„Don’t bullshit, just think.“ – That’s been my motto for a while, and it’s one that I try to live every day.
As a self-identified scientific skeptic, critical thinking is a huge part of my identity. That doesn’t make it easy, though. Every new challenge, every new project is also an exercise in critical thinking.
Are we making too many unfounded assumptions? Are we just following our own biases? How can we check if we’re really making progress?
As I’ve dug deeper into positive impact and moving the UN SDGs forward, I’ve noticed – again – how critical the skill of critical thinking is. Many teams & individuals are absolutely convinved they’re contributing to a better future by fighting gene technologies, for example. Others create digital tools based on unvalidated assumptions and build the wrong features. Others again propagate biodynamic farming. What a waste of time, potential and motivation! The opportunity cost is huge.
Think how much more progress we could make if we focused our energy on moving forward only the initiatives that really work.
I’m very thankful to have guides in this mess, for example the Project Drawdown or the Science Based Targets initiative – they provide information that helps me focus on what really matters to solve the problems of our time.