As information and change increase exponentially in today’s digital age, critical thinking is more important than ever. Critical thinking is more than just questioning and reasoning. Taking into account the context and sources of information, the limitation of your understanding and knowledge, and recognizing and questioning assumptions are the first steps in critical thinking.
Interpreting and evaluating arguments and evidence with a healthy dose of analytical skepticism; the questioning of accepted norms; an honest and open evaluation filtered for bias, predisposition, and relevance; the balancing of uncertainty and weighing of data and alternatives; effective communication; and the prioritization of effort also play essential roles in critical thinking.
Of course, coming to logical conclusions must be followed by carrying out solutions and continuous refinement (or reevaluation) as additional relevant information becomes available.
The distillation by this blog has broken a tenet of critical thinking (avoiding oversimplification). Seize the opportunity to expand your knowledge. There are some 142 million Google hits for “critical thinking”, hundreds of books, and numerous courses available – give it some critical thought.
Here are three related documents you may want to ponder:
1) 4 indicators your firm isn’t critically thinking: http://bit.ly/bQG4gf
2) Creating a sound decision-maker: http://prosfromdover.wordpress.com/
3) Critical thinking is the most important skill employees need in the next five years http://alturl.com/pkot
