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One can't be a clear thinker until one recognizes clear thinking's biggest distraction, the need to feel right and righteous.
To think well we have to get over ourselves. Otherwise, we bend toward, and cling to ideas that make us feel good about ourselves rather than risking exploration of those, sometimes truer ideas that don't.
Truth waits for eyes unclouded by longing, most especially the longing to feel right and righteous.
To remove the distraction of self-flattery we must cultivate the power of neutral thinking in a world rich in loaded language. You already know the term “euphemism” language that puts a positive spin on things, for example saying, “my son is exploring life in a structured environment” instead of “my son is in prison.”
But chances are you don’t know its opposite, “dysphemism,” language that puts a negative spin on things, for example saying “You’re uncaring,” instead of “You prefer to concentrate your attentions elsewhere.” Uncaring is a shaming way of describing the behavior.
Conversations, arguments and private thoughts degenerate when they’re tossed and turned on a stormy sea of euphemism and dysphemism or what I’ll call positivese and negativese.
When we calm these seas with neutral language we see reality better, reflected on the smooth waters of neutralese, level-playing-field language that describes with neither positive nor negative connotations smuggled in.
How best to calm the seas? Not by pledging to stay neutral, but by getting very good at distinguishing positivese, negativese and neutralize, good enough that you can spot loaded language on the fly and neutralize it by translating it into its opposite.
For example:
You’re stubborn (or steadfast).
She’s bossy (or standing up for herself).
He’s wishy washy (or flexible).
I’m discerning (or picky).
I’m committed (or addicted).
I’m empowered (or indulgent).
Waves can cancel each other out. When a crest meets a trough they neutralize each other. The same goes for language. Language that interprets a behavior as high minded and virtuous can be neutralized with language that interprets the same behavior as lowly and bad. And visa versa.
Most people are pretty good at neutralizing negative language directed at them:
“I’m not dishonest, I’m just diplomatic.”
“I’m not egotistical, I just feel good about myself.”
But we’re generally bad at neutralizing even-handedly. We spin and unspin self-servingly:
I’m diplomatic; he’s dishonest.
He’s greedy, I’m ambitious.
Cultivate an instant thesaurus in your mind, so you can translate readily from positive to negative to neutral not just self-servingly, but truth-servingly, neutralizing the tendency to lead and be lead by the nose to believe the spin we smuggle in to our arguments to maintain our sense of being right and righteous.
