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Comment by lovboat | Hacker News Reader

I think critical thinking is not necessary, depending of your personal circumstances you can be better off with a great net of friends that can help you to find a good job. For example, my wife found a good job because she, besides being wonderful at work, has a really splendid net of friends who can speak wonders of her. I don't think that being critical or having critical thinking skills is going to help you in your career, sometimes is better to be quiet and let the powers be. I remember a story of a very good broker with wonderful ability that didn't follow the herb, he make very good predictions but he lost his clients, financial markets are not for critical thinking, is like a beauty contest (in due context by Samuelson).

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If you're going to posit that individuals have no control of their own lives, then posit that. Otherwise, how does your wife maintain the relationships with her friends? How does she know their goals align with hers?

I must confess that I didn't read the original post, and I am being down voted. Perhaps there is something interesting beyond the title, but I would be grateful people down-voting me could give a hint about what they are thinking about, what their argument is. I know that is easier to move your finger than to make a real or sound argument, also I am awared that you must not ask why the down voting (a question of etiquette it seems). But anyway, some feedback is always welcome.

Critical thinking is about using your brain in the same way that a woodworking course teaches you about how to use a chisel and a metalworking course will teach you how to use a file. Not knowing how to properly use the tools you have been given is a waste of time, effort and energy and not just your own and it leads to sloppy products.

The point is not that critical thinking is a useful tool, I agree here. The title is about being a necessary skill. Here I disagree, many people can learn the craft by accumulating a lot of experience. Is like machine learning, you only need to have a lot of data (experience). Human are good at learning by example. Creative people are necessary for our culture to progress, but is not something necessary. You can live your life doing a good job and contributing to the welfare of society without critical thinking. Many times the good ideas come from nowhere inside us. Many great mathematicians create ideas from insight not by reflexive critical thinking.

So would I be correct in characterizing your point as "critical thinking is one of several ways one can be successful"

I think you're being downvoted because people don't want to accept that what you are saying regarding critical thinking being anti-adaptive may be true. The followers of the hacker ethos are revolted by prospects that the less-skilled. less-disruptive, and less-smart can succeed by social optimization and conformity. It's a direct threat to the existence they've doubled down on.

It may simply have to do with him saying that he feels his wife found her job because of her friends, not because of her skills. She might disagree.

Naughty boy, indeed. In my post I say literally that she is wonderful at work and people that know her recognize so. A big net of friends and acquaintances provides plenty of opportunities of finding a good job. Her job don't require critical thinking skills.

> Her job don't require critical thinking skills.

So you say. Look I don't mean to say you don't know better but it's hard for me to come up with any profession that does not require critical thinking skills. No matter what 'simple' task I want to do - say one that normally would be someone's day job - I always find that it requires more knowledge, skill and more thinking than I anticipated.

I didn't get quite that much from the post, and I assume the downvotes are because it comes off as barely related.

I didn't down vote you. But the article talks about career choice, choosing political candidate, picking a diet, being target of advertisement and picking friends.

So you are talking about apples in the comment section of oranges.

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