Critical thinking is examining assumptions, tracing incentives, and asking what would falsify a belief before you scale it. Bias awareness is not cynicism; it is knowing that fast thinking will shortcut, and that narratives (including mine) love coherence more than accuracy.
Moves I return to
- Steel-man the opposing view before you argue against a straw version
- Separate facts, interpretations, and recommendations in any plan
- Ask second-order questions: if this works, what new problem appears?
Where it shows up in building
- Estimates and roadmaps: label what is unknown
- User feedback: notice selection bias (who talks loudest)
- Tooling and AI: ask what is automated, what is rubber-stamped
See also (chapter 1)
- You've got to have models in your head for building a library of lenses
See also chapter 2: Introduction, Personal requirements and future assumptions, Macro-areas, Problems, products, and exclusions, Skills for exploration. Related notes: Ideation and connecting ideas, Creativity, Clear communication, Taste, judgment, and product sense, Marketing, distribution, and sales, UI/UX and design execution.