When you see a circle, what is the first thing that comes into your mind? If you are a mathematician, then your answer would probably be the diameter of that circle. However, if you are an artist, then your answer may be its representation of completion. See? Different people may have different views with a selfsame thing, depending on the way they think. The same thing happens when it comes to concepts. Some people believe everything that others said, and make decisions based on their intuition. We call those people non-critical thinkers. Nonetheless, some people do the opposite. They never agree with other people without thinking and evaluating thoroughly. We call those people critical thinkers. So, is critical thinking important?
According to “ The Critical Thinking Community” from www.criticalthinking.org(2015), critical thinking is the art of analyzing and evaluating thinking with a view to improving it. A well-cultivated critical thinker raises vital questions and problems, formulating them clearly and precisely. At the same time, he or she gathers and assessed relevant information, using abstract ideas to interpret it effectively, comes to well-reasoned conclusions and solutions, testing them against relevant criteria and standards. Also, he or she thinks open-mindedly within alternative systems of thought, recognizing and assessing, as need be, their assumptions, implications, and practical consequences. Furthermore, he or she can communicate effectively with others in figuring out solutions to complex problems. In conclusion, “ The Critical Thinking Community” says critical thinking is self-directed, self-disciplined, self-monitored, and self-corrective thinking. It requires rigorous standards of excellence and mindful command of their use.
Another idea, bywww.thinkwaston.com(2017), critical thinking is regarded as a key competency of all stuff, with particular relevance to graduates and managers. It underlies fundamental workplace competencies, such as problem solving, decision making, planning, and risk management. With globalization and the increased speed of business, employees at every level are facing a flow of information. Moreover, a critical thinker thinks logically with clarity and precision, uses an approach that is fair and accurate, focuses on information that is relevant. Also, critical thinking is an organized and disciplined way of thinking. To conclude, “ Think Waston” says critical thinking is an intellectual skill.
A third writer, from www.tcd.ie(2015) states that critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generalized by observation, experience, reflection, reasoning or communication, as a guide to belief or action (or argument). Most importantly, critical thinking involves: analyzing tasks, identifying assumptions, analyzing and classifying, making comparisons, problem solving, questioning and challenging tasks and ideas, observing facts, comparing them to hypotheses and assumptions, judging the validity of the source and the worth of evidence, forming opinions/ arguments, making connections between ideas, texts, theories, frameworks, disciplines, evaluating and weighing up, drawing inferences, making generalizations. To sum up, critical thinking demands a series of essential skills.
A fourth source,www.rasmussen.edu(2016) states that critical skills are extremely important in developing in a successful career. First of all, a critical thinker has the ability to understand the information you are presented and being able to communicate to others. Secondly, a critical thinker has the ability to connect pieces of information together in order to determine what the intended meaning of the information was meant to represent. Thirdly, a critical thinker is able to understand and recognize what elements you will need in order to determine an accurate conclusion or hypothesis from the information you have at your disposal. Next, a critical thinker is able to evaluate the credibility of statements or descriptions of a person’s experience, judgment or opinion in order to measure the validity of the information being presented. Also, a critical thinker has the ability to not only restate information, but add clarity and perspective to the information, so it can be fully understood by anyone you are sharing it with. To summarize, the author fromwww.rasmussen.edu thinks that critical thinking can provide people with a successful career.
Yet another idea, from www.wisegeek.org(2017) is that critical thinking is the ability to apply reasoning and logic to new or unfamiliar ideas, opinions and situations. Most importantly, the ability to think critically is essential, as it creates new possibilities in problem solving. Furthermore, critical thinking often relies on the ability to view the world in a way that does not focus on the self. Critical thinking is used in many situations. As a result, a critical thinker has the ability to approach a problem or situation rationally. Additionally, school systems in the US usually teach critical thinking from elementary school up through college-level courses. To conclude, thinking critically involves seeing things in an open-minded way and examining an idea or concept from as many perspectives as possible.