why critical thinking is important

why critical thinking is important

The Importance of Critical Thinking

1. Introduction

The importance of critical thinking skills cannot be understated. In a fast-paced society, where information is constantly at our fingertips and problem solving is a necessity, foundational critical thinking skills drive research, creativity, and decision-making. They underpin all education and are a vital element for success in the workplace. Win or lose, all global issues result from the application or misapplication of critical thinking. Anything which involves thought can be subject to critical thinking. Because critical thinking can be applied to any situation or problem, the range of thoughts and emotions it encompasses is broad. Critical thinking involves both cognitive skills and affective dispositions. It is not restricted to a particular subject or field. A person with a good memory and who knows a lot of facts is not necessarily good at critical thinking. A critical thinker is able to deduce consequences from what he knows, and he knows how to make use of information to solve problems and to seek relevant sources of information to inform himself. He is able to think based on the situation and under various purposes and knows how to judge the quality of his thought by criteria. An important criterion of critical thinking is clarity about a question or issue and the establishment of accurate and relevant information so that it guides the decision. It is also important to recognize that critical thinkers are able to bring their own assumptions into question and to reconstruct them. This active practice of thinking is what makes an individual an effective critical thinker.

2. Benefits of Critical Thinking

Most people believe they know what critical thinking is, but they have trouble defining it. Gary Meegan uses one of the most precise descriptions when he writes “Correct thinking in terms of the result you want.” The result we want is a wise decision. A decision that will affect the way things are done in the future. It is about knowing what the right thing to do is and doing it. It can be hard to find exactly what the right decision may be and with much of today’s society, it is a challenge to make the right decisions. Knowing that the decisions being made are good will provide a sense of accomplishment and confidence. This is a desire for many people, though accomplished by quite a few. This self-esteem may not be a direct result of using critical thinking, but the person using critical thinking will be much more likely to achieve it. All of these things are the result of a desire for financial, spiritual, or physical betterment. These are the key goals for the person employing critical thinking. Critical thinking is, in short, self-directed, self-disciplined, self-monitored, and self-corrective thinking. It presupposes assent to rigorous standards of excellence and mindful command of their use. It entails effective communication and problem-solving abilities and a commitment to overcome our native egocentrism and sociocentrism.

3. Developing Critical Thinking Skills

Generally speaking, all these pedagogies have in common instruction in specific critical thinking skills, combined with many opportunities to apply these skills to problems of significance and relevance. The definition of critical thinking skills is the clarification of the elements of thought, or the parts of reasoning and the intellectual standards applied to those elements. With a firm understanding of how the order and the functions of the mind affect the quality of human life, educators can better the thinking of students. Through the use of assessments and universal structures, teachers can develop the skills, identify the areas of potential problems, and raise the quality of students’ thinking. It is important that students see the relevance of these skills to their lives. With critical thinking skills, one will be able to stop and identify the problems at times of personal significance (i.e. winding up in jail), and apply the sum of his knowledge to translate the problem into one clarifiable question: What exactly is going on? With a firm grip on economic, political, and social issues of the world, one will want to assess the problems whose effects are widespread, and compare the various beliefs surrounding the causes of these problems in order to sort out those that are rational and valid from those which are based on prejudice and ignorance. Often the development of these skills is best achieved by a method of teaching Socratic questioning which leads us to our next topic.

The individual psychotherapist, for example, will expound to his patient that mental and emotional freedom involves getting an overriding grip on one’s passions and desires, then defending to him the hierarchy of possible courses of action in light of their potential outcomes, emphasizing the grave fact that a large share of human misery results from unwise choices and decisions, and that unwise decisions are largely due to the absence of critical thinking. An instructor in logic, on the other hand, may reveal to his students the principles of assessment of arguments, the construction of valid arguments, and discovery of the truths, and then drill them repeatedly in applying these skills in their respective fields. An educator in the social sciences constructs community and an honor society, a fellowship of scholars, of those who ranging in age from childhood to the elderly, are studious in habits and active in mental and emotional life. This group engages in various pursuits with the ultimate rational to influence the future of humanity for the better by demonstrating the value of critical thinking in all affairs. These pedagogies exist in abundance and seem as diverse as the individuals who implement them, and many philosophers and educators have expanded energy on determining which are the most efficient and effective. Military and political leaders, faced with the daunting task of rebuilding civilization in the years following World War II, sought to determine and employ the most effective methods for fostering critical thinking in a democratic society, so that its members might have an adequate tool with which to solve the complex problems of the modern era.

From the vast resources of the world, methodical instruction, and distinguished guides, various skills and strategies have been devised for developing the essential skills of critical thinking.

4. Applying Critical Thinking in Daily Life

Conflict is inevitable. It occurs in many forms and involves differing points of view. Often times, the solution lies in knowing the cause of the conflict. Critical thinkers will identify many different causes or reasons for the situation before drawing conclusions. They also seek to understand the differing points of view, recognizing the validity of the other viewpoint and understanding the assumptions and reasons. People want to understand and resolve an issue, especially when it involves them. By using critical thinking, we can weigh up many alternative solutions and increase the chances of finding a very effective and efficient answer to a problem that would save time, money, and/or stress in the long term. This can also help in making good decisions which later lead to a desire to take the next step in formulating a plan and taking the best possible action.

In the workplace, and in our personal life, critical thinkers are helpful in solving unique issues that occur on a daily basis. Using sound judgment and decision-making techniques can come in handy when working through difficult problems. The more time we spend using these techniques, the more confident we will be in making decisions. We can use critical thinking to enhance work processes and improve social institutions. This can be achieved through six steps: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and taking action. Using the skills derived from critical thought, readers will be able to apply this learning in ways that improve both their personal and professional lives.

5. Conclusion

A critical thinker is curious, open-minded, and persistent, and these dispositions are the opposite of jumping to conclusions, closed-minded, and easily discouraged behavior. A major contribution we can expect a critical thinker to make is in the quality of his or her work. High on the list of potential rewards for learning to think critically is the resolution to never make another bad decision. This can manifest through the decisions made in one’s personal and professional life and it can even involve the decisions made as a citizen of the world and an agent of social change.

Primarily, critical thinking is “thinking about thinking.” It is a cognitive act in which one thinks about the quality of his or her thinking while thinking to a purpose. It also means thinking in a self-regulated and self-corrective manner. Critical thinking dispositions, abilities, and skills can be developed and applied across every domain of human thought and action. One of the most lasting and rewarding benefits of critical thinking is the shift in one’s approach to life.

We conclude with our brief thoughts as they might be in rewarding one’s critical thinking skills. Another characteristic of critical thinking identified by many sources is metacognition. In general terms, metacognition is thinking about one’s thinking and it is an important skill in education.