definition of critical thinking

definition of critical thinking

The Importance of Critical Thinking

1. Introduction

Critical thinking is a mode of thinking where one improves his/her quality of thinking by skillfully analyzing, assessing, and reconstructing. It is a disciplined way of thinking, guided by clear, intellectual standards. It is crucial in the fast-paced society of today. People are being overwhelmed with information. This information explosion makes it harder for people to find out what information is reliable. With the unemployment rate rising, it is leaving a lot of people anxious about their future. All of these decisions in life require a sense of assurance. Critical thinking is essentially the act of not being passive; it is an active, inquisitive way of looking at things, asking questions, and seeking out possible solutions. There is no doubt in my mind that this is one of the most rewarding things we can acquire in our lifetime. It’s always been an obvious fact that an informed decision will always be better than an uninformed decision. When I think back to my 3rd-year calculus course, there were so many times I wondered what the use of learning math that seemed so irrelevant to daily life would be. Looking back, I see one of the very purposes it served: to better my critical thinking skills. Attempting to solve complex problems that had been formulated in my mind in a clear coherent manner gave me the feeling that my mind was becoming more adept in seeking solutions for everyday problems. Mathematics is the mother of the sciences, and it’s clear with today’s technological advancements that it has abundant practical use. However, pure mathematics is a science in itself, and the ability to think rationally and logically to come to a solution is a skill that is easily transferable to other problems.

2. Understanding Critical Thinking

If you already know what critical thinking is, you are to be congratulated; you are one of the few people who do. If you do not, don’t feel alone. If psychologists have been at odds over the definition of intelligence, there is reason to believe that there has been even less agreement about critical thinking. One source of confusion, which is probably rising from the association of critical with criticism, is the idea that critical thinking is primarily about fault-finding and negative judgment of ideas. Actually, critical thinking is a positive activity; it is the process of assessing opinions, comparing them to knowledge, and evaluating their credibility. A related source of confusion is the ill-defined or unclear nature of critical thinking. Vague terms like higher-order thinking skills are used to describe it, which tend to give the impression that critical thinking is some form of rocket science. The truth of the matter is that critical thinking is a skill assumed to be employed at any time at any moment, regardless of the context, and assumed to involve some element of “thinking about thinking” that may also involve assessing the possible reasons behind an opinion or decision.

If critical thinking is a key that opens the door to a better way of “doing” psychology, it’s not without some of the “old locks” being changed in the process. One of the first tasks a beginning student of psychology faces is to learn to think critically. Psychology is a science, and science is a process of thinking. Critical thinking is a self-regulated judgment which results in interpretation, analysis, evaluation, and inference, as well as explanations of the considerations involved in any kind of complex thinking. The beginning student is not alone in facing this task. All levels of training in psychology require the ability to think critically, and teachers of psychology believe that training in critical thinking is the most important objective of psychological education.

3. Benefits of Developing Critical Thinking Skills

First and foremost, critical thinkers are able to see things from a different point of view. This is crucial in today’s society, which is often quite diverse. What works for one culture might not work for another, and what works today might not work tomorrow. If you can step away from your own viewpoint and see things from other people’s perspectives, you will be able to come to much better conclusions. Businesses can use this type of thinking to consider new products, markets, or technologies. If they can foresee how those will affect the world around them, they can build wiser business strategies. Another benefit of critical thinking is that it is not as emotionally driven. When one displays weak critical thinking skills, they often have self-serving motives in making decisions. Being in touch with one’s emotions is not a bad thing; however, decisions made with extremely high levels of emotion often end in disaster. Think of a time when you or someone you know was enraged about something and made a decision that they now regret. It is likely that they were being led by their emotions and not by sound judgment. A critical thinker will be able to come to conclusions without letting his or her personal or self-serving motives affect them. Essentially, critical thinking eliminates the power of emotion.

4. Strategies for Enhancing Critical Thinking

– Cultural and organizational strategy change: Should seek to change the environment encouraging the formation of the intellectual traits of fair-minded critical thinkers. This is more direct and can mean anything from instruction on critical thinking sponsored by employers, to conditions that must be met in an agreement. Anything that involves human resources is fair, since it’s intellectual traits that are being endorsed.

– Develop your thinking skills: Identify the thinking skills you will need to achieve your purpose. Focus on the issues and try to be well reasoned. This helps you to stay focused and helps you in depth into a certain area, giving you the necessary information you need, while not wasting time on information that is irrelevant. Approach it in a systematic and detailed way, while making fact-based, logical conclusions. Use these skills to work through the information by asking the right questions to understand the underlying implications. Step back from time to time to reflect on what you are doing. Are you coming to the conclusions that you should, or are you using bad logic and reasoning? What analysis of generic words, are you sure you are reproducing the author’s meaning? What are the inferences? Are they based on solid evidence? What are the implications? And so on…

– Understand your own thinking and mindset: Take time to consider how you are approaching your views. Are you looking at it in a rational way, or are you driven by emotions or biases? What are your assumptions? What are you hoping to achieve? What is the consequence of your view? What are the pieces of information that you need and how are you using it? What are your alternative views? Are you open-minded and tolerant in consideration of those alternative views? What are the implications of your views? If the steps you are taking are unclear, try using intelligent tools to help you reach a concrete conclusion.

Consciously applying a number of thinking strategies can improve critical thinking and subsequently affect both your views and decisions. Here are the strategies:

5. Conclusion

In conclusion, it is clear that critical thinking involves thinking logically and rationally, and the ability to apply this type of thinking to all domains of human activity. An open exchange of ideas is essential to the learning process, but human beings do not naturally think logically. An application of critical thinking is the ability to assess what is true, and what learning; capacity improving judgment, and the ability to be of service to others. Critical thinking involves directing one’s thinking with intelligence. Critical thinking is important in the workplace; in its most general form, if one thinks critically one will think in ways that are logical, and come to logical conclusions. Logical conclusions and solutions will provide validity to one’s conclusion or decision. This will assist in the overall success or failure of the decision, and will provide information on the validity of the decision to the decision maker. Logical thinking provides a strong foundation for making the right decision or generating the right solution. By using an assessment of critical thinking in decision making, one can be more comfortable that a decision is well reasoned and will lead to better and more positive results. With the information explosion in the current age, students are inundated with a range of media, from TV, radio and film, to the more recent phenomenon of the internet. All of this media has the capacity to shape our views of the world and can also provide information on the world. With this in mind, it is important for individuals to assess all information that they are exposed to and to make decisions on what is true, and what to accept as valid. With a strong foundation of critical thinking, a decision maker will assess the information on the issue at hand and will come to a conclusion as to act upon that information. By interpreting information around the world, we can make it a more accurate representation of the world, therefore enhancing the quality of the human experience. This is a vital skill in this day and age, as the information and skills that we will need to remain competitive will change with increasing pace. By being an effective learner in all learning situations, utilizing efficient learning strategies and with the ability to assess the validity of one’s knowledge with a view to acting upon it, critical thinkers will be able to adapt and apply new information to new situations with the overall aim of improving that situation. This entire process of critical thinking is at no point more valuable than when the ends are the improvement of the quality of living of ourselves and our fellow men.