As a child, you learned a lot of things without realizing – how to walk, how to speak, how to say ‘please’ to get what you wanted, or how not to say ‘please’ and be a jerk.
But as we get older, we need to learn to consciously think for ourselves. Critical Thinking is the greatest skill you can master. Animals can’t do it and machines can’t do it. If you don’t want to be replaced by a algorithm or a Labrador some day, you need to learn how to think in a way that makes you indispensable.
But how do we think critically? Let GoConqr explain:
Critical Thinking is about using reason.
Critical Thinking is about seeing two sides of an argument.
Critical thinking is about using your imagination to see beyond what you can see.
Critical Thinking is about understanding emotion, but not letting emotion rule your decision.
Some ideas can be highly divisive.
Take a look at this MindMap on Gun Control is the US.
Whatever your feelings on an issue, understanding both sides of an argument is the first step in moving forward.
Critical Thinking helps us to form ideas.
Critical Thinking helps us to identify weaknesses in a theory.
Critical Thinking is a method that uses any and all of these actions – Observe. Analyse. Interpret. Reflect. Evaluate. Infer. Explain. Solve. Decide.
Critical Thinking is a language of the mind.
Here are some helpful terms to help us understand this language.
Critical Thinking protects us from manipulation by others.
Critical Thinking protects us from our own mistakes.
Critical Thinking is about asking all the relevant questions – the who’s, where’s, when’s and how’s, but mainly the why’s.
Critical Thinking is a skill.
Critical Thinking is a muscle. Exercise your thinking to make it stronger.
Here’s a critical thinking quiz to help get you started.
Think about it.