CRITICAL THINKING (author unknown)

Critical thinking involves a diverse array of skills including:

• analyzing
• conceptualizing
• defining
• examining
• inferring
• listening
• questioning
• reasoning
• synthesizing

Critical thinking includes evaluating information--even our own thoughts--in a disciplined way. This helps us to refine our thought processes, which enables us to think and assess information more comprehensively and become more able to identify and reject false ideas and false ideologies.

Reasoning should be based in sound, consistent logic, not emotions or social pressure. Truth of factual claims is not determined by the emotion that accompanies them or the fact that they may be believed by certain social groups.

Some of the barriers to critical thinking are:

• intellectual arrogance
• intellectual laziness
• unwillingness to listen and learn
• lack of respect for reason
• lack of respect for evidence

Qualities of critical thinkers:

• can handle uncertainty
• prefers to be aware of their areas of ignorance
• can wait for valid evidence
• can wait for evidence-based answers

Critical thinking can give each of us our own key to intellectual independence so that we can solve our own problems for our selves.

It moves us away from rash conclusions, mystification and reluctance to question received wisdom, authority, and tradition.

It moves us towards intellectual discipline, clear expression of ideas, and acceptance of personal responsibility for our own thinking.

People who habitually apply critical thinking tend to be eager to acquire and apply the best knowledge and reason in all fields, are willing to acknowledge and correct flaws in their own thinking, and are better equipped to create more profoundly effective solutions to the challenges we face in living and living together.

When we teach and invest in critical thinking we empower individual lives and invest in our collective future.