What are some tools and techniques I can use to become a better critical thinker? I asked my friend the other day what he got out of his tier-1 education and he said it taught him how to 'think through problems'. What exactly did his professors teach him about critical thinking? If I memorize the logical fallacies or make a pro's and con's list will I be a better thinker? Is 'going with your gut' an approved tactic in this pursuit? What things do you do to think through a problem and come up with rock solid plans, decisions, and recommendations?
posted by jasondigitized on Oct 26, 2009 - 16 answers

So, I'm sitting on the beach and a large flock of seagulls more or less simultaneously settle on the sand together, all facing the same direction. Intermittantly, individual birds will take off from the group and fly away. What is the motivation and even better, the decision process, for these rebel birds to depart from the flock at that particular moment?
posted by marcurios on Sep 13, 2009 - 10 answers

I'm trying to decide whether to go to business school (I was admitted to a top 5 school in the US), or earn an academic masters program on a full fellowship in Europe. I have to decide right away, as school is about to start and I just can't resolve my concerns. I'm not sure how much of a business person I am (although I've done some entrepreneurial things in the past). I just graduated from college (although I'm a bit over the traditional age), and I'm not really sure what I want to do with my life. Business school costs about $100k. The free masters program is much more academic -- and I'm eager to live abroad. How do I approach this decision? I've made pro and con lists, meditated, "listened to my heart" and so many things. My mind changes every five minutes as I think about different aspects of the decision. Help! I'm not sure what I "want to be when I grow up". When I was a kid, I wanted to be a lawyer and a writer -- and if I go to business school, I close the door on being a lawyer. I still want to explore a lot of things, and I'm afraid of being so much in debt when I go off to do that. On the other hand, I want to be economically secure and do have interests in entrepreneurship and other business careers.
posted by anonymous on Sep 2, 2009 - 19 answers

Stopped and fined for shoplifting for the first time. What to do with the confusing letter I received, the non-responding phone #, and the fine. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Aug 14, 2009 - 32 answers

Should I stay or should I go? [more inside]
posted by semp on Jul 28, 2009 - 19 answers

I am a female college student who has decided to live with 7 males around the same age. Help me cope with this radical change and make it through the year without flipping my lid or regretting my decision! [more inside]
posted by rachaelfaith on May 31, 2009 - 31 answers

What can I do to feel more positive and confident while riding out uncertaintiy in "transitional" phases of my life? [more inside]
posted by Chrysalis on May 25, 2009 - 7 answers

I'm afraid of making big decisions in my life because I worry too much on what other people will think of me and I feel it will close to many other doors ...(long) [more inside]
posted by mind2body on Apr 1, 2009 - 15 answers

Calling Scottish MeFites and fellow Scottish diaspora - what's the job market like in Scotland at the moment, and am I mad to be considering moving back? [more inside]
posted by Happy Dave on Dec 2, 2008 - 7 answers

How do you know if you're doing the right thing? [more inside]
posted by concourse on Nov 27, 2008 - 31 answers

My mother thinks I should stay home. I'm having an internal conflict about what I want to do. Whenever I tell myself I want to return to Copenhagen, I immediately doubt it and think I should return home. If I say I want to go home, I feel like I will regret not returning to Copenhagen forever. [more inside]
posted by starpoint on Nov 25, 2008 - 35 answers

How do I make better decisions in the morning? [more inside]
posted by dcrocha on Nov 1, 2008 - 38 answers

Should I get a desktop or a laptop or both? [more inside]
posted by allfortheBoss on Jul 16, 2008 - 13 answers

What are some reasons NOT to get a Lenovo Thinkpad R61? I'm pretty enarmoured with this laptop and I want to be sure it's a good decision. [more inside]
posted by Phire on Jul 11, 2008 - 32 answers

I am a member of an academic committee that handles award nominations. Our job is to chose which of many internal applicants may apply for an external award. Often such awards accept just 1 or 2 applicants from a single organization. What is the most transparent and fair process for making such decisions? Alternatively, what are problems you've faced on similar committees? [more inside]
posted by about_time on Jul 9, 2008 - 8 answers

Now that the primary season is over and major party nominees have been determined for the upcoming U.S. presidential and congressional elections, please help me find unbiased, non-partisan, impartial news and commentary outlets to follow the campaigns. [more inside]
posted by netbros on Jun 5, 2008 - 17 answers

I'm in a bit of a jam economically. I've got to make some decisions on how to proceed. Where can I go for advice and counseling on my best course of action? [more inside]
posted by diode on May 28, 2008 - 6 answers

I'm looking for a script (ideally PHP) to run a website which asks various questions and then suggests the 'best fit' answer, in the manner of an expert system. Examples of the sort of thing I have in mind are the Search by Sight facility at Fonts.com or the 20 Questions game at 20Q.net (the latter uses some sort of neural network simulation, I think). Even just a decision tree tool would be good, though I guess that's more rigid. (I've seen this thread but that doesn't seem to answer my question.) Any ideas?
posted by hatmandu on May 20, 2008 - 2 answers

Passed on a challenging job offer for the sake of an easy life, how do I stop kicking myself? Lengthy explanation follows... [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Apr 25, 2008 - 26 answers

Big company or small company? [more inside]
posted by sweetkid on Mar 3, 2008 - 13 answers

How do I tell if I really liked the job or the people? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Feb 27, 2008 - 4 answers

What books or web resources are there for learning about practical anarchism? I'm interested more in faciliating group decisions and consensus rather than in political/theoretical aspects. [more inside]
posted by cadge on Nov 26, 2007 - 16 answers

Have you ever had long hair, then cut it short? How did you feel about it? [more inside]
posted by fermion on Oct 16, 2007 - 70 answers

We have been married for exactly one year and one month. My husband just lost his job and I am working part time. We just found out that we are pregnant with our first child. With recently losing his job my husband asked me if i would consider giving the baby up for adoption. Have you ever had an experience like this before? Did you give your child up even in a marriage? How did it effect your life now? Its something he asked me today but its a really hard decision. [more inside]
posted by Snoogylips on Oct 11, 2007 - 50 answers

How do you make good decisions/choices when you obviously have feelings (your own or others) that want to drive you in one direction? [more inside]
posted by generic230 on Nov 12, 2006 - 8 answers

Did I make the right decision regarding my preschooler? Why am I always unsure of my decisions I make for my children? Oh my, it's so long. [more inside]
posted by LoriFLA on Nov 4, 2006 - 42 answers

Why can't I make any career and goal orientated decisions at the age of 30? [more inside]
posted by chohoh on Jun 3, 2006 - 20 answers

Any time I feel like I am under any sort of stress or have a decision to make (even an easy one), I seem to go through these cycles of avoidance, which usually involve checking several e-mail accounts and web sites that I follow. Then when that is done, and I return to work, I realize the stress is still there so I repeat the cycle again. This keeps me from getting much work done. How do I stop this cycle?
posted by rwatson on Apr 14, 2006 - 25 answers

What kind of freelance work is right for me? [more inside]
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane on Nov 21, 2005 - 3 answers

Ever been so overwhelmed that it paralyzed you? How did figure out what to do first? How did you get it all done? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Aug 24, 2005 - 25 answers

I find it hard to believe that no one has asked this yet but...
How did you decide what to do with your life? What questions did you ask yourself? When you have many ideas and none are "right", what factors should weigh more heavily than others when it comes time to decide? [more inside]
posted by 4easypayments on Aug 18, 2004 - 38 answers

Military question -- On a website I was reading recently, I came across this tidbit: "The military continues to experiment with command and control structures designed to delegate and drive decision making to the front lines." Can anyone tell me more about this? I'm interested in how the U.S. military (or any other) has overcome the problem of decision-makers being too far from the action. [more inside]
posted by oissubke on Mar 24, 2004 - 7 answers