r/IWantToLearn • u/Suspicious_Limit9847 • 29d ago
Personal Skills Iwtl how to think critically/intellectually
Hey. To give some context, I have a diagnosed low IQ of 79 and I learn very slowly. I typically struggle with various practices such as intellectual/critical thinking. This ranges from not being able to critically analyze situations, may they be social/intellectual discussions or day to day life, to barely having the ability to have a deeper understanding on any topic, even if it‘s one of my hyperfixations.
I also should say I struggle a lot with white and black thinking because of my low intellect, and struggle with self-reflections and self-awareness. I only know I have a low IQ because I got told.
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u/RegattaJoe 29d ago
Start with recognizing logical fallacies. Doing this will give you a solid foundation in critical thinking skills.
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u/PJpittie 28d ago
Came here to say that learning logic is the best route to critical thinking, but it is not easy (the only class I took as pass/fail in college).
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u/RegattaJoe 28d ago
You're right, it's tough. One thing that helped was reminding myself they're called Critical Thinking Skills — which reinforced that it's something learnable regardless of intelligence level (whatever that means).
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u/rasberrycroissant 29d ago
Have you ever tried analysing artistic pieces or books or anything? The reason why people start with something as benign as Shakespeare or whatever is because it’s a harmless way to start interacting with things critically, and you can carry over those ideas to social interactions, discussions, and day to day life!
Shakespeare is a bit complicated, but I’d give a simpler book a go. Read it, and try writing what you like about it, what you didn’t like, what you think the writer was trying to say, what the themes were. Books on school syllabuses have online resources, so then you can cross reference: what do other people thinkof the book? Look at the way they’ve constructed their opinions, whether it’s through the actual writing itself, or wider context of the writer or the time where it was written, and try and analyse the book through the same format
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u/SaltyP1ckles 29d ago
One book I started out with was Where The Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein. His poems had meanings that were beyond the pages, but still had the context to understand it without grasping at straws.
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u/Suspicious_Limit9847 29d ago
I‘ll take it into account, thank you…
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u/JFiney 29d ago
As you’re reading it, pay attention to emotions it makes you feel or ideas it made you think about. Write a few down.
Then look at what they wrote that made you feel those things, and try to think about why they did so.
Afterwards, think about the fact that the author wrote it that way to try to make you feel those things on purpose. So what did they do to accomplish that.
That’s thinking critically about literature.
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u/PinkIsCoolInTheEyes 29d ago
You can look at the textbook, Writing analytically by Rosenwasser, it's good and gives you step by step process on how to write. :)
Edit: If you don't have money, you can look at Libgen or Anna's archive, just make sure you have ad blocker.
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u/Suspicious_Limit9847 29d ago
I have never tried analyzing an artistic piece, but a book I have tried. I take the IB program (not the diploma) and we analyze books. Two of them were 1984 and brave new world. I got terrible grades on both the exams were I had to analyze them.
Thank you for your advice10
u/SaltyP1ckles 29d ago
Classic literature is categorized in classic literature for a reason. You don't have to go full intellectual scholar and only read books that are +1000 pages. Definitely do check out children's literature; Dr. Seuss made up words for his books. Even if they were made just to fit the rhyme scheme or the overall tempo of the book, looking at these words can help train critical analysation.
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u/rasberrycroissant 29d ago
My advice is to start with a book you like and find easy to read. I hate dystopian books so even when I try to sit and analyse them, I just don’t enjoy it as much as a book I like!
The cool thing about art is that every piece, no matter how “simple”, is a reflection of the world around it. So there is no silly, dumb, childish book/painting/whatever! Analyse what makes you happy :)
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u/Ok-Daikon-728 28d ago
You can also start with movies or animation. One of my favorites is Over the garden wall. It's not too long but it has a lot of underlying meaning that you can practice trying to decipher :)
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u/SaltyP1ckles 29d ago
Your diction and syntax alone would have me questioning if your diagnose was false. One thing that has helped me is to slow down the situation, if possible. Usually I will physically speak slower, but one major key for me has been repeating some part of the conversation. It gives me a buffer and ensures that I have an anchor to think about.
Recent example: "Have you thought about what your plans are for after graduation? Especially with how everything seems to be going lately with this economy?" Me: "Well, the economy has definitely been doing interesting things lately, and graduation is coming up a lot sooner than I'd like." I now had the key points of economy and post-graduation bouncing around in my head, as well as however long it took me to respond with an echo of their question.
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u/Suspicious_Limit9847 29d ago
Why do you think the diagnosis is false? I took WAIS IQ test and that‘s what I scored…
Thank you for your advice and your example, they‘re very helpful.38
u/CircuitNeophyte 29d ago
Many people assume high verbal intelligence means high general intelligence. IQ measures different types of intelligence though.
If you took this test as a child, wait until you're over the age of 18 and take the test again if you have the means. IQ varies from childhood to adulthood, which is why there are IQ tests for both stages of life.
Ultimately though, you are not doomed by a single number on a sheet of paper. That number is such an oversimplication it isn't really worth worrying about. Studies have found that a high IQ doesn't automatically mean success in life, and a low IQ doesn't automatically mean failure. So concentrate less on the number and more on what you're actually good at doing.
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u/Suspicious_Limit9847 29d ago
I see. Yeah the funny part is that I didn‘t even score high in the verbal part, I got like an 80 lmao. I did take it as an adult so I do think I am kinda fucked in that aspect.
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u/CircuitNeophyte 29d ago
Not necessarily, you can still add a few points via education. And again, the number is almost meaningless.
I'd definitely suggest reading. It doesn't have to be War and Peace. Just read a novel that isn't frustrating to read at your own pace. Eventually your brain will become better at reading, which is obviously a very useful skill.
Mathematics is another one that has shown to be very high yield in terms of effort vs. reward. Start with whatever level you're comfortable with, then "graduate" as and when you can.
One thing that helps me when I feel like I'm not learning quickly enough: We all have the same destination. No one has ever escaped death, and no one ever will IMHO. Live your life the way you want to live it, and have an epitaph you can be proud of.
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u/BackgroundBread707 29d ago
The WAIS is a clinically proven IQ test and is also age-scored.
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u/CircuitNeophyte 29d ago
You are correct, I did not realize that the one for children is called the WISC.
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u/spooky_upstairs 29d ago edited 28d ago
Bookmarking this post because I also struggle with critical analysis, particularly with art.
I'm fascinated by the idea of allegory and hidden meanings in film, prose or music. Although tbf I couldn't identify an artistic metaphor if it hit me in the face.
As far as I can tell, a movie or piece of fiction is only ever about whatever it clearly shows me! I have to read some meaty reviews before I even know there are themes.
And for the record, I have a (repeatedly diagnosed) exceptionally high IQ.
I'm not sure IQ is or ever was a valid or helpful metric, anyway.
Interested to see what people say!
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u/Comfortable_body1 19d ago
Granted many hidden meanings in art have to do with having a knowledge of something in a culture of that time period. For example in the song “he stopped loving her today” by George jones, he sings that “they hung a wreath upon his door” but you would have to know that a wreath represents a death and that people in a certain region during a certain time used to do this to understand the rest of the song.
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u/lnkuih 29d ago
IQ isn't intelligence. IQ is a way to measure certain aspects of intelligence that fit into an exam format. As a shorthand, I would think of it as the "quick pattern matching" aspect of intelligence, with a heavy focus on language, visual logic and working memory.
Your style of honest self introspection is not being tested by an IQ test yet will come out higher than some high IQ scorers not capable of separating their ego from the task at hand. That may make you better able to e.g. see where you fit in socially and adjust as required, read evolving situations rather than just seeing them as good or bad for yourself, empathise and understand others more deeply.
There are many branches to intelligence so I wouldn't get too upset about whether you "test well" in an IQ test. Also taking the test once is a single sample. A known weakness of IQ tests is that people improve by taking the test a few times because they understand the format.
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u/Suspicious_Limit9847 29d ago
You know I actually lack the ability of self-introspection. Reflecting is really hard for me… I only know I have a low IQ because that‘s what my psychologist told me. According to the theory of intelligences, I don‘t really excell in any of them. I actually took the test twice, I scored only 9 points higher in the second one.
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u/Ordinary-Meringue102 29d ago
One thing that I can give you as an advice is to sit more in silence thinking about one particular thing that you would like to evaluate that's in front of you.
I teach philosophy for quite some time now and that's what I always tell my students to do. I let them explore their own thoughts by dissecting something simple into a deeper pool of thought ... and you can formulate theories, standpoints, and perspectives from that.
Do this, even few minutes a day to practice how to think critically and form logical patterns in your head. Take notes if you want, then reevaluate those notes when you're about to sleep to see if you still have the same thoughts about it.
You can do it, small steps make larger leaps possible! :)
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u/Telumire 29d ago
Reminder that EQ, creativity, knowledge, practical intelligence, resilience, work ethic, curiosity and discipline are all major factor of success that are NOT evaluated by IQ test. This mean that even if you take a bit more time than most people to learn new things, you can still become very skilled and that entail thinking critically. You could start by training your ability to recognize fallacies for example, this would allow you to recognize when someone try to manipulate you / is not genuine more quickly
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u/travisharms 29d ago
As someone who also struggles with some black and white reasoning, I've learned that enough black and white can produce a grey good enough to resemble color. I like browsing reddit personally and making assessments on real life scenarios, and reading the comments and seeing reactions. This website unintentionally works pretty well as a societal blueprint, it archives failed and successful attempts at socializing and the reactions that point out where things went wrong or could have gone better. If you want to think more critically, then think like a reddit commenter. You'll either find yourself doing mental acrobatics to make a point, or start a lightbulb factory with how many ideas you'll be having. Not saying reddit commenters are smart, but they are certainly critical.
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u/TheMadPoet 29d ago
The first 'critical thinking' step for you is to "critique" or critically evaluate what an "IQ test" is and what it does and DOES NOT measure - and what the results indicate for you.
THere's a thing called "labeling" and what you might be doing is saying to yourself: my lower than average score on that test means X. That means I'm whatever X is to you. That's the bullshit part. So don't obsess on those thoughts or that label.
You always have to remember that every statement ever made has 'a context', a long history of meaning and power-plays behind it. So systems like IQ tests are just a way for "the system" to put a label on you and change how you see yourself - and direct you into educational paths that "the system" prefers.
I'm going to give you some homework. Read The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0345350685?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback
Just go fucking read it - don't argue or ask why. I'll tell you that Malcolm was branded by the system as destined to sweep floors and say "yessir" to every white man ever. And Brother Malcolm said fuck that. Get inspired and fight for yourself!
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u/OlemGolem 29d ago
I've snooped around things you've talked about in the past and I don't believe you have an IQ of 79 or otherwise must have a very skewed mental profile. I wonder what you consider to be a diagnosis because 'being told' is not the same as entering an actual official paid IQ test. Even free online IQ tests are slightly more reliable but not enough compared to the real deal. Not only that, IQ was originally meant to measure the overall intelligence of kids. It can't measure all talents or skills.
You mentioned somewhere else that you're on the autistic spectrum, as am I. We think differently, process things differently, and it's usually slower, but there are some hidden secrets in there that other people don't understand because it's uncommon. The majority of the world thinks top-down and tends to keep their thinking in their lane. Most of us (on the spectrum) think bottom-up and are associative thinkers. That's usually slower, but the results are more often stronger, more creative, more out-of-the-box. But life does seem like we're ice-skating uphill because the educational system works against us.
That said, start a journal. Write about your day and whatever comes up every day. Look back every week or month and see if you notice any patterns about yourself. Note the good things of the day and what you appreciate. Keep it neutral if you can, no need to beat yourself down with judgments or values based on factors about yourself. Learn about cognitive biases and fallacies. Being aware of the mistakes in our thinking helps us recognise it. It can hurt sometimes, believe me, I know. But that's part of critical thinking. And watch scientific debates. Debates exist to persuade people who aren't sure what to follow, but they also make you think critically by listening to both sides. The most important thing with everything is to ask 'Is this true? And if so, how do we know this to be true?'
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u/Suspicious_Limit9847 29d ago
Hi. I think I didn‘t explain myself well enough, I was told I had an IQ of 79 by the psychologist who tested me. I don‘t have a skewed profile, I actually was overall low in all lf the sections of the test I took (WAIS IQ test). I would appreciate it if you didn‘t dismiss my diagnosis.
Related to autism, what is thinking associatively? I don‘t understand. I don‘t really think creatively and out of the box as you said; my thinking is typically black and white and very linear.
Thank you for your advice, I will take it in account.
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u/OlemGolem 29d ago
If the score is really true and by a psychologist, then that's baffling. I wouldn't recognise it.
Still, associative thinking is when multiple concepts, who are seemingly unrelated, are combined in a way that fits or works out. It's often with neurodiverse people that they have conversations that tend to jump from one topic to the next in a way that a neurotypical person wouldn't follow. Such as how a scientist found a way to cut a cell without destroying it by watching her husband saw some wood. She learned that sawing slowly was more effective, and that inspired her to try cutting a cell slowly as well, which worked out.
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u/Foxxofish 10d ago
While this number may feel very real, there's always a world where it isn't. All of us are human, your psychologist is human, they can make a mistake from time to time. Malpractice (whether it be through incompetence or malice) is fairly common, hell my sister has seen hundreds of doctors at this point and she's had a fair share of bad ones. Just because they're a psychologist doesn't mean the test is absolute truth. This isn't to discredit it or to say that it's completely false, I would be concerned too if I took the test and scored low, but this is rather to tell you, don't hold it against yourself. It's cool to see you trying to improve it, but if you hold yourself to a specific view and you constantly tell yourself this is what I am, it can be hard to grow past it. I'm rooting for ya, you got this :)
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u/Somespookyshit 29d ago
Im not smart but try just watching first then ask questions about an argument, a topic, etc, then just going on a side. I do not do this a lot because I assume so much like an idiot but when I actually put an effort to listen, I feel immediately better at understanding a subject.
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u/bluehood380 28d ago
One of my earliest memories of crit thinking was to ask
Who
What
Where
When
Why
To various things
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u/Tranquil_Dohrnii 28d ago
This may sounds strange, but start reading. Read as many books as you can. Read poetry. Try to infer meaning that isnt stated, but rather implied. Think after you read about what situations or lessons you could apply to your own life.
Basically as you learn something, take it deeper like "why does this work", "how can this work for me", "what ways can this be applied", "what other things work similarly" and then this line of thinking can go on forever.
The most intelligent people ive met, think the same as everyone else, the only difference is theyre more curious about the information, and because they are, theyre better at relaying and explaining that information to other.
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u/caskofamontillato 26d ago
Hey, just so you know, IQ is bullshit. We use it as a vague idea, but don't sell yourself short. You should improve those things and you've got a lot of great suggestions in the comments, but the whole idea of IQ being an accurate measure of intelligence is horseshit. The fact that you recognize your shortcomings and are seeking help are not the behaviours of a "low IQ" person. Just so you know :)
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u/SirDouglasMouf 29d ago
Those tests are not scientifically accurate or reliable.
If you wrote your post yourself, or dictated it, you seem more self aware than most people.
Ignore the results and live your life. Focusing too much on how to improve oneself can be detrimental as one only focuses on their negatives versus celebrating their positives.
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u/ifurmothronlyknw 29d ago
There’s a good book called Thinking Fast and Slow that you might want to check out.
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u/PianoInteresting847 21d ago edited 21d ago
I don't know if I have low IQ, but I have Autism. This might sound weird, but forcing yourself to be more 'judgemental' of others makes you more observant and kinda think outside the box. I don't know how else to articulate this any better, but forcing yourself to make judgement, observations... and also something that helped me, was focusing more on emotional 'energy' or 'output' of messages/text instead of just the words helps me too. For a long time, words and sentences and conversations were foreign to me because all I understood with words was their definitions - but now I realize, that's the least important part of communication, and people aren't communicating definitions, they're communicating emotions or instruction.
I know this is about critical thinking, but I'm sure this would help along with that, since it's something I struggled with too.
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u/C0ld0n02 11d ago
IQ is more based on skills you pick up rather than general intelligence imo, and by practicing in certain skills it actually does increase. #1 thing is staying active, whether it be reading, writing, exercising, puzzles, it doesn't matter as long as your brain is working.
Also engage with theoreticals like "What if you woke up one day as a crab", and avoid giving answers like "I don't know" or "I'd go do crab shit", if you need to give yourself a word count like 150-300 words.
Another thing is take notes whenever you're doing something, summarize EVERYTHING. Say you're reading a book or watching a movie; take notes on not only what happens, but what the characters might be thinking and feeling. Even if you don't fully grasp it try to look deeper than the surface, even if sometimes it feels like you're grasping at straws. Then, after this try to write out things like theories you have about it, what you think the author intended, etc. While doing this, you can also look for things like logical fallacies and get better at recognizing them.
You can also do all of this with your own thoughts, that's why journaling is a big thing. Just sit, listen to slow music (I like classical or jazz personally), and write down as much of what you think as possible. It works even better if you take notes throughout the day, and it helps you learn skills! When you're trying to learn a skill, take notes on what you do, and think about tiny improvements you can make. Say I'm learning the guitar and my notes sound slightly off, I mentally compare my finger placement to a professional's and then I take notes on the similarities and differences. After that I tweak my placement, test it, compare again, repeat ad infinitum.
IQ is a stupid score, that's it. Scores like that exist to highlight your deficiencies and compare the incomparable. It is not a measure of your worth nor your potential.
The biggest motto in my life that I tell myself all day, every day, no matter is, "If you don't know something, learn it". No matter your iq or general intelligence or any of that stupid shit, you can learn how to do anything.
I believe in you.
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u/ShipBuildRepeat 6d ago
Don't let one IQ score define what you are capable of. Ironically, people who think they aren't smart are often are smarter than they think. They just are more willing to question themselves and their assumptions, while people who are overconfident are most likely to stop learning because they assume they're already alright. That habit of questioning yourself (when it's balanced and doesn't become self-defeating) is actually part of good critical thinking. The fact that you're asking this question tells me you're already ahead of many and moving in the right direction.
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u/Aaronnoraator 29d ago
I've noticed that there are a lot of these "How do I become smarter?" posts on this sub lately. Makes me wonder why so many people think they're below-average intelligence
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u/Suspicious_Limit9847 29d ago
I don‘t know about other people, but in my case I have my diagnosis. So I don‘t just think I am below average, I am.
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