by Lorraine Messineo

Created on: February 25, 2009

Critical thinking is a process applied when a subject is examined through the presentation of evidence and a conclusion is drawn from that examination The critical examination of issues is necessary if one is to contribute to society in a way that benefits it the most. Unfortunately, humans are not born with the ability to critically examine their environment to any extent. Critical thinking must be taught.

A judgment derived from critical thinking is not an opinion, it is a judgment that has nothing to do with how one feels about the thing. For example, if one were a juror in a murder trial, one would have to apply critical thinking to make a fair judgment. In order to arrive at a fair verdict the juror must examine the evidence presented and decide whether it is relevant and supportive of the allegation as well as conforming with the law. One of the prosecution's points might be well supported by the evidence but might not be considered conclusive in its relevance to the accused's guilt or innocence. The jurors should not be basing the outcome on their personal feelings about the crime or the type of person the accused might be. Critical thinking would ignore race, sex, age, and other biases that we, as humans, are prone to rely on for our opinions. The verdict would be the outcome of careful analysis and examination of the merits of the case as supported by testimony, evidence and significance and would include any instructions the judge might have regarding the law and how it should be applied.

Critical thinking should never be confused with criticism, not even what is often termed constructive criticism. Critical thinking involves rationality, honesty, open-mindedness and discipline combined with an awareness of one's biases and a willingness to set aside those biases and base one's decision on the weight of the evidence, even if it proves one wrong in their original assumption. Critical thinking involves reaching beyond the common and ordinary thinking processes commonly referred to as low-order thinking that might be applied to the decision to buy one household item over another based on it's cost per unit or whether one should wear white in the winter or even whether or not one believes in God.

If one were to apply critical thinking to the purchase of a household tool, it would involve researching the way the tool is made, it's durability, the company's reputation, the reliability of the product's technology and perhaps several other factors before making a decision. Applying critical thinking to the examination of whether or not one believes in God would be impossible inasmuch as one's beliefs are subjective and the process of critical examination of a thing demands full objectivity and detachment.

In college writing, the ability to construct a critical argument that supports the thesis requires that one write with accuracy, clarity, and fairness using logic, relevance and other factors that provide weight to the matter being examined. This is often referred to high-order thinking. The wise student will write the arguments first and base the thesis on the results. One might go into an essay thinking that their original thesis is empirically supported by the facts only to find evidence that disproves the original hypothesis presented.

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