Critical thinking: What is it? And what is it good for?

Join us for a friendly discussion as we probe the topic of Critical Thinking

• What exactly is critical thinking?

What do people mean when they say “critical thinking should be taught more” or “people really should think more critically these days”?

Wikipedia lists 14 definitions for critical thinking, most invoking the words reason, reflection, and skepticism/curiosity. The exact definition for “critical thinking” is itself a topic of much discussion, and something I believe should be discussed critically 😊

• What makes critical thinking different from cynical skepticism?

While skepticism and “not taking things at face value” is a hallmark of critical thought, what separates healthy critical thinking from the Flat-Earth conspiracy; a school of thought often predicated on “only believe evidence you see first hand with your eyes”?
And why is that Alfred Russel Wallace, a peer of Darwin and major contributor to the field of evolutionary biology, was also an anti-vaccine skeptic, publicly denying the efficacy of the smallpox vaccine in 1898?

• Could improved critical thinking skills be a magic bullet to solve (or at least mitigate) society’s problems?

An NIH article about critical thinking cites a correlation between higher critical thinking skills and fewer negative life events (e.g. being arrested for DUI). One source even claims that critical thinking can build kindness and empathy.

• How does one teach Critical Thinking?

Many would agree that critical thinking skills should be taught in schools. And there are numerous colleges that offer courses in some form of critical thinking, though the exact nature of the curriculum may vary depending on which department is teaching the course (i.e. a Critical Thinking 101 course taught from an English department may be very different from one taught from a Philosophy department, or Psychology department).

Are there ways to teach critical thinking at a younger age, before college?