Clear
thinking
 What
is clear thinking?
Clear
thinking
is not the
same
thing
as
having
clever
ideas.
It
means
speaking
and
writing
carefully,
and
trying
to
be
accurate.
It
means
knowing
the
difference
between
facts
and
opinions.
It
means
avoiding
personal
bias,
sloppy-thinking,
and
making
rash
claims.
Clear
language
Take
care
with
the
words
you
use.
This
will
help
you
to
think
clearly.
If
you
want
to
clarify
your
ideas,
write
them
in
a
simple
and
direct
manner.
Avoid
long
sentences.
Don't
use
any
words
unless
you
are
sure
what
they
mean.
Facts
and
opinion
Look
out
for
the
difference
between
facts
and
opinion.
Facts
are
statements
about
what
you
can
measure
or
prove.
Example - "The
river
Amazon
is
3,900
miles
long"
This
is
a
fact
which
can
be
checked.
Example - "The
boiling
point
of
water
is
100
degrees
Celsius"
This
is
a
fact
which
can
be
shown
in
an
experiment.
Example - "Students
should
get
less
homework"
This
is
an
opinion
-
even
if
you
agree
with
it!
Example - "God
created
the
world
in
seven
days"
This
is
an
opinion
-
even
though
lots
of
people
might
believe
it.
Question
everything
Before
you
make
a
claim,
ask
yourself "Is
this
really
true?"
Question
even
those
things
that
you
think
are
true.
If
some
people
might
think
otherwise,
you
should
admit
this.
This
will
show
that
you
are
not
being
narrow-minded
or
biased.
This
is
especially
true
in
religious,
moral
or
political
discussions.
Be
careful
Be
accurate
and
precise
in
any
statements
you
make.
Avoid
being
rash,
and
don't
make
claims
you
can't
prove.
Don't
make
personal
criticism
of
well-known
people.
Avoid
statements
such
as "Women
in
the
nineteenth
century
felt..."
That's
because
women
in
any
century
didn't all feel
the
same.
You
can
say
instead "Many
women
in
the
nineteenth
century
felt..." |
