Critical Thinking | skills you need (2023)

What is critical thinking?

Critical thinking is the ability to think clearly and rationally and to understand the logical connection between ideas. Critical thinking has been the subject of much debate and reflection since the time of early Greek philosophers such as Plato and Socrates and continues to be discussed in modern times, for example the ability to discernfake news.

Critical thinking can be described as the ability to think reflectively and independently.

Essentially, critical thinking requires you to use your thinking skills. It's about being an active learner and not a passive recipient of information.

Critical thinkers rigorously challenge ideas and assumptions rather than taking them at face value. They will always seek to determine whether the ideas, arguments, and results present the full picture, and are open to determining that they do not.

Critical thinkers identify, analyze, and solve problems systematically rather than through intuition or instinct.

Someone with critical thinking skills can:

• Understand the connections between ideas.

• Determine the importance and relevance of arguments and ideas.

• Identify, build and evaluate arguments.

• Identify inconsistencies and misconceptions.

• Approach problems consistently and systematically.

• Reflect on the justification of your own assumptions, beliefs, and values.

  (Video) 5 tips to improve your critical thinking - Samantha Agoos

critical thinkingit's about thinking about things in a certain way in order to arrive at the best possible solution under the circumstances the thinker knows. In everyday language, it's a way of thinking about what's on your mind to come to the best possible conclusion.

The skills we need for critical thinking

The skills we need to be able to think critically are diverse and include observation, analysis, interpretation, reflection, evaluation, reasoning, explanation, problem solving and decision making.

In particular, we must be able to:

• Think objectively and critically about a topic or question.

• Identify the different arguments that exist in relation to a specific problem.

• Evaluate a viewpoint to determine how strong or valid it is.

• Recognize any weaknesses or negative points present in the evidence or argument.

• Pay attention to the implications behind a statement or argument.

• Provide structured reasoning and support for an argument we wish to make.

The process of critical thinking

You have to realize that none of us thinks critically all the time.

Sometimes we think in almost every way but critically, such as when our self-control is compromised by anger, sadness, or joy, or when we just feel "damned."

On the other hand, the good news is that since our critical thinking ability varies depending on our current mindset, most of the time we can learn to improve our critical thinking skills by developing certain routine activities and applying them to any problems we are dealing with we are confronted ... they introduce themselves. .

Once you understand critical thinking theory, improving your critical thinking skills takes persistence and practice.

Try this simple exercise to think critically.

What do you want to achieve?

One of the most important aspects of critical thinking is deciding what you want to achieve and then making a decision based on a range of possibilities.

Once you have this goal in mind, you should use it as a starting point for all future situations that require reflection and possibly further decisions. If necessary, let your co-workers, family members or those close to you know that you intend to pursue this goal. You must then discipline yourself to stay on track until changing circumstances cause you to reconsider where you started the decision-making process.

However, there are things that stand in the way of simple decisions.We all carry with us a set of likes and dislikes, learned behaviors and personal preferences that we have developed throughout life; are the hallmarks of being human. A big part of helping us think critically is to be aware of these personal traits, preferences, and biases, and to take them into account when considering possible next steps, whether in the pre-consideration phase or as part of a rethinking due to the unforeseen events. or unforeseen obstacles to further progress.

The more clearly we are aware of ourselves, our strengths and weaknesses, the more likely our critical thinking is productive.

The advantage of the forecast

Perhaps the most important element of critical thinking is foresight.

Almost every decision we make and implement is not catastrophic if we find reasons to abandon it. However, our decision-making becomes infinitely better and more fruitful when we stop at a tentative conclusion and consider the impact on the people and activities around us.

The elements that need to be considered are usually numerous and varied. In many cases, looking at an element from a different perspective will reveal potential dangers in pursuing our decision.

For example, moving a commercial activity to a new location can significantly improve production potential, but also lead to the loss of skilled workers if the distance is too great. Which of these is the most important consideration? Is there a way to defuse the conflict?

This is the kind of problem that can arise from incomplete critical thinking, perhaps a testament to the vital importance of good critical thinking.

In summary:

• Critical thinking aims to achieve the best possible results in every situation. For this purpose, information from as many different sources as possible should be collected and evaluated.

• Critical thinking requires a clear, often uncomfortable, assessment of your personal strengths, weaknesses, and preferences and how they might influence your decisions.

• Critical thinking requires developing and using foresight as much as possible. As Doris Day sang, "The future is not in our hands."

• Implementing decisions based on critical thinking must include an assessment of possible outcomes and ways to avoid potentially negative outcomes, or at least reduce their impact.

• Critical thinking involves reviewing the results of applying decisions made and implementing changes whenever possible.

One might think that rather than examining the information provided and knowledge gained to see if, where appropriate, we are constructing acceptable meaning, we overstate our demands on critical thinking by hoping that it can help construct focused meaning can useful.

Because almost no information that is available to us, be it external or internal, contains a guarantee as to its durability or suitability. Detailed step-by-step instructions may provide a sort of grid on which our basic understanding of critical thinking can flourish, but there are and cannot be any guarantees of safety, usefulness, or longevity.