The art of critical thinking is a handy thing to be possessed by people, especially in a professional workspace. Critical thinking has been debated upon since the time of Greek philosophers like Plato and Socrates. It has been a continued debate with a recent example of identifying fake news and not consuming it. Let’s know What is the Art of Critical Thinking?
What is the Art of Critical Thinking?
The art of critical thinking is the capability to think and understand with clarity and rationality. Understanding the connection between ideas logically is what critical thinking is all about. Essentially, the art of critical thinking tests one’s ability to reason. Rather than just being a passive receiver of information, a person who has learned the art of critical thinking is an active learner from that information. This article shall further enlighten you on the various aspects of critical thinking.
Critical thinkers tend to ask many questions and do not accept things directly at their face value. They rigorously question new ideas presented to them in various ways. They are always in pursuit of finding out whether the information they have received represents both sides of an argument. Upon finding out that the information is biased, they tend not to imbibe it and learn from it. There is a general trend of analyzing, identifying problems, and solving them systematically rather than instinct or intuition.
The art of critical thinking includes:
- Understanding linkages between different ideas
- Determining the prominence and relevance of various ideas and the arguments behind them
- Catching, identifying, building, and appraising other arguments
- Identifying mistakes, faults, and inconsistencies with arguments and their reasoning
- Approaching issues with consistency and systematically
- Being able to separate their own beliefs, assumptions, and values from the actual truth of the matter
Critical thinkers often aim to achieve the best possible solution and shall always think from that perspective. The circumstances are weighed, and they utilize their true sense of judgment. Critical thinkers consistently strive to utilize the available information and make the best out of it.
Skills Required for Critical Thinking
Broadly, the skills required are interpretation, observation, reflection, analysis, inference, evaluation, problem-solving, explanation, and decision making. To list it down into definite points, critical thinkers need to:
- Take a critical and objective approach towards topics and issues
- Identify critical arguments in problems that are relevant
- Be able to understand a point of view and evaluate it for its strength or weakness
- Assimilate weaknesses or negative aspects of arguments while judging the evidence
- Understand a notice the implication that may arise from different statements and arguments
- Give a good structure to their reasoning to support an argument which they intend on making
Critical Thinking Process
Everyone can’t think critically all the time. When we are affected by extreme emotions such as anger, joy, or grief, we tend not to think critically. We, however, can learn from our feelings and try to control them according to our mindset. By developing certain activities in our routine, we can build our critical thinking abilities as and when a problem presents itself. The first step to achieving critical thinking would be to understand the theory behind that. Once it is achieved, it takes practice and perseverance to adopt this vital skill set. The following exercise shall help you get into the habit of critical thinking:
The first step is to think of something that a person has told you recently. Once you have reminded yourself of that, ask this set of questions:
- Who said this to you?
Was it someone you know quite well? Was it someone who holds some position of power or authority? Does the factual matrix of the statement matter to you?
- What did they say to you?
Was the statement of a factual nature, or was it just that person’s personal opinion? Did the person provide you with all the necessary facts? Did they forget to provide you with any vital facts?
- Where was the location that they said it to you?
Did they tell you this information in a public situation or a private space? Was there any alternative account of this information that someone else could provide?
- When did this person give you this information?
Did they say it while an important event was occurring or just casually? Is the timing of the information of any relevance?
- What was the reason for them to say what they said?
If it was an opinion that was conveyed, did they give the reasoning for it? Was the statement made in light of glorifying or demeaning someone?
- What was the manner in which they conveyed it to you?
Was the tone of conveyance happy, sad, angry, or indifferent? Was the mode of conveyance written or spoken? Were you able to grasp and understand what was said?
What is it that you are Aiming to Achieve?
This happens to be a very important aspect of critical thinking in the context of making a decision based on the range of possibilities that exist. Once that particular aim has been clarified for yourself, it can be used as a launching point for all future situations that require thought and even furthering decision-making. In some cases, making your friends, family, and those around you aware of your intentions may be pretty helpful. It might help you stay on track with the process which you have taken up. The most important thing would be disciplining yourself until the change of circumstances makes you rethink the beginning of the decision-making process.
There are, however, things that can get in the way of making simple decisions. Every person has a set of likes and dislikes, behaviors that have been learned over the years, and personal preferences that have been developed. All these things are prevalent human traits, and you cannot be blamed for having them. The ability to separate these personal preferences and behaviors from critical thinking is in itself a fundamental characteristic to enhance critical thinking. The more aware that we are of our tendencies, preferences, likes, and dislikes, the more likely it is that we are more productive at the art of critical thinking.
Conclusion
To summarize the art of critical thinking, it should be understood that it is the act of aiming to achieve the best possible outcome from any given situation. Critical thinking requires clarity of thought, assessing one’s strengths and weaknesses, tastes, and preferences, and seeing how they can impact your decisions. Critical thinking involves the reviewing of results and the application of the decisions which you have made and trying to make necessary changes wherever possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
- When can the art of critical thinking be dated back to?
The art of critical thinking has been debated since the time of Plato and Socrates.
- What is the process that can help you adopt critical thinking?
A set of questions needs to be asked to yourself upon receiving a statement, including “who said it?” “What did they say” “where did they say it,” etc.
- What is the most essential aspect of critical thinking?
Knowing one’s shortcomings, likes, dislikes, tastes, and preferences and separating them from the facts is the most essential aspect of critical thinking.