well-reasoned conclusions and solutions, testing them against relevant criteria and standards.
- Think open-mindedly within alternative systems of thought, recognizing and assessing the assumptions, implications and practical consequences.
- Communicate effectively with others in figuring out solutions to complex problems.
Critical thinking is an important element of ghost hunting. Ghost hunters need to be able to recognize patterns, weigh the evidence, assess the logical soundness of theories and construct counter arguments. It is a ghost hunter’s job to be able to distinguish between knowledge and belief.