What is Critical Thinking?

What is Critical Thinking?

Critical thinking is the ability to think evidently and judiciously, understanding the rationale linking between ideas. Critical thinking may be defined as the capability to involve in insightful and autonomous thinking. In core, critical thinking needs you to use your aptitude to reason. It is about being an active learner rather than an inactive recipient of data.

Critical thinkers meticulously question ideas and expectations rather than accepting them at face value. They will seek to regulate whether the ideas, advice and findings represent the whole picture and are open to the discovery that they do not. Critical thinkers will recognize, examine and solve problems methodically rather than by instinct.

Someone with critical thinking skills may:

• Comprehend the relations between ideas.
• Define the significance and importance of opinions and ideas.
• Know, build and evaluate arguments.
• Recognise contradictions and inaccuracies in reasoning.
• Approach problems in a dependable and organized way.
• Replicate on the defence of their own assumptions, theories and values.
• Critical thinking is thinking about things in definite ways so as to reach at the best possible answer in the conditions that the thinker is aware of. In more ordinary language, it is a way of thinking around whatever is currently conquering your mind so that you come to the best possible assumption.

The Skills We Need for Critical Thinking:

The abilities that we want in order to be able to think critically are diverse and include reflection, analysis, clarification, evaluation, inference, description, problem-solving, and decision making.

Specifically we need to be able to:

• Think about a topic in an impartial and critical way.
• Classify the different devices in relation to a specific subject.
• Calculate a point of view to decide how strong or valid it is.
• Identify any weaknesses or negative points that there are in the suggestion or argument.
• Notice what consequences there might be behind an announcement or argument.
• Make available planned perceptive and support for a disagreement that we wish to make.

The Critical Thinking Process:

You should be aware that most of us don’t think critically all the times. Sometimes we think in almost all other ways but critically, i.e. when our self-control is affected by anger, pain or happiness or when we sense just plain ‘bloody-minded’.

On the other hand, the decent update is, as our critical thinking capacity differs according to our present mindset, most of the time we can learn to expand our critical thinking skill by evolving certain routine actions and applying them to all complications that present themselves.

Once you understand the theory of critical thinking, refining your critical thinking skills takes determination and rehearsal.

Try this humble exercise to help you to start thinking critically.

Think of somewhat that someone has said to you recently. Now ask yourself the next questions:

Who said this?

Somebody, you recognize? Somebody in a place of authority or power? Does it trouble who said you this?

What did they say?

Did they provide facts or estimations? Did they offer all the facts? Did they leave anything out?

Where did they say it?

Was it in open or in private? Did other persons have a chance to reply?

When did they say it?

Was it before, during or after a significant happening? Is timing significant?

Why did they say it?

Did they clarify the rationale behind their judgment? Were they trying to make somebody look noble or wicked?

How did they say it?

Were they joyful or depressed, annoyed or indifferent? Did they write it or say it? Could you comprehend what was assumed?

What are you targeting to reach?

The utmost-significant features of critical thinking are to decide what are you targeting to realize and then make a decision based on a variety of opportunities.

Once you have explained that aim for yourself, you should use it as the initial point in all forthcoming conditions requiring thought and, perhaps, further decision making. Where required, make your colleagues, family or those around you aware of your objective to chase this objective. You must then self-control yourself to keep on track until altering conditions mean you have to reconsider the start of the decision making process.

Summary:

Critical thinking is meant at attaining the best possible results in any condition. In order to accomplish this, it must include assembly and evaluating information from as many different sources possible.

Critical thinking needs a clear, often painful, calculation of your personal strengths, weaknesses and likings and their possible influence on decisions you may make. Critical thinking requires the expansion and use of prudence as far as it is possible.

How Critical thinking can help you crack a job interview, please read my article on How to Prepare for MBA/PGDM Placements in Marketing.