4.2 What is Critical thinking 

In this resource, we use the scientific method to approach a problem. Critical thinking is necessary to use this method, but logic and reasoning are cognitive skills required of a health care professional.

Critical Thinking

As a college student, you are tasked with engaging and expanding your thinking skills. Critical thinking is one of the most important skills because it relates to nearly all tasks, situations, topics, careers, environments, challenges, and opportunities. It is a “domain-general” thinking skill, not one specific to a particular subject area.

What Is Critical Thinking?

Critical thinking is clear, reasonable, reflective thinking focused on deciding what to believe or do. It means asking probing questions like “How do we know?” or “Is this true in every case or just in this instance?” It involves being skeptical and challenging assumptions rather than simply memorizing facts or blindly accepting what you hear or read.

Imagine, for example, that you’re reading a history textbook. You wonder who wrote it and why because you detect certain biases in the writing. You find that the author has a limited scope of research focused only on a particular group within a population. In this case, your critical thinking reveals “other sides to the story.”

Who are critical thinkers, and what characteristics do they have in common? Critical thinkers are usually curious and reflective people. They like to explore and probe new areas and seek knowledge, clarification, and new solutions. They ask pertinent questions, evaluate statements and arguments, and distinguish between facts and opinions. They are also willing to examine their own beliefs, possessing a manner of humility that allows them to admit a lack of knowledge or understanding when needed. They are open to changing their mind. Perhaps most of all, they actively enjoy learning and seeking new knowledge is a lifelong pursuit. This may well be you!

No matter where you are on the road to being a critical thinker, you can always more fully develop and finely tune your skills. Doing so will help you develop more balanced arguments, express yourself clearly, read critically, and glean important information efficiently. Critical thinking skills will help you in any profession or any circumstance of life, from science to art to business to teaching. With critical thinking, you become a clearer thinker and problem solver.

Critical Thinking and Logic

Critical thinking is fundamentally a process of questioning information and data. You may question the information you read in a textbook or what a politician, professor, or classmate says. You can also question a commonly-held belief or a new idea. With critical thinking, anything and everything is subject to question and examination to logically construct reasoned perspectives.

What Is Logic?

The word logic comes from the Ancient Greek logike, referring to the science or art of reasoning. Using logic, a person evaluates arguments and reasoning and strives to distinguish between good and bad reasoning or between truth and falsehood. Using logic, you can evaluate the ideas and claims of others, make good decisions, and form sound beliefs about the world.

Questions of Logic in Critical Thinking

Let’s use a simple example of applying logic to a critical-thinking situation. In this hypothetical scenario, a man has a Ph.D. in political science, and he works as a professor at a local college. His wife works at the college, too. They have three young children in the local school system, and their family is well-known in the community. The man is now running for political office. Are his credentials and experience sufficient for entering public office? Will he be effective in the political office? Some voters might believe that his personal life and current job, on the surface, suggest he will do well in the position, and they will vote for him. In truth, the characteristics described don’t guarantee that the man will do a good job. The information is somewhat irrelevant. What else might you want to know? How about whether the man had already held a political office and done a good job? In this case, we want to think critically about how much information is adequate in order to make a decision based on logic instead of assumptions.

The following questions, presented in the figure  below, are ones you may apply to formulate a logical, reasoned perspective in the above scenario or any other situation:

1. What’s happening? Gather the basic information and begin to think of questions.
2. Why is it important? Ask yourself why it’s significant and whether or not you agree.
3. What don’t I see? Is there anything important missing?
4. How do I know? Ask yourself where the information came from and how it was constructed.
5. Who is saying it? What’s the position of the speaker and what is influencing them?
6. What else? What if? What other ideas exist and

“Chapter 7: Critical Thinking and Evaluating Information” by Jazzabel Maya is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike unless otherwise noted.—Modifications: Used sections Critical Thinking & Critical Thinking and Logic.