Critical Thinking Skills

How does one prove that they’ve understood something perfectly? Better yet, how can they demonstrate their understanding?

When listing out the ideal qualities in job applicants, something pops up often. They call it “critical thinking,” and it’s a skill that’s hugely in demand in the professional world.

But what exactly is critical thinking? Is it a type of thinking, a marketing buzzword, or a magical ability that people are born with?

The truth is, no one has a definite answer to what constitutes critical thinking. However, it’s definitely something important, and it’s used a lot in the real world.

Here are the core skills that fall under the umbrella of what we recognise as critical thinking.

1. Holistic Reasoning:

By “holistic reasoning,” we’re referring to the ability to make sense of something by connecting together all the relevant pieces of information that refer back to that thing. 

For example, if you’re trying to understand how cryptocurrencies work, you’d need to first understand how the monetary system works, how banking and centralised financial institutions function, and also how blockchain technology is used.

Once you can reason about each of these ideas directly related to cryptocurrencies, it becomes much easier to talk about holistic reasoning and apply what you’ve learned in real life.

Usually, the path towards holistic reasoning is a long one, and this is why it’s a core critical thinking skill.

Fragmented thoughts or an incomplete understanding of an idea hinder its real-world application. It’s no surprise that people who lack the ability to put things together are likely to fall behind when faced with a problem that requires deep understanding.

2. Identifying Inconsistencies, Fallacies, and Contradictions:

If you ask a philosopher about the above heading’s components, they’ll all have different definitions for each. For the sake of clarity, let’s consider all three as errors made when trying to arrive at an understanding of how something works or is.

This skill is about always questioning things and doing your own research to arrive at the right answer.

While many times there are MANY right answers, you’ll be faced with situations where only one answer can be used.

A very basic example of identifying falsehoods is watching the news. News channels are full of propaganda, and it’s our job as viewers to distinguish what’s real from what’s not.

A critical thinker would look at a news headline and ask himself a couple of questions:

• Who was the journalist tasked with writing the headline?
• Why did this news make it to the headlines and not something else?
• Who is the channel behind it?
• How can I verify what they’re saying in the headline?
• Are there any sources cited?
• Why did they choose to write the headline with this vocab, style, and tone of voice?

If done right, the person asking these questions would be able to find all the information he needs to confirm whether what he’s reading is true or not. Applied to bigger problems, this methodology can be used in a scientific lab to reach results that can further research efforts.

In fact, this constant questioning of things is one of the main tenets of the scientific method.

It’s also a great skill to have in the workplace, as it allows you to solve business problems by identifying errors in reasoning and figuring out ways to correct them.

3. Foresight:

This is another vital skill for mastering critical thinking. If you practise critical thinking, you think about the implications of situations, ideas, projects, behaviours, disasters, miracles, etc.

Your thinking is not merely confined to the here and now, but rather you think far ahead into the future.

Questions are an essential part of having foresight. For instance, when world leaders are discussing the use of nuclear energy as a replacement for fossil fuels, foresight would manifest when you asked yourself:

• How will countries use nuclear power a few years from now?
• Can we trust ourselves not to misuse it?
• How will the world change once everyone relies on nuclear power?
• Are we doing any long-term damage to the planet if we make the switch?

Foresight equips us to handle uncertainty better. Many variables go into the decision to rely on nuclear power, and if we pause and think about each one, we likely will come up with different approaches, probable solutions, and potential dangers when trying to apply them.

Weighing the pros and cons of something is what we do all the time, and foresight forces us to sit down and think carefully about a problem before rushing to solve it with an ineffective or dangerous solution.

4. Objectivity: 

Humans are driven by bias. Our subjective worldview helps us make quick decisions that determine our fate on a day-by-day basis.

This is great when talking about survival, but when it comes to solving problems, bias kills all the critical thinking that goes into the process.

That is why teaching yourself objectivity is essential. It keeps you honest and focused on what actions actually work rather than on what your heart is telling you.

Becoming a more objective person is not easy. Your mind and brain will fight you every step of the way and will present you with shortcuts you can take to arrive at an answer.

The key to making progress is to resist the urge and do your best to think about something free from biases.

In the context of science, objectivity is necessary when conducting experiments, coming up with a hypothesis, or deciding on a course of action that affects humanity at large.

Now, imagine if someone wanted to get on the path of self-improvement but still clung to his former tendency to binge on alcohol.

If this person exercises critical thinking and objectivity, he would understand that alcoholism is extremely damaging, that there can be no justification for the behaviour, and that the only way to overcome alcoholism is by changing one’s lifestyle and thoughts.

5. Curiosity:

Critical thinkers are curious beings. They are driven by the unending pursuit of knowledge and are able to stay curious even when dealing with the mundane and the esoteric.

Some people contend that curiosity is an inherent trait, decided at birth. While that’s true to an extent, that doesn’t mean it can’t be fostered and turned into a habit for everyone else.

When someone is curious, they’ll go to great lengths to learn about something from every angle. Curious people read books, ask others, and are always looking for ways to upgrade their repertoire of knowledge.

This is exactly what helps in thinking critically about a problem.

The drive to constantly ask questions and think helps people overcome problems of any sort, and we’ve already seen how asking questions is a big part of mastering other critical thinking skills.

It’s the lynchpin of all higher thinking skills, and rightfully so.

In Conclusion:

Critical thinking is vital in the world that humans have set out to carve for themselves. It’s used in professional settings, in science, and in dealing with everyday problems. 

A lot of skills exist that contribute to improving one’s critical thinking skills, either directly or indirectly. We’ve discussed the most essential of them in this article, but there are many others worth learning about and mastering.

Lastly, it should be noted that critical thinking is not confined to a certain group of people. It’s something all of us should practise more to live a more fulfilling life.