Critical Thinking vs Logical Thinking: What’s the Difference?
There’s some confusion between critical thinking vs logical thinking.
People think they are the same.
But that’s not the case.
Thinking they are the same is an honest mistake.
They seem similar at first glance.
However, in this article, we are going to share the clear distinction between the 2.
Not only are you going to learn the distinction, but I’m also going to give you a funny real-world example highlighting the difference.
By understanding the basics, you will improve logical thinking and critical thinking.
Without further ado, let us begin.
The Difference Between Logical Thinking and Critical Thinking
Logical thinking is potential energy.
Critical thinking is kinetic energy.
Logical thinking is a series of:
- ‘Because of this, this happened’ connections.
Critical thinking is a series of:
- ‘If I do this, this will happen’ connections.
For logical thinking, you don’t always need to get your hands dirty.
But with critical thinking, you always need to get your hands dirty.
You’ll see a lot of people who make logical sense when they talk.
But when it comes to taking action, they act like a dufus.
Any idea why?
‘No… why?’
It’s because they haven’t gotten their hands dirty (take action).
They use someone else’s logic to fuel their thinking.
Although this strategy is not harmful…
It does not lead to supreme intelligence.
Secret Ingredient of Critical Thinking
‘I sort of see what you are saying Armani, but the difference is not solidified yet.’
All good. We will solidify the difference shortly with an example.
But before I give the example, I want to talk a bit more about critical thinking.
There is a special ingredient in all critical thinkers.
Can you guess what it is?
‘Uh… a high IQ score?’
No. The special ingredient is desire.
‘Desire?? That sounds like an emotional intelligence word. Why are you using it in this article for?’
It’s because desire is the precursor to experimentation.
And experimentation is the precursor to critical thinking.
Have you ever seen one of those pictures of an iceberg before?
The one where you see the tip, and the rest of the berg is submerged under water?
Like this….
Normally this image is used to talk about the myth of an overnight success.
Today, I would like to help you perceive this iceberg in another light.
Critical thinking is the tip of the iceberg.
But what is submerged underwater is desire.
Allow us to transition to the example right now.
Example of the Smelly Breath
You ever had that moment when you needed toothpaste, but ran out?
‘Yea, plenty of times.’
Go back to that moment.
It’s 5 am in the morning.
You’re waking up so early because there is going to be a cute mail woman delivering the mail.
Your breath smells awful.
You’re running low on toothpaste.
And all the convenient shops around you are closed.
So, you go to the toothpaste tube and try to squeeze it.
At this moment, the desire is pretty low to get the toothpaste.
At the back of your mind, you’re thinking:
‘I doubt I’m going to get any paste. I should probably wait until the stores open.’
You squeeze the tube like a wimp.
You’re about to quit with your experimentation.
Then suddenly, the image of the cute mail woman pops up.
You think:
‘I can’t possibly greet her with this stinky breath! I must get the toothpaste out.’
Desire is rising.
Now you begin getting crafty.
The experimentation is becoming more dynamic.
You’re no longer squeezing the tube like a wimp.
There is intention.
You move your hands to the middle of the tube, not just the top.
When you squeeze the middle, you see a bit of paste show its face, but it goes into hiding once you try to put it on your brush.
At least you’re on the right track!
You begin moving your hands down the tube.
From your experimentation, you see that pressure is king.
When you squeeze from the bottom, you get more pressure.
Not only that, you begin twisting the bottom of the tube in a circular motion.
Now the pressure is at an all-time high.
TOOTHPASTE BEGINS FLOWING OUT!!
You needed 1 squirt.
You now have enough for 5 squirts.
The trip to the convenience store has been saved for another day.
Now you get to greet the cute mail woman as the best version of you.
Breakdown of the Experiment
What did I say critical thinking was?
‘You said it was a series of, if I do this, this will happen, connections.’
Correct. And that’s exactly what you did in the example above.
You had desire, otherwise, the experimentation would not have happened.
From the experimentation, you collected a bunch of data.
Learning from the data led to the insight of the importance of pressure.
Applying the pressure gave you the toothpaste.
The final rundown of the experiment was:
- If I run low on toothpaste, I can use pressure to my advantage.
- If I use the pressure, then I will get more paste.
- And if I need more pressure, then I will go straight to the bottom of the tube.
What are the 3 bullets above showing?
‘It’s a series of, because of this, this happened, connections.’
What are those connections called?
‘Logic.’
Correct, you were paying attention!
Be a Doer AND a Thinker
The problem with today’s society is that very few people experiment.
They lack guts.
Due to their lack of guts, they parrot other people’s experimentations, logic, and ideas.
But a rare few are rolling up their sleeves and getting their hands dirty.
They do this because they have the desire.
Desire is built from a compelling vision.
From that desire, they experiment.
They analyze the data.
They build critical thinking skills.
Then they cultivate sharp logic born from first-hand experiences.
I call that having skin in the game.
One great way to solidify critical thinking and logical thinking is by writing essays.
Essays allow you to make eye contact with your mind and see the elegant connections.
Are you curious about learning the craft of essay writing?
If so, then be sure to check out my Essay Writing for Dummies Class!
In this class, you will learn:
- How to write essays.
- Frameworks to chug out essays quickly.
- What to write about.
- How to build an essay writing practice.
And plenty of other topics!
JOIN HERE
