WEEK 13

THE NATURE OF CRITICAL THINKING

Critical thinking is defined as the progressive ability to rationalize matters and think
vividly by connecting logical reasoning behind ideas. Historically, the very essence of
critical thinking has been a favorite topic by ancient Greek philosophers, usually
debated upon by great minds like Plato and Socrates. Today, it is commonly described
as one‟s capacity to think independently and reflect on his or her thoughts objectively,
with or without the opinions of other people.

Essentially, thinking critically and logical reasoning go hand and hand all the time.
Hence, one needs to be an active learner who seeks facts and investigates with all
means possible rather than to be a passive learner who only waits for information to
present itself as the situation permits it.

Despite criticisms, a critical thinker assumes that a presented information is just an

assumption, an opinion or a guess unless proven with proper research or apparent
evidences. He or she rejects all information that does not come with any valid backup
information and accepts everything that follows logical reasoning and comes with
evidences. For that person, those that are considered as general facts are still open to
argument as new data arise from time to time.

Critical thinkers will identify, analyze and solve problems systematically rather than by
intuition or instinct. Furthermore, information are accepted based on quality and not on
the quantity of proponents. After all, discoveries and inventions never come up through
a popular vote; they are achieved after painstakingly studying a subject matter over and
over again.

A critical thinker habitually displays the following characteristics:

 Determines the relevance and importance of arguments, questions and ideas
 Understands the connections between ideas
 Identifies inconsistent reasoning and consistent errors
 Recognizes, appraises and builds arguments
 Reflects on the justification of their own assumptions, beliefs and values
 Approaches problem solving in a systematic way, favoring objectivity over
subjectivity

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The Nature of Critical Thinking
From the aforementioned discussion, we can surmise that critical thinking means to
constantly try to solve problems and seek solutions. The key here is consistency and
adherence to the mindset of a true critical thinker.

Skills Needed in Critical Thinking

The skills that we need in order to be able to think critically are varied and include
observation, analysis, interpretation, reflection, evaluation, inference, explanation,
problem solving, and decision making.

 Objectively and critically think about a topic or subject matter

 Accurately identify what arguments are raised in a particular issue.
 Carefully evaluate the different points of view presented to understand how valid
and concrete they are.
 Recognize the weaknesses and loopholes in the presented arguments and
evidences.
 Understand all implications of every argument.
 Come up with a structured reasoning that supports any argument that you want
to raise.

The Critical Thinking Process

No matter how ideal critical thinking as the new norm may be, the fact of the matter is
that we cannot apply critical thinking at all times. We put are mental guards down. We
prefer practicality over technicality sometimes. We feel complacent and too comfortable
depending on the people we talk with. Our emotions also get in the way, making
physical and mental controls challenging. Remember how they say “Don‟t make any
decisions when you are angry and do not make promises when you are happy”?
Apparently, that is true.

It is natural to put our mental state at rest from time to time. Not all situations and
problems require critical thinking. Even common sense suffices sometimes. What„s
important is for you to have the ability to identify the situations that need critical thinking
and to be able to activate your critical thinking skills when they are needed the most.

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The Nature of Critical Thinking
Moreover, since our ability to think critically varies according to our mindset at present,
we can learn to improve this ability by developing certain routine activities and applying
them to all problems. Practice it whenever possible.

Once you understand the theory of critical thinking, improving this ability becomes more
natural and less challenging.

Ascertaining Your Goals

One of the most important aspects of critical thinking is to decide what you are aiming to
achieve and then make a decision based on a range of possibilities.

Once you have clarified that aim for yourself, you should use it as the starting point in all
future situations requiring thought and further decision making. As much as possible,
everyone around you should be aware of this goal so they can assist you whenever
there is opportunity to do so. Nevertheless, the discipline to successfully adopt the
attitude and mindset of a critical thinker should always start with yourself.

There are things that get in the way of every simple decision making. We all carry with
us a range of likes and dislikes, personal preferences and learned behaviors developed
throughout our lives; they are the hallmarks of being human. A major contribution to
ensuring that we apply critical thinking is to be aware of these personal characteristics,
preferences and biases, and make allowance for them when considering the next
possible steps, whether they are at the pre-action consideration stage or as part of a
rethink caused by unexpected or unforeseen impediments to continued progress.

The more we understand ourselves, the faster we can develop critical thinking.

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The Nature of Critical Thinking
The Benefit of Foresight

Critical thinking can never be completed without a keen foresight. Foresight is defined
as the ability to predict future actions, which enables a person to proactively create
solutions to impending problems. Essentially, applying foresight to critical thinking
allows a person to remain three steps ahead in any situation, giving him or her certain
level of control.

Foresight is not just any random guessing game. It requires inference using existing
information gathered through systematic research, keen observation and careful
analysis. In a way, we can say that this is the ability to make tentative conclusions and
plan logical arguments ahead of time. This is described as the most important element
of critical thinking, more often than not.

The elements needing consideration are generally numerous and varied. In many
cases, consideration of one element from a different perspective will reveal potential
dangers in pursuing our decision.

For instance, moving a business activity to a new location may improve potential output
considerably but it may also lead to the loss of skilled workers if the distance moved is
too great. Which of these is the more important consideration? Is there some way of
lessening the conflict?

This scenario shows problems that have yet to arise. Thus, one needs to set his or her
eyes to the future to as if multiple possible outcomes have already unfolded.

These are the sort of problems that may arise from incomplete critical thinking, a
demonstration perhaps of the critical importance of good critical thinking.

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The Nature of Critical Thinking
In Summary:

 Critical thinking aims to come up with the most favorable results in any situation.
This is only possible after collecting and evaluation information culled from as
many reliable sources as possible.

 Critical thinking entails an objective self-evaluation of strengths, weaknesses,

preferences and expected outcomes, no matter how uncomfortable it may feel at
first.

 Critical thinking requires the development and use of foresight.

 Decisions made with critical thinking require assessment of projected outcomes

after application. This allows proactive solutions as soon as negative outcomes
are projected.

 Critical thinking does not stop at the application of decisions and their evaluation.
Changes are also implemented if there is still room for improvement. For a critical
thinker, no solution is permanent as problems constantly change.

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The Nature of Critical Thinking