critical thinking vs analytical thinking

critical thinking vs analytical thinking

Critical Thinking and Analytical Thinking: Understanding the Differences

1. Introduction

Critical thinking is purposeful, directed thought. It may sound like stating the obvious to say that thinking is purposeful, but it is an important point. Every action that humans perform is driven by some goals, aims or objectives. Even an activity as simple as deciding what to eat for dinner has a purpose. This purpose may be to eat something healthy, something filling, something quick and easy to make, or something that we have not eaten for a long time. Critical thinking has the same sort of connotations in that it is driven by a desire to meet specific objectives. Usually, these objectives have to do with the attainment of truth. When critical thinking is applied to an issue or domain, it is done so with the intention that a sound, well-reasoned conclusion will be achieved. The critical thinker will want to gather as much information as possible and is only satisfied when a full understanding of the issue in question has been reached. Critical thinking is thinking that is clear, rational, and open-minded. It is an active, skillful, controlled, calculated mode of thinking that is disciplined and systematic. Critical thinkers are not closed-minded and dogmatic. They are open to changing their mind when provided with new information. They are not satisfied with believing they have reached the best possible conclusion. A critical thinker will want to be sure that he has weighed up all the possible options and that he is indeed making the best choice. He takes his time thinking and is not hasty in making decisions. All of this can be summed up by saying that critical thinking is self-directed, self-disciplined, self-monitored, and self-corrective thinking.

This essay concerns itself with the relationship between critical and analytical thinking, and seeks to underline the differences between these two modes of thinking. It is the view of the author that critical thinking is an important and useful tool with which to approach decision making, problem solving, and generally accepted that critical thinking has a wider application than simply to the process of decision making. In the view of the author, this interpretation of critical thinking is no bad thing, but he opts to side with those who believe that we should assign critical thinking its own category as a cognitive activity. These views are expressed in the work of Glaser (1941, 1948) and in the Critical Thinking Movement.

2. Definition of Critical Thinking

There are several different definitions which can be applied to critical thinking, all with that in essentially the same thing: – Discovering and overcoming personal prejudices and biases – Developing the ability to think clearly and systematically – Understanding the importance of prioritization of issues or problems – Developing the ability to ask the right questions – Understanding the importance of reliable information, and being skeptical (not cynical) about it – Learning how to make accurate inferences – Learning how to construct a sound conclusion – Understanding and applying logical principles when reasoning – Understanding complex problems in their component parts. Collecting and interpreting information which is relevant to the problem. Coming to conclusions and solutions that make sense – Increasing the ability to engage in reasonable discussions and debates Each of these definitions is an aspect of critical thinking. The ability to apply a greater range of logic, and reflection on understanding/scarcity of methods and attitudes of inquiry will be indicated by the degree of ability in a student’s critical thinking. A good demonstration of critical thinking is the application of the Universal Intellectual Standards to reason. These standards which have been derived from consideration of the most insightful theories and research on critical thinking are applied to the elements of reasoning in a search to develop an understanding of the logic of thoughts and actions.

Critical thinking is about being both willing and able to evaluate one’s thinking. Sometimes our thinking might be confused or include conclusions that don’t follow from what we know. Critical thinking also means being open-minded – using alternative ideas to develop better understanding and to reflect on our beliefs and actions. It entails rigorous self-reflection and open-mindedness – it is thinking in a self-regulated and self-corrective manner. It also involves the skill in deducing logical relationships, identifying the relevance and importance of ideas, and to deeply reflect upon them to build a solid understanding and solve problems. Critical thinkers are able to look at their biases and do not let them compromise their thinking processes.

3. Definition of Analytical Thinking

From a critical thinking standpoint, all of these definitions focus too narrowly on the role of deduction in analysis. Linguistic philosophers of the caliber of Wittgenstein, Austin, Ryle, or Quine have been concerned with analysis as an elucidatory activity. AT is employed at all stages of a critical thinker’s application of the elements of reasoning. Following our definition of critical thinking and CT tools, AT becomes a method of active and persistent questioning, of seeking higher quality information by searching for a systematic elimination of causes of problems and decisions, and for anticipating the consequences and implications of actions and ideas. This is simply a very skillful employment of thinking in a focused and disciplined way to become more adept at something. A more succinct definition for Aristotle’s famous division of theoretical and practical wisdom may be that analytical thinking is thinking well in order to improve action or to better understand a theory.

Time and practice have brought a number of different definitions of analytical thinking, and are often in conflict with each other. The greatest variation lies in the extent to which it separates complex from simple, breaking a whole into parts, or breaking abstractions into real instances. Critical thinkers are ostensibly agreed that analytical thinking involves a complex set of cognitive skills, and according to the extent to which these are used, there are expanded or contracted definitions. Most comprehensive is probably Elder and Paul’s (1996) definition: “Analytical thinking is the mental act or exercise that focuses on a particular thing.”

4. Comparing Critical Thinking and Analytical Thinking

Critical thinking also involves asking very specific questions which will ultimately lead to more information that is related to the original question. Teachers often use critical thinking to help students evaluate whether the information provided is reliable. An example of critical thinking is when students have the capability to understand that an issue is not always black and white and there are many solutions to a problem, only some being better than others. Kagin (1978) has found that the following critical thinking skills defined by a problem-solving model, when used to solve complex problems, are transferable to subsequent learning of knowledge and skills: analysis, applying standards, discrimination, logical reasoning, predicting, and transformation.

Critical and analytical thinking are often thought to be one and the same; however, in reality, they have several key differences. When it comes to critical thinking and analytical thinking, they both involve the use of judgment and reason to solve a problem. Therefore, it is easy to assume that the two are just synonymous terms for the same concept. However, critical thinking has more to do with judging the quality of the information as well as whether or not that information is useful or relevant. Criticizing information does not mean that you are being judgmental but rather that you are taking a closer look at it to determine if it truly is credible.

5. Conclusion

For teachers, the application of analytical thinking is more suitable because in analytical thinking there is a result of analysis that can be used to consider a more effective teaching strategy. For example, when a teacher faces a student who has reading barriers, using analytical thinking will make the teacher find out why the student has a reading obstacle. After finding the cause of the problem, the teacher can take alternative solutions and analyze it and apply the best solution according to the analysis that has been done. By practicing analytical thinking, the teacher can identify the teaching methods that are not effective for the learning of students and change it with a more appropriate teaching method. Although both critical and analytical thinking are better used for teachers to convey and apply to their students, we as staff in education should also have the ability to think critically and analytically because by thinking like that we can identify problems in the learning of students and apply effective solutions so that education in Indonesia can be better.

Both critical and analytical thinking have been applied extensively in this paper. From understanding the differences of these two types of thinking, we can actually develop higher thinking of students and improve their teaching and learning strategy. To make students think more critically, we actually have to train them to analyze things more often. By beginning with small steps, it is believed that students will eventually understand what the concept of critical and analytical thinking is. For example, when given a problem in mathematics, we can start by explaining what the problem is talking about and analyzing the data given. After that, students can try to make a relationship between what they have analyzed with what appears in the problem and data, then they are asked to draw a conclusion and do the verification. These steps are the basis for students to be able to think critically.