The Value of Critical Thinking

You have to be a good critical thinker before you can have a good argument.

In education and in the work force, more and more emphasis is being placed on developing critical thinking skills. In her article ”Teaching Skills or Teaching Thinking,” Patricia R. Palmerton states, “The national call is for students to improve their critical thinking.” ⁴ If you know how to think, judge, and reason clearly and critically, you will be a better student, worker, and problem solver.

We need to encourage each other to stop being negative and hostile and to get into the mode of being intelligent and objective. Critical thinking is being judgmental, but it involves forming and defending judgment. It is so important that we are well-informed and that we state how we received our information. I think we have all heard the statement, “Don’t confuse me with the facts, I’m perfectly content with the way I think.” Bertrand Russell said, “Most people would rather die than think; indeed, most of them do.” It is our responsibility as human beings to evaluate the facts fairly, weigh the information fairly, and then take the initiative to perform a logical analysis.

Think about the following list of characteristics of critical thinkers from V. R. Ruggiero’s Beyond Feelings: A Guide to Critical Thinking. How many of these qualities do you already possess? How can you develop these traits more fully?