What is Critical Thinking?
There are many definitions of critical thinking. Some of them are comprehensive, covering every aspect of what critical thinking includes, while others are concise, summarizing the essence of critical thinking in just a few words. Below are three examples:
- "Critical thinking is the process of making clear, reasoned judgments." — Beyer, 1995
- "Critical thinking is the ability to look at a situation and clearly understand it from multiple perspectives while separating facts from opinions, myths, prejudices, hunches (intuition), and assumptions." — Pearsons
- "It involves the ability to question assumptions, weigh evidence, and make logical decisions based on an evaluation of facts and options." — Pearsons
Two Elements of Critical Thinking
Critical thinking can be understood as consisting of two main elements:
1. How to Think Critically About an Issue
This element involves applying critical thinking to problem-solving and decision-making. When addressing problems or making decisions, it's important to use a critical thinking framework—a structured approach that ensures all aspects of the issue are properly evaluated. This framework typically includes:
- Defining the issue or problem clearly
- Gathering relevant evidence
- Analyzing the evidence
- Generating and shortlisting potential solutions
- Considering assumptions, implications, and stakeholder views
- Planning for implementation and assessing implementation risks
2. How to Think Critically
This element focuses on the quality of thinking itself. While many people associate critical thinking only with problem-solving and decision-making, the way we think—how we approach issues, process information, and reason through arguments—determines the quality of the outcomes. Developing the skill of thinking critically involves refining how we evaluate information, question assumptions, and engage in logical reasoning.
The relationship between how to think critically and how to think critically about an issue is similar to the relationship between science and engineering. Just as science is about understanding the underlying principles of the world, and engineering applies that understanding to solve practical problems, how we think critically forms the foundation upon which we apply critical thinking to tackle specific issues or make decisions.
What Do You Need to Learn to Become a Critical Thinker?
We often recognize the absence of critical thinking when we witness poor decisions or someone jumping to conclusions with the first solution that comes to mind. Yet, despite its importance, critical thinking is rarely explicitly defined or taught—whether in schools, universities, or workplaces.
At its core, critical thinking is applied common sense. It involves making clear, reasoned judgments about claims, issues, or solutions to problems. Some also define it as determining whether a claim is true or false. Others offer more complex definitions, such as Fisher and Scriven's view: "Critical thinking is skilled, active evaluation of observations, communications, information, and arguments."
While these definitions are useful, they often fail to communicate what critical thinking looks like in practice or how it benefits us in the workplace, education, or daily life. To fully understand critical thinking, it's important to break it down into its key elements and see how they apply in various real-world situations.
Key Elements of Critical Thinking
1. Logical Reasoning
Much like an accountant needs to know the debit-credit system, critical thinkers need to understand basic reasoning processes. There are three primary types of reasoning: deductive, inductive, and causal reasoning. Inductive and causal reasoning are the most commonly applied in work, education, and everyday decision-making.
2. Clear Thinking and Communication
Critical thinking requires precision in both thought and communication. When terms are poorly defined, or when vague or ambiguous language is used, discussions can quickly devolve into miscommunication and confusion. Learning to think and communicate clearly—by defining terms and eliminating ambiguity—helps avoid these pitfalls.
3. Evaluating Credibility
Whether evaluating suppliers, colleagues, or external experts, assessing credibility is a key part of decision-making. How much weight should we give to the opinions and recommendations of others? By applying a set of principles to evaluate credibility, we can make more informed and accurate judgments.
Elements That Obstruct Critical Thinking
1. Rhetoric
In critical thinking, rhetoric refers to the use of language designed to evoke emotions and persuade rather than reason logically. While emotionally charged language can be powerful, it can also cloud judgment, pushing us to make decisions based on feelings rather than facts. Recognizing rhetorical devices helps us resist being swayed by emotions.
2. Fallacies
Fallacies are errors in reasoning that lead to mistaken beliefs. These logical missteps occur frequently, even among well-educated individuals. By learning to recognize common fallacies, such as "ad hominem" attacks or "false dilemmas," we can avoid falling into faulty reasoning traps.
3. Cognitive Biases
Cognitive biases are systematic errors in thinking caused by the way our brains process information. Unlike fallacies, which stem from mistakes in logical reasoning, cognitive biases arise from errors in perception, memory, or processing. Biases like confirmation bias or availability bias can distort judgment, even when we are aware of them. Mitigating their influence often requires using data and seeking external perspectives.