1. Independent confirmation of the facts.

2. Substantive debate on the state of the evidence by experts.

3. Do not rely on a person or book as an unchallenged authority.

4. Entertain multiple working hypotheses. Devise tests to determine whether one hypothesis is able to withstand the rigor of investigation.

5. Do not attach yourself to an idea because you like it, or see it as yours.

6. Use quantifiable data when able, to assure precision.

7. Eliminate hypotheses that possess unnecessary assumptions (Occam's Razor)

8. Determine whether the hypothesis can be falsified. If its incapable of being disproven, it is impossible to prove true and is being held without evidence. (If a believer claims that every possible outcome proves his hypothesis true, the hypothesis is valueless.) Example: "The universe was created by a higher power."

Learn: Critical Thinking - Exam 1 Flashcards