Being Critical Thinking: A Review of Our Thinking

People go to schools and spend amount of hours in their life span in order to develop what so called as critical thinking. Teachers as well as politicians attend many seminars in order to maintain what some experts said as critical thinking. The amusing question is why does everybody should develop critical thinking.

The term critical thinking derives from two words that are critical and thinking. Somebody can be called as being critical if they do not see phenomena as solely separate events but they will associate to others. Thinking as an active verb can be defined as a process of associating what our sensory got with existing background knowledge in our mind. The process does not stop as it is. Later, our background knowledge will make a decision how to react to the sensory input. A careful driver, for example, when he sees a danger in front of him (a sensory input), his existing knowledge about brake and accelerator will lead his reaction towards the danger.

The next amusing question is why we need to think critically. Can't we called our everyday thinking as critical thinking?

In order to have critical thinking, someone has  to be an active thinker first. An active thinker always asks questions on phenomena and must seek for arguments. But remember not only asking questions without solutions offered. From arguments that are raised based on reasonable sources, an active thinker must offer solutions. 

Some people might think that being critical thinkers are the same with being politicians (in today's context). Politicians are always asking about laws or rules and make arguments to judge the other parties. Also, they will offer some "solutions", we set aside a question whether they commit to their solutions or not. Being committed to what we do is one of factors that differentiate politicians from critical thinkers. Thus, the second step of being critical thinking is we have to persistent to our "solutions." Being committed means being self-discipline, self-regulated, and self-corrective. 

Critical thinking is so crucial in our life and we need to remind ourselves about it because critical thinking is a skill of higher level of thinking that will only be achieved by learning and explanation. Maybe that's one reason why many subjects are offered under the big umbrella of critical thinking. As it is a skill, critical thinking should be practiced again and again. The more we practice it, the more critical will be.

In order to put critical thinking in real life situation, there are some steps that we should follow, such as:

1. Raise vital question = intelligent = precise (Critical thinking is not hasty thinking)
2. Gather all relevant information
3. Be open minded to test this operation (See phenomena as a whole, not only from one small angle)
4. Make a careful conclusion

At its best, critical thinking aims at improving the quality of our life. But, we must be aware that all phenomena in this life need not to be taught as critically as it is. We believe in God, good and bad, The Hereafter and many others although we cannot see and feel it through our sensory because God is totally different with His creatures. Smart people think critically, but only genius people think critical thinking critically. So, we need to be selective.