Critical thinking - levels of critical thinking and its development. Criticality and critical thinking

Psychoanalyst, art therapist.

"Criticism is the study and testing of proposals of any kind that are proposed for acceptance, in order to find out whether they correspond to reality or not. Critical thinking is the most important condition for human well-being, it must be taught."

William Graham Sumner


Critical thinking is a cognitive strategy consisting largely of constantly checking and testing possible solutions to how to do a particular job. Critical thinking is often contrasted with creative thinking, which can be correlated with divergent thinking, where components of consciousness and associations are used to create a new solution to a problem with their help.

The difference is that divergent thinking leads to new insights and solutions, while critical thinking has the function of checking existing ideas and solutions for flaws or errors.

Theory of critical thinking

The term "critical thinking" is believed to have first been used in a comprehensive work on "the importance of the mathematics curriculum and the role of thinking accuracy" by Clarke and Reeve (1928). Prior to that, it was not used in the scientific field and the identical concept was reflexive thinking.

The main prerequisite for the emergence of the theory of critical thinking in the United States at the beginning of the 20th century should be considered social tension, instability associated with the revolution, the Great Depression, and the global economic crisis. These vital aspects have prompted philosophers and sociologists to search for ideas that would transform philosophy into an active, pragmatic process that helps people survive in a radically changing world.

One of the main reasons for the emergence of the theory of critical thinking was the crisis in education, its reforms. Thus, the questions of critical thinking ceased to be a subject of interest exclusively to philosophy.

The analytical philosophy of education was of great importance in the formation and development of the theory of the formation of critical thinking.

One of the first was the American educator and philosopher John Dewey, who drew parallels between learning conditions, interaction and reflective thinking, and also proposed the development of reflective (critical) thinking as one of the most important goals of learning in the educational system.

The sociologist and philosopher W. Sumner pointed to the deep need for critical thinking in life, in education, and the need to teach critical thinking.

The development of important methodological aspects of the organization of the formation of critical thinking skills is devoted to the work of American teachers who, under the influence of postmodern thinking, started talking about the need to make changes not only in the educational system as a whole, but also in the process of developing and implementing new theories and teaching methods. They emphasized that such approaches are able to interest students in the learning process, intensify their work to achieve their own learning goals, give them the opportunity to independently monitor and evaluate the level of knowledge of each other, and form critical and creative thinking skills.

History of critical thinking

So, in the early 1960s. in the United States and England, an analytical philosophy of education appears, the origins of which were the systems of German idealism at the beginning of the 19th century.


After Socrates, Kant is the second significant figure in the history of philosophy, to whom all prominent representatives of critical rationalism are indebted, despite their critical attitude towards his teaching. The critical rationalism of I. Kant includes questions of the theory of knowledge in the areas of education, epistemology (epistemology), religion: "Wherever you know about God ... only you can judge whether to believe in Him and whether to worship Him."

In his teachings on space and time, Kant discovers that knowledge consists of analytical (explaining) and synthetic (expanding) judgments, which, as it were, reject the rationalistic doctrine of evidence, and therefore he requires that synthetic judgments be substantiated a priori in the same way as empirical ones. .

Kantian critical apriorism, starting from Humean skepticism associated with the impossibility of proving the validity of the principle of induction, generalizes the "Humean problem" to questions: how is a science consisting of synthetic judgments "a priori" possible? How is it possible to substantiate synthetic judgments of the kind "a priori"?

Karl Popper - an Austrian and British sociologist, one of the most influential philosophers of science of the 20th century, being a follower of the philosophy of I. Kant, played an important role in the history of the development of critical thinking. He can rightfully be considered the founder of the philosophical concept of critical rationalism. He described his position as follows: "I may be wrong, and you may be right ... Let's make an effort, and we may come closer to the truth."

Popper is known for his works on the philosophy of science, social and political philosophy, in which he criticized the classical concept of the scientific method. He defended the principles of democracy, social criticism and offered to adhere to them in order to make possible the prosperity of an open society.

In his commitment to the Enlightenment tradition, Popper associated the Enlightenment with belief in reason and truth, and in this sense he called himself a rationalist. “However,” Popper noted, “this does not mean that I believe in the omnipotence of the human mind ... Reason can only play a very modest role in human life. It plays the role of ... critical discussion.” A feature of the tradition of the Enlightenment, according to Popper, is a certain intellectual attitude that opposes such educational rationalistic concepts that try to give special authority to reason and the knowledge produced on its basis. "There is a significant difference between intellectual modesty and intellectual self-conceit (impertinence)," Popper explains the essence of this confrontation.

Intellectual modesty forms the ethical basis of the concept of critical rationality, called by Popper "Socratic reason", in which critical rationalism promotes not the omnipotence of reason and thus fanatical faith in it, not the "terror of rationalism" or uncritical faith in the omnipotence of science. In his concept of reason, we are talking about the Socratic point of view on the limitations and fallibility of all human knowledge, and therefore does not recognize any reference point in the process of cognition or the final authority in justification, which would guarantee the absoluteness of truth.

For Popper, a rationalist is a person who is willing to learn from others by allowing them to criticize their own ideas and by criticizing other people's ideas himself.

Psychology, fundamentals of critical thinking

Psychology of critical thinking- the totality of psychological sciences, cognitive operations and processes. As a cognitive and intellectual activity, critical thinking is based on the rules and techniques of formal logic, cognitive psychology, the psychology of creativity, decision theory and argumentation practice, and rhetoric. This type of thinking is manifested in the ability to foresee, diagnose the possible course of future events, through analysis and logic, strengthen the positive and prevent the negative consequences of decisions and actions taken. Methodical doubt (what it is logically possible to doubt), working with concepts and questions, clear and reasonable expression of thought, searching for errors and determining the degree of riskiness of various situations - all these are the foundations of the operating system of critical thinking. The main means here is the connection between thinking and knowledge.

Psychologist Diane Halper, for example, in her book The Psychology of Critical Thinking notes:

We are talking about a kind of thinking that allows you to use previously acquired knowledge to create new ones. Everything that people know - all the knowledge that exists - was created by someone. Created, to a greater extent, with the help of a purposeful course of reasoning with evaluative components - the main factors of a critical type of thinking.

"What if?..." is the basic question of critical thinking. It means developing a point of view on a certain issue and the ability to defend this point of view with logical arguments. This type of thinking requires attention to the arguments of the opponent and their logical understanding.

Critical perception

All people tend to criticize. However, this property is especially pronounced if a person has an outer corner of the eye lower than the inner one. People with heightened critical perception tend to see every flaw and wonder why others don't. Nothing irritates them more than carelessness and inattention. These people are perfectionists. They are not only engaged in self-improvement, but also expect this from family members and their employees. In the family circle, excessive criticism can have a serious impact on children, whose parents are likely to never be satisfied with the achievements of their children. Any result is not good enough for them. If the outer corners of the eyes are raised upwards, then the person is more likely to notice what has been achieved than what has been done wrong. Such people are less critical.

The outer corner of the eye is lower than the inner one - strong critical perception

The outer corner of the eye is higher than the inner one - poor critical perception

Michael's father, prone to criticism, never praised his son. No matter how hard Michael tried, he could not live up to his parent's expectations. The father believed that his son would never succeed, and somehow told him about it. When Michael later complained to his father about his constant criticism, about the fact that his father never let him finish, the answer was: "Your grandfather was a scumbag, therefore I am a scumbag." He believed that this justified his attitude towards his son. Later, Michael decided to sign up for training. This greatly helped him cope with problems in his relationship with his father. Once again, when Michael met with him, he refused to get into an unpleasant argument. And the situation changed for the better: despite the nit-picking and attacks of his father, Michael managed to move away from offensive phrases and avoided a quarrel.

Kate was brought up in strictness. At home, she walked almost on tiptoe to avoid criticism from her parents, which brought her to tears. It was difficult for her at times, but she did not want her parents to notice her weakness. If she had become an excellent student and a straight A student, Kate thought, her parents would have loved her truly. Therefore, at school, she was in constant tension, confident that she should not receive grades below five.

When Kate notices mistakes in others, she feels superior. For example, she cannot stand amateur musicians and cannot stand unprofessionalism. Because of her sense of intellectual superiority, people prefer to keep their distance from her.

Bob, a true perfectionist, owns a construction company. Previously, he always lashed out at his subordinates if they did not notice mistakes in their work. He was indignant: “What happened to you? Don't you see the error?

This did not at all raise the morale of his workers. However, as soon as he realized his gift for noticing mistakes where others do not see them, he stopped criticizing everyone and everything and began to point out only significant shortcomings. He also realized that three of his marriages fell apart, most likely due to constant criticism: he was never satisfied with his wives, and as a result, this destroyed their relationship.

Ken, a 40-year-old man, sent me a photo of himself for me to analyze. I immediately drew attention to facial features that indicated a tendency to a strong critical perception. Apparently, his parents also had this feature. Most likely, it was they who broke his spirit. Ken had a rounded outer ear rim, indicating innate musical ability. I suggested that Ken take up music. It turned out that when he was a child, his parents believed that he could not have any future in music. Despite their negative opinion, he still went to the Los Angeles music school, which led his parents to indescribable anger. Unable to withstand the pressure of adults, he was soon forced to leave school. Now, in adulthood, he has returned to music lessons and plays in a local band.

If you are naturally critical of everything, try to see the good first, and remember that there is no worse critic than yourself. If you are never satisfied with anything, how can you help yourself develop, and even more so your family and employees? Rather praise them for what they've done, look for the positives, and then, instead of the usual raucous criticism, calmly explain what else needs to be done. Try to put yourself in the place of the criticized people.

When you notice mistakes or shortcomings, give polite advice: “You did a great job, but there are a few things that could be changed. May I make a suggestion?"

Too much criticism of colleagues will only cool the ardor for work and hurt their feelings. If you are a parent who has this trait, try to encourage your child more often. Be gentle in everything.

If you often do not notice mistakes, be prepared for possible complaints. Listen to the opinions of competent people.

Remember that your criticism has a big impact on the child. Imagine how your relationship will change if you learn to control yourself? If your children have inherited your passion for criticism, teach them to use it for positive purposes; Emphasize that this is a gift, not a curse. As one woman said, she simply forgets about her love to criticize when she does not need it. Of course, in words everything is easier. In practice, for example, teachers who are prone to criticism should develop tolerance and gentleness towards their students so as not to turn learning into a test.

Professions

Critical thinkers make great editors, cameramen, surgeons, and do well in any other job that requires precision. Wouldn't you like people like that to fly a plane or fix your car? They make good literary, musical and film critics, as well as art historians.

Sandra believed that her mother, always extremely critical, did not love her or even wanted her to be born. Only when she reached the age of thirty did she realize that all these years her mother had loved her and taken care of her. She only regretted that it took her 30 years to realize it.

If you are not critical, you need to learn more about the shortcomings in your work from those who tend to notice mistakes. It is better to check several times that you have not missed some important fact.

Celebrities. Strong critical perception

Hugh Grant, Mikhail Gorbachev, John Ashcroft, J. Rowling.

From the book Philosophical Tales for those who are considering life or a fun book about freedom and morality author Kozlov Nikolay Ivanovich

Anti-Kozlov, or Critical Grumbling It would be a stretch to say that my views are always received with delight. Thank God, there are still normal people who have a normal, that is, different from mine, opinion and express it. including in writing. Here

From the book I'm right - you're wrong by Bono Edward de

Critical Application - I used to be afraid to talk to you, you seemed very smart to me ... - And now? “Now I'm not afraid. This is how Readers' Letters bring a lot of joy to the author, especially if he has a developed sense of humor. As I feel by letters, many

From the book Teach Yourself to Think [Self-Tutorial for the Development of Thinking] by Bono Edward de

Critical Thinking Anyone who makes logical errors in their thinking is taken for a bad thinker, and the shortcomings of perception are hardly noticed at all, and if they are, they are treated much more tolerantly. Therefore, if we eliminate all

From the book Psychology: Lecture Notes author Bogachkina Natalia Alexandrovna

PERCEPTION Perception is an extremely important part of thinking. For the most part, we ignore this important part of the thought process for a number of reasons: 1. We have become so obsessed with authenticity and truthfulness that we have discarded perception as subjective and intractable.

From the book Motivation and Personality author Maslow Abraham Harold

3. Perception 1. The concept of perception. Types of perception.2. Properties of perception.1. A person, cognizing the world around him, perceives not individual properties (sensations), but the object as a whole, i.e., the human brain, highlighting the properties of objects and phenomena, immediately combines them into

From the book Elements of Practical Psychology author Granovskaya Rada Mikhailovna

Perception The study of perception is largely limited to the study of errors, distortions, illusions, and the like. Wertheimer called this the study of psychological blindness. Why not bring questions of intuition, subconscious, unconscious and

From the book 10 stupidest mistakes people make author Freeman Arthur

Perception Farewell, said the Fox. - Here is my secret, it is very simple: only the heart is vigilant, the eyes do not see the most important

From the book Psychology of Critical Thinking author Halpern Diane

Critical attitude towards criticism As we grow older, we begin to understand - partly from our own experience and observations, partly thanks to the advice of near and far - that not all critics are wise and fair, and that even those we love and who love us are not always

From the book Thinking and Speech (collection) author Vygotsky Lev Semyonovich

Installation on critical thinking and readiness for it Our greatness is in thought. Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) You can't learn to think better just by reading books. An essential component of critical thinking is the development of an attitude to think critically and

From the book Cheat Sheet on General Psychology author Voytina Yulia Mikhailovna

Chapter Two The Problem of the Child's Speech and Thinking in the Teachings of J. Piaget Critical Study I Piaget's studies constituted a whole epoch in the development of the doctrine of the child's speech and thinking, of his logic and worldview. They are marked with historical significance. Piaget for the first time using

From the book Pseudoscience and the Paranormal [Critical View] author Smith Jonathan

38. PERCEPTION OF TIME. PERCEPTION OF MOVEMENT The perception of time is a reflection of the duration and sequence of phenomena and events. Time intervals are determined by the rhythmic processes occurring in the human body. Rhythm in the work of the heart, rhythmic breathing,

From the book All types of manipulations and methods for their neutralization author Bolshakova Larisa

From the book Fundamentals of Psychology author Ovsyannikova Elena Alexandrovna

How to train critical thinking It has been mentioned many times above that in order to successfully resist manipulators, it is necessary to apply critical thinking. Critical thinking is usually understood as the analysis of data in order to find out how applicable they are, highlighting

From the book Humor as a way of influence author Sheinov Viktor Pavlovich

4.3. Perception The concept of perception. In the process of cognitive activity, a person rarely deals with individual properties of objects and phenomena. Usually, an object appears in a combination of various properties and parts. Color, shape, size, smell, sounds, weight

From the book Phenomenal Intelligence. The Art of Thinking Effectively author Sheremetiev Konstantin

To make a critical remark Laughter corrects morals. O. Balzac If everyone says “no” to you, look for the reason Blonde in a foreign car in a car service. The mechanic asks: - And what do you have, beauty? - Yes, she twitches ... and stalls ... I traveled to seven car services - and everywhere

From the author's book

Critical Reading When gathering facts, approach the reading of books, websites, or newspapers very carefully. People tend to have a completely uncritical attitude to the written word. This is shamelessly used by propaganda. Most publications on politics or economics

In the 20th century, critical thinking gained particular popularity as postmodernism and constructivism, especially due to its radical point of view. A large number of people living on the planet have unlearned to choose and make decisions, relying on the truth, reliability and reality of what is happening. The fact that a person does not have the ability to think critically immediately deprives him of his own character and personality in psychology.

A person ceases to independently navigate in what he likes, what kind of music, politics, worldviews attracts him, and he also ceases to realize what he wants to do for himself. If someone and has his own point of view and his preferences, he rarely observes them and adheres to them: the critical thinking in our society is itself subject to much criticism and controversy among others. “Be tolerant!”, “How can you talk badly about other people’s musical preferences negatively?”, “You criticize this person, but what did you achieve yourself?”.

Such words can immediately point us to a person who is too malleable, unenthusiastic, devastated, and also overly trusting. If we think that reality is some kind of burden that can put pressure on the mind of the observer, then we can see that people who are unable to think critically show us complete spiritual as well as mental weakness, since they cannot resist some kind of pressure and prefer be morally destroyed.

Definition of critical thinking, what does it mean

Non-critical people

Unfortunately, the inability to think critically (partially or completely) today exists even among people who are far from stupid, but even educated. And it’s better not to talk about the material and political sphere at all: opinion leaders and the authorities always prefer to have obedient and loyal people with them, trusting their every word. After all, it is not just that now a complete rejection of a personal position and attempts to please the dominant link in everything is an indispensable factor in corporate institutions. People who have their own opinion run the risk of being misunderstood and rejected from different sides, and not so long ago, speaking out against the opinion of the authorities was punishable by exile and even death.

Of course, if everything were so simple, then the human race would have been destroyed many years ago. There are people who understand that if you receive finances and material goods in exchange for your position in life, then the meaning of life simply disappears, and the person himself becomes a simple consumer of goods. Some of these people, without thinking twice, commit suicide (there are many articles about wealthy successful people who suddenly committed suicide, including some celebrities).

Others, stronger in character and spirit, decide to go further and try to deal with these problems. In the end, such people achieve truly significant success - they develop the level of their critical thinking, do not become some kind of outcast or misunderstood by society. These individuals are able to move the human race forward, make a general development, make new discoveries and create new devices and equipment, it is they who should receive the main recognition and special authority.

What is critical thinking and how to develop it?

  1. We all heard expressions such as derogatory criticism, criticize, emergency. Thus, many assume that critical thinking means eternal dissatisfaction with everything, condemnation, as well as skepticism. This is completely untrue. Of course, the presence of distrust and skepticism is one of the main parts of critical thinking, but its main principles are not built on this. This thinking mainly consists of deliberate, carefully verified conclusions and decisions, which are supported by reliable facts and arguments, preferably of a material type, built on strict logic, consistent judgments and control of one's emotions and feelings towards the world around.
  2. The person who is capable think critically, will never blindly obey and do everything that he is told. It is difficult to get him out of control of his emotions and feelings, as well as to deceive and outwit him in any way. He does not fully believe in any belief and in his choice and actions is guided only by his processed and received information. It is for this reason that such people tend to make decisions only for themselves and never allow rash acts, they can always answer for their actions.

Criticism of oneself

Another factor in the development of critical thinking is the ability to think critically in relation to oneself. Such a person can independently understand his real abilities, perceives well and carefully eliminates the shortcomings and mistakes made. If a person does not analyze his behavior and does not criticize himself, then this characterizes him as a mentally unhealthy person, for example, patients with schizophrenia are not able to distinguish between hallucinations and strange thoughts from a real-time state. Adventurism, excessive fantasies - all this can also be a factor in the painful lack of self-criticism.

How to develop critical thinking?

Critical thinking seems to us a kind of easy and even rather primitive process: there is an unambiguous decision - true or false, which should be deduced; there are initial information and actions, consequences and reasoning made from them, the processing of these judgments and will be based on simple logic. With such principles, critical thinking is more like the logic of some kind of robot or machine. But we can often see how critical thinking becomes this very act for some people, and very often these people themselves get confused in their conclusions.

Probably, this is due to the adult stage of life: here you need to reason, think and look for the right solution yourself, and not every person is ready for this. Most people choose the tactics of big children - all the time based on the principles that are created by various groups: political, religious, traditions, canons and just more authoritative people. And they prefer to follow them, because it is easier.

Teaching Critical Learning

Useful to analyze and make a detailed list of all possible outcomes from a particular situation. Presenting on a visualization background will greatly simplify this task. You can draw special diagrams, diagrams, as well as special tables. Here you can use the methods of mathematical disciplines - statistics, as well as logic. It is worth remembering that mathematics is the most exact science among others.

best method development of critical thinking in oneself will adhere to a special scheme: the solution of the problem facing you occurs with the help of five actions - preparation, acquaintance and analysis of the problem, development of the right solution, selection of the most accurate result, and evaluation of the final result of the work done. All people who have received higher education or participated in any research are familiar with this method. So, this method is the main one for writing theses, dissertations, term papers and other documents of this type. A structured and well-thought-out plan can help a person quickly and step by step solve any difficult issue.

Critical thinking is a reasoning process aimed at objectively analyzing any idea that comes into your head. It involves a deeper exploration of certain areas of life so that you can reach your potential.

Our life is the result of our thoughts and decisions. Therefore, by improving the quality of thoughts, we can improve our lives. One way to do this is to improve your critical thinking skills.

1. Don't Assume - Explore

In everyday life, we make assumptions about almost everything. Our brain is so arranged, it makes assumptions in order to process information. And this function is an extremely important part of the structure of the brain. However, sometimes these assumptions can be wrong or inaccurate. Critical thinking involves the rejection of assumptions, it requires the analysis of any data for its relevance and veracity. For any assumption, always ask the question why it is so, and not otherwise.

2. Research first, then take the information for the truth

Around great amount information. One comes from reliable sources, the other from unreliable ones. Therefore, we distribute information based on this classification. This saves time and energy that would be required for a more thorough analysis of the information received. However, information that we consider reliable may turn out to be. If something was published somewhere or broadcast by the media, this does not mean that the information is reliable. Critical thinking means that you need to get to the bottom of all the new data that comes to you in order to check their validity.

3. Everything is in question

To think critically, you must be willing to question literally everything. You must question all the news, government statements, and even what you have been taught from an early age. Ask questions. Thinking critically is not impossible. First, find questions to ask in a particular situation. Second, ask in a way that will get constructive answers.

4. Become aware of your personal biases

Prejudices are conclusions about the world around you based on your own experience. Absolutely every person has prejudices, sometimes this leads to wrong conclusions and decisions. To develop critical thinking, you need to identify your biases and examine them. This will lead to a better analysis of new information.

5. Plan more steps ahead than your peers.

Life can be seen as a game of chess. To succeed, you must be many steps ahead of your opponent. It is not enough to calculate two or three steps ahead. You must calculate and plan a strategy for the maximum possible number of steps ahead. Have a brainstorm where you consider the full range of your future. You will be able to anticipate some problems and prepare for them.

6. Determine the main goal of your decisions

Every time you make a decision in life, there is a purpose behind it. This goal should become a guide for thoughts and actions. Make sure your goal is completely clear to you. State it in words and figures, let your path to it begin with this. Make decisions that will bring you closer to your goal.

7. Think about the consequences of your actions

Every action faces a reaction. Our actions are the result of our decisions. We must predict and evaluate the possible consequences. One way is to put yourself in the shoes of someone who will be affected by your decision. This will allow you to be ready for any outcome, and you will be able to come up with a back-up plan that will address problems that may suddenly arise.

8. Become aware of the processes taking place in your mind

The process of human thinking is simply amazing. The brain is the most complex structure known to man. We think in many ways. One way is heuristics. This is a set of techniques and methods that facilitate the solution of formal problems. She relies more on . From a critical thinking point of view, heuristics are not reliable. Since she considers information without delving into the facts, she is also heavily influenced by preconceptions. To improve your critical thinking skills, you must understand how your mind works.

9. See evidence of previous thought chains

You don't have to reinvent the wheel. Any problem you encounter has most likely already been solved by someone. To deal with it faster and more successfully, just look at the results of those who have done it before you. Use the information you receive to find your own path, which may turn out to be more thoughtful.

Critical thinking greatly increases your chances of success in life endeavors. It allows you to get excellent results. The following tips will help you improve your thinking skills. Study and apply them, over time you will notice an improvement in the quality of life.

Critical thinking is the ability to assimilate important information and use it to form one's own decisions or opinions. We emphasize: it is your opinion, and not the same as that of everyone around. This skill does not always and not all appear by itself. Fortunately, this can be learned through practice.

1. Train yourself to pay attention to the right details.

A very important step in developing critical thinking is to understand that the details matter. Every day we receive so much information and hear so many different opinions that it is easy to get lost in the details. This means that we must train ourselves to distinguish significant details from insignificant ones.

Start with the news. If something seems strange - this is the first warning sign. With it, you can start looking for other gaps in the argument. There are several ways to find them:

  • Think about who benefits from making such statements. When you read the news or expert articles, be sure to consider who will benefit from the claims made. There is a good chance that the person from whom a certain opinion comes from gains something from it. It is not always a matter of self-interest - motivation simply makes the opinion more reasonable. But it's good to think about who benefits from such ideas.
  • Check the source of the information. On the Internet, sources are not immediately visible, so if you see a controversial statement, then track where it came from, who made it first. And only then form your own attitude.
  • Track the "obvious". A common technique in debates, reviews, and even essays is to put forward a lot of seemingly truthful and justified statements, and then “accidentally” insert one more one among them, which seems to follow from the above. Like. Such counterintuitive statements are easy to miss because you have already begun to agree with the speaker/writer, he has almost convinced you. Hypertrophied example: "So now we know that the sky is blue, the grass is green, the clouds are white, and Apple makes the best computers."

Unfounded arguments around a thousand. To practice, watch political or scientific debates - in such conversations, it's nice to pay attention to specific details. The more you do this, the faster you will think critically. Over time, the skill will become automatic.

2. Always ask questions


Paying attention to details is only the first part of critical thinking training. This in itself is useless, you still need to know what questions to ask next. Critical thinking and the right questions are intertwined.

Writer and psychologist Maria Konnikova offers several ways to learn how to ask questions using the example of Sherlock Holmes:

“After he defines a goal for himself, he observes and collects data. And he asks: okay, and how do I answer this question? And one more thing: what in this conversation, in this person, in this situation will allow me to collect the data that I can then use and check whether my hypothesis is true or not?

Then Holmes does what any great scientist probably does. He takes a step back and looks at the data again, redistributes it, considers different possibilities, finally gets creative. All then to see if I missed something. Mind still open? Am I thinking open-minded? Do I still know what's going on? Or is this data a reason to come up with new ideas? New approaches? To think about those things that I did not take into account before?

Writer Scott Berkan shared his own set of questions for critical thinking:

“What is a counterargument? Anyone who seriously studies the issue has seen enough facts to compare them with the argument put forward, to look at the problem from the other side and - to ask a question. There are such useful questions: who, besides you, shares this opinion? What are the key problems and what is needed to solve them? What needs to be changed to change your opinion?”

Of course, this is similar to the Socratic method: a series of questions will help you understand what you yourself think about the quality of an argument or opinion. Regardless of the approach, the ultimate goal is to learn to think critically and analyze absolutely everything. Always ask yourself why a detail, thought, or argument is important and how it fits in with what you already know. When you ask questions, you are training your brain to make connections between ideas and opinions. And be critical of additional information that you will certainly meet.

3. Watch for Power Phrases


It's not just the brain that learns to think critically. This also applies to the ears: you should notice small and imperceptible words and phrases that should become an alarm signal for you. Yes, it's impossible to pay attention to everything at once, but there are a few phrases that make weak arguments sound significant. These are amplifying phrases, and everything that will be said after them should be carefully considered:

  • I want to say;
  • I'm just saying that;
  • To be completely honest;
  • I just want you to know;
  • I do not say that;
  • I hear what you say;
  • Do not misunderstand me;
  • Let's be honest;
  • As far as I know;
  • I think that;
  • Certainly.

These phrases signal that the arguments after may be false and it's time to focus. Once you've heard them, know it's time to ask questions.

4. Identify and challenge your own biases


We are all biased towards information, whether we realize it or not. But through critical thinking, you can learn to go beyond your preconceptions.

Writer Terry Pratchett sums it up well in his book The Truth:

"Be careful. People like to hear about what they already know. And when you say something new, they feel embarrassed. New ideas... Well, new ideas are not what they expect. They, say, would like to know that a dog bites a person. Dogs usually do this. But they don't want to know that a man bites a dog, because nothing like that should happen in the world. In general, people think they want the new, but what they really want is the old. Not news, but everyday life - they will confirm to people that exactly what they already know is true.

Thinking critically means fighting your biases as often as possible. It's hard, but if you think about ideas that you strongly disagree with from time to time during the day, you will train your brain to do it more often.

5. Practice whenever you can

If you want to learn something, you need to practice every day. This applies to everything, including critical thinking. Of course, you can do a lot in your own head, but there are other exercises.

One of the easiest ways to learn is to keep a diary. It can be notes about daily observations or a notebook with opinions, but the point is to write there every day.


Once you get used to it, blogging online is a great way to get other people's opinions and challenge yourself because not everyone will agree with you. It is also a great practice to have discussions with friends.

This is not all that can be said about critical thinking. The more you develop this skill, the better you will get. At first, you will have to constantly monitor which direction your thoughts take, but as a result, your brain will automatically learn to find the best arguments, come up with interesting and useful ideas, and be creative in solving problems.

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