Critical thinking is a trait valued by many employers, and it is likely that they will test your critical thinking skills during the interview process. However, if this trait was not tested for, your work will show how good of a thinker you are. A weak critical thinker will begin to make costly errors. These mistakes will be repeated, which shows a lack of learning and a weak thinker will be unable to determine where action is necessary. These people will make assumptions, and the majority of their assumptions will be incorrect. This list continues to grow as better ways to evaluate a critical thinker are developed.
First, there has to be a question. It doesn’t have to be impossible to answer, but it should be more complex than “What colour is that car?” or “Where did you get your shirt?”. Often, good questions include a political issue, but you would also use critical thinking to determine where your next move should be or what you should major in.
Second, you have to examine the evidence. This won’t involve pulling fingerprints or examining blood splatter samples, but you want to look at the big picture. Take on that omniscient point of view.
Third, analyze any assumptions or biases. How does that work? Say you are talking to your friend about how her boyfriend treated her. She is upset; therefore, you can assume that she may not necessarily lay any fault in herself or she may exaggerate the situation. It’s important to comfort your friend, but from a critical thinker’s standpoint, you would want to consider this bias or even get the story from the boyfriend’s point of view.
Fourth, remove your emotions from the situation. Like in the previous example, your friend is unable to properly evaluate the situation because she is upset and emotionally involved. This is why it is smart to go to other people for advice about big decisions. Emotions clutter and often take over the mind because, of course, we are all only human.
Fifth, when you think critically, you want to consider other interpretations. So let’s talk about things from the boyfriend’s point of view. Maybe what offended your friend was not intended by her boyfriend, and thus miscommunication caused the argument. This is something you should consider when trying to seriously guide your friend through this difficult time.
Sixth, sometimes, even after considering all of the information you possibly can, there are still some questions left unanswered – that’s okay! Though you would like to know everything, sometimes every bit of information is hard to find. This is known as ambiguity, and to think critically, you don’t need to eliminate it, but you do need to consider it.
Sometimes, what you do not know is important when it comes to decision-making. When thinking critically, you must determine the ambiguity to determine whether you even have enough information to make a clear, rational decision about a topic.
