-- Posted by Micus at 8:54 am on Oct. 13, 2008 Am I the only one who's noticed this? I find that after years of helping people solve their problems, I'm better able to use those critical thinking skills in my own life. Not to mention that it has improved debate skills as well. -- Posted by melodramatic at 8:56 am on Oct. 13, 2008 It depends on if you're a support leader or not. I have found a lot of the responses to ehelps helpful, And I've found joy in helping others through them, I suppose. -- Posted by Duke at 8:58 am on Oct. 13, 2008 I have always tried to instill critical thinking in some of the lesser intellects of LW. You know, the ones who see a topic, my father raped me when I was 6, I had the baby, but on the way home from the hospital, it was taken by aliens but now I have feelings for my father and want to have another baby, and respond Oh hun, you're just going through a phase. Your father is your father and you should wait until you're 15 to have feelings for him. -- Posted by Micus at 8:59 am on Oct. 13, 2008 Quote: from melodramatic at 11:56 am on Oct. 13, 2008 It depends on if you're a support leader or not. I have found a lot of the responses to ehelps helpful, And I've found joy in helping others through them, I suppose. I'm not a support leader Buut I've been going here for like 4 years (I'm coming up on my fourth year anniversary actually) -- Posted by Aero360 at 9:01 am on Oct. 13, 2008 This is true, but also keep in mind that there are plenty of users here who do not help anyone at all.  Those who are just here for laughs and for a way to kill boredom will certainly not see the results you see. -- Posted by gronk at 10:27 am on Oct. 13, 2008 I think LW can make you dumber. Seriously, there are so many noobs out there that you begin to talk like them, walk like them even spel lyk them. Potentially of course, if you engage in thoughful discussion and reflect on what you are saying what is being said, look at context and analyze things carefully then obviously it can improve critical thinking skills. However the internet provides a framework for us to be lazy. -- Posted by allsmiles at 10:46 am on Oct. 13, 2008 I'm not so sure. Of course, I've not really the most balanced of viewpoints as I have been studying Critical Thinking for 3 years now, but... in my time here, I've had about 4 or 5 truly enriching discussions. The rest is a load of shit slinging. Few people here are of suitable intellect, and fewer still are willing to engage in discussion. -- Posted by Wilder at 1:33 pm on Oct. 13, 2008 .52 Critical thinking improves critical thinking. If you come onto LW and constantly debate people in an at least semi-intelligent manner, you are going to get better at applying logic. Constantly having propositions thrown at you, analyzing them, and responding to them is good practice for thought in general. One could easily inhabit LW for quite some time without employing or improving upon critical thinking, but those who come here for intellectual reasons will probably experience intellectual growth. -- Posted by Loud Dog at 4:11 pm on Oct. 13, 2008 LW seems to drag everyone not making an active attempt to apply logic and exercise critical thinking into the same stinking morass of intellectual stagnation that 9 out of 10 members seem happy to wallow in. The relationship forum is like a horrible factory dedicated to manufacturing hollow platitudes. -- Posted by ElephantStone at 1:50 pm on Oct. 19, 2008 No, I think the stupidness of the 'lawlz' has actually worsened mine. However, Ive taken to trawling through this forum to discuss things intelligently. -- Posted by whoami111 at 2:55 pm on Oct. 27, 2008 Well, I did learn how to type a lot faster than before. That counts for something. -- Posted by Blackadder at 3:04 pm on Oct. 27, 2008 Quote: from Loud Dog at 11:11 pm on Oct. 13, 2008 LW seems to drag everyone not making an active attempt to apply logic and exercise critical thinking into the same stinking morass of intellectual stagnation that 9 out of 10 members seem happy to wallow in. The relationship forum is like a horrible factory dedicated to manufacturing hollow platitudes. Woah!? you been reading big books again? -- Posted by sakurag at 3:54 pm on Oct. 28, 2008 Completely disagree.  There are few cases of critical thinking happening on LW.  Help? Yes.  Real thought?  Not really. -- Posted by lisma at 4:52 pm on Oct. 28, 2008 I think it definitely improves critical thinking and it also improves knowledge. Certain forums obviously don't do the same, but the intellectual forum teaches and discusses. Which I really appreciate. -- Posted by jfish at 6:29 pm on Oct. 28, 2008 I don't think it does, most people here are idiots with flawed arguments. -- Posted by rosebud at 4:56 am on Oct. 29, 2008 yeah and solving basic single digit arithmetic problems improves your logical skills too