Stage 2: Key Questioning of prior knowledge, experience & intuition

I recall stories from my childhood about their dislike for each other, which was always kept as an unspoken but open secret because despite their mutual dislike, my maternal grandmother had a skill that was needed by my paternal grandmother. Because of this need, they had to at least feign liking each other. 

My maternal grandmother practiced the ancient art of cupping. Many people, including my grandmothers, believed that cupping cured a variety of illnesses. My maternal grandmother would light a match inside a small cup, then after burning off the oxygen in the cup, she would put out the match and place the hot cup on the back of the person seeking the cure. The cup would create a suction so that when it was removed, circles of red welts would appear on the skin where the cup had been placed. The theory behind this treatment was that when the cup was pulled off the body, it would suck out the illness. Did some people who sought this cure feel better afterwards?

Anecdotal evidence suggests that they did, but were improvements caused by the sucking action of the cups or the belief that it would work? More importantly, why should we care if at least some people felt better after this treatment? These are all central questions for our discussion of Critical Thinking.

Halpern, D.F. (2013). Thought and Knowledge: An Introduction to Critical Thinking (5th ed.). Psychology Press. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315885278 

Yet research consistently shows that when we rush decisions, we often regret them – even if they end up being correct.

Why we hasten decision making is quite clear. We’re inundated with incessant distractions that compete for our attention, and, at the same time, we’re facing profound pressure to go faster and drive our businesses forward, even when the path ahead is unclear.

https://www.harvardbusiness.org/to-improvecritical-thinking-dont-fall-into-theurgency-trap/ 

Experience has taught me that this is broad <…> assumption is often seriously flawed. Often my words and actions have been understood in ways that are completely different from the ways I intend them to understood. So one way to find out how accurate our assumptions are is to try and see ourselves as others see us.

Brookfield, S. D. (2011). Teaching for critical thinking: Tools and techniques to help students question their assumptions. John Wiley & Sons, p. 12.