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What is Critical Thinking?
Thinking can be simply defined as the interaction of ideas and thoughts in our mind. Science has uncovered much about the human brain and, more specially, Psychology has explored the intricate details of how the mind works. While there is still so much that remains unknown about the mind, there have been amazing discoveries that can provide an opportunity to help get the most out of the human intellect. Thinking itself is ongoing. You cannot not think. The human mind is always at work, thinking about more than you may actually be aware of at any given moment. You can also learn how to use you mind better. Just as you can learn to do most anything better than you do it now, you can learn how to think more effectively to produce better outcomes from your thinking.
Critical Thinking is a method of thinking rooted in logical ways of reasoning for the purpose of bringing about the best results from your thought process. It makes the act of thinking better, more useful and effective. It can make you feel more confident about what you know and inspire you to always seek the best answers to every aspect of your life. Critical thinking brings clarity and understanding to whatever you are thinking about and it greatly increases the likelihood of success. Critical Thinking is NOT a passive activity. It doesn’t just happen. It is something that takes a conscious effort on your part to occur. You have to want to do it. A good definition would be that Critical Thinking is skilled and conscious analysis and interpretation of the information gathered from interactions with the world around you.
Seven Qualities of a Critical Thinker
Since critical thinking is about better developing your thought process, there are certain qualities that are required to change ordinary thinking into critical thinking. These are the seven qualities (also known as characteristics, attitudes or attributes) of a Critical Thinker
- Truth-seeking. Critical thinkers want to know the truth. Nothing short of the truth will satisfy them. In their quest for the truth, they are willing to consider and accept ideas that contradict their assumptions and self-interest. Such thinkers will follow reason and evidence wherever it may lead. Critical Thinkers are honest with themselves. They refuse to be deceived for the sake of convenience. They do not pretend that the truth can be whatever they wish it to be. They do not try to persuade themselves that driving 30 miles per hour over the speed limit will not endanger themselves or others, that getting drunk every weekend is no signal of a drinking problem, or that missing class has no effect on grades. Critical Thinkers avoid such deceptive beliefs.
- Open-minded. Skilled critical thinkers not only recognize that people disagree, but they value that fact. They respect the right of others to express different views and willingly listen to them in order to gain proper insight into the issue. Critical thinkers seek out a va