What Is Critical Thinking?

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Critical thinking is one of the terms that are often used by educators and psychologists. It is essential for the intellectual development of a person, his/her academic career, as well as professional growth. Currently, this notion attracts the attention of many scholars and researchers who write about it in their works.

This essay is aimed at discussing this concept in more detail. In particular, one should focus on the definitions of critical thinking and its most important attributes. On the whole, it is possible to say that there is no universally accepted explanation that can take into account every aspect of critical thinking

Judging from the review of academic literature, researchers can provide various definitions while speaking about critical thinking. For instance, in his article, Ken Petress (2004) attempts to identify various aspects of this notion.

In particular, the author provides a definition according to which “critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information” (Petress, 2004, p. 463). According to the author, the idea of critical thinking implies that a person can objectively assess information in terms of its reliability or relevance, draw some lessons or conclusions, and apply this knowledge in some way (Petress, 2004).

So, this concept can be regarded as a form of cognitive process. Apart from that, scholars argue that a single definition may not throw light on every dimension of this term. For example, Henry Ruminski and William Hanks (1995) believe that critical thinking can be understood as objective evaluation of evidence or argument.

However, these authors also point out that this process comprises such activities as analysis, synthesis, and practical application of information (Ruminsk & Hanks, 1995). This argument should not be overlooked because it demonstrates the complexity of critical thinking.

Additionally, scholars believe that critical thinking should comply with certain standards; in particular one can mention clarity, relevance, precision, consistency, and logical compliance (Yu, 2009, p. 54).

Provided that these standards are not reached, one cannot say that a person is engaged in critical thinking. On the whole, these examples indicate that the term critical thinking comprises a great number of components.

In my opinion, educators and psychologists should have a clear understanding of the term in order to improve the learning activities of students. It seems that critical thinking can be defined as a cognitive process which involves unbiased evaluation and analysis of information as well the generation of new ideas or arguments.

Moreover, notion means that a person relies on his/her background knowledge and skills while evaluating the information provided by other people. It should be taken into account that through critical thinking, an individual can find innovative solutions or arguments that have not been presented before. This is one of the points that are often overlooked in various definitions of critical thinking.

Overall, this discussion suggests that critical thinking is a very complex concept that cannot be easily defined because it consists of many elements. One should focus on such components as analysis, evaluation, and synthesis of the information.

Apart from that, it has to meet such requirements consistence, objectivity, and precision. By looking at various dimensions of critical thinking, teachers can better develop the skills of their students. This cognitive process is critical for such activities as reading, writing, or research.

Reference List

Ruminski, H. J., & Hanks, W. E. (1995). Critical Thinking Lacks Definition and Uniform Evaluation Criteria. Journalism & Mass Communication Educator, 50(3), 4-11.

Petress, K. (2004). Critical thinking: an extended definition. Education, 124(3), 461-466.

Yu, Y. (2009). Critical thinking in language use. US-China Foreign Language, 7(12), 53-58.

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What Is Critical Thinking?

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