The Wikipedia entry on critical thinking recommends using the Socratic method to evaluate an argument.
You’d do that by asking discerning open questions such as:
* What do you mean by _______?
* Why is this significant?
* How did you come to that conclusion?
* Why do you believe that you are right?
* What is the source of your information?
* What assumption has led you to that conclusion?
* What happens if you are wrong?
* Can you give me two sources who disagree with you and explain why?
* How do I know you are telling me the truth?
* What is an alternate explanation for this phenomenon?
What strikes me about this list is how closely it resembles my list of favorite coaching questions. So can we conclude that coaching is as old as Socrates?
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