What is Critical Thinking?
Critical thinking is a cognitive activity, associated using the mind. Critical thinking is the ability to think clearly and rationally. It includes the ability to engage in reflective and independent thinking. An individual with good critical thinking skills is able to do the following:
- Examine the subject clearly and move beyond first impressions
- Understand logical connections between ideas
- Identify, construct and evaluate arguments
- Detect inconsistencies and common mistakes in reasoning
- Solve problems systematically
- Identify the relevance of ideas
Critical Thinking Skills
Critical thinking also uses ones mental processes. They include attention, categorization, selection and judgment. One cannot be a good thinker if he/she does not pay attention to what is being said, heard or read. Categorization is also very important as it divides the problem in different categories, and each one is solved one-by-one to reach to a logical conclusion. The Selection process comes after, which picks up the main ideas and allows making logical connection. And finally the judgment process, which means to evaluate, helps in making a decision of the good or bad.
Critical thinking gives you the skills to use skepticism and doubt in a positive manner to analyze a situation. Skepticism is an element of doubt in one’s thinking and is categorized in under two types:
i – Constructive Skepticism
ii – Deconstructive Skepticism
Constructive skepticism is when you have an educated doubt in your mind with an aim to solve the problem and you reach to a solution. It is about coming down to a solution.
Deconstructive skepticism is having an uneducated doubt and the individual is not interested in solving the problem or in the answers. This reflects the attitude of having a doubt with no purpose, and also leaving others in the dark of doubt.
Processes of Critical Thinking
Critical thinking is not about natural or...