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What is Critical Thinking?

Nobody said it better than Francis Bacon, back in 1605:

For myself, I found that I was fitted for nothing so well as for the study of Truth; as having a mind nimble and versatile enough to catch the resemblances of things … and at the same time steady enough to fix and distinguish their subtler differences; as being gifted by nature with desire to seek, patience to doubt, fondness to meditate, slowness to assert, readiness to consider, carefulness to dispose and set in order; and as being a man that neither affects what is new nor admires what is old, and that hates every kind of imposture.

A shorter version is the art of being right.

Or, more prosaically: critical thinking is the skillful application of a repertoire of validated general techniques for deciding the level of confidence you should have in a proposition in the light of the available evidence.

Definitions of Critical Thinking

Critical Thinking is an ability to evaluate information and opinions in a systematic, purposeful, efficient manner.
Critical Thinking is reasonable reflective thinking that is focused on deciding what to believe or do. More precisely, it is assessing the authenticity, accuracy, and/or worth of knowledge claims and arguments. It requires careful, precise, persistent and objective analysis of any knowledge claim or belief to judge its validity and/or worth.
Critical Thinking is focused, organized thinking about such things as the logical relationships among ideas, the soundness of evidence, and the differences between fact and opinion.
Critical Thinking is a persistent effort to examine evidence that supports any belief, solution, or conclusion prior to its acceptance. The ability to think clearly, to analyze, and to reason logically.

Essay on Critical Thinking and Why It Counts

Peter Facione has authored an essay entitled Critical Thinking - What it is and Why it Counts, in which he says:

“Teach people to make good decisions and you equip them to improve their own futures and become contributing members of society, rather than burdens on society. Becoming educated and practicing good judgment does not absolutely guarantee a life of happiness, virtue, or economic success, but it surely offers a better chance at those things. And it is clearly better than enduring the consequences of making bad decisions and better than burdening friends, family, and all the rest of us with the unwanted and avoidable consequences of those poor choices.”

Use this link to download his Critical Thinking Essay.

Critical Thinking Links

Critical Thinking on the Web - Excellent collection of links from Austhink, who are leaders in argument mapping.
Critical Thinking - Get Enlightened - What you should think about the next time you encounter any information.
ConceptDraw MINDMAP - Critical Thinking - Critical thinking software
Critical Thinking Lab - A computer-assisted introduction to critical thinking, informal logic, and logic. (Site has annoying popups).

This post is a Critical Thinking stub. You can help by expanding it, or continue browsing the Categories on your left.

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What is Critical Thinking?

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