Day 9-11 – Info
A characteristic of modern society is the flow of information. The creation, distribution, and manipulation of data are vital activities – we rely on data to draw conclusion and make decisions. Information is the lifeblood of modern civilization. Yet, most times more information is not better or gives better solutions. This means that the way we search for and use information is becoming more important than the information itself. Information is valuable if you lack information or there is a gap in the information, whereas creativity and thinking skills are valuable when you are having an abundance of information. Creativity is also valuable when there is a lack of information.
Blog posts
More, More Information, Yes, Sure, But Relevant?
Questions about Questions
Day 9
Select a topic and focus on available and needed information
It is a good habit to focus on the information that is available and that is needed, before you do any thinking on the topic. Before you design alternatives, draw conclusions, or plan actions ask yourself:
- What information is (implicit and explicit) available?
- What is information is needed?
- What information is missing (needed but not available)?
- Where could I get that information, or who could have that information?
Some suggestions for topics to exercise are:
- a news item (world, national or a local item)
- a report you have to evaluate (do this before actually beginning to read the report), or take some report at random such as a report from United Nations, or from your local council
- a decision you have to make
- your next holiday or travel
- a party you are planning
- planning your next week
If you want to read more about focusing on information as a thinking skill, read our blogposts Left Out and Cassandra Information
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