What is Critical Thinking?

Critical thinking is the process of reasoning based on logic rather than emotions. A critical thinker analyzes information, asks questions, and draws reasonable conclusions instead of blindly accepting everything.

Employees with strong critical thinking skills tend to work more effectively, solve problems better, and collaborate more efficiently with colleagues. While not everyone finds it easy to develop this skill, focusing on the core elements of critical thinking can lead to significant improvement.

Read more: https://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/defining-critical-thinking/766

What is not Critical Thinking?

Many people mistakenly equate critical thinking with criticizing or rejecting others’ viewpoints. However, critical thinking is not about:

• Negative criticism: It’s not about finding flaws in others’ ideas, but rather evaluating information objectively.

• Opposing every opinion: A critical thinker doesn’t reject ideas just because they differ from their own. Instead, they consider and assess the logic behind each argument.

• Relying on emotions or biases: Critical thinking is grounded in reasoning based on data and evidence—not personal feelings or prejudices.

• Blindly accepting information: Critical thinkers don’t automatically believe everything they hear. They check the source, assess its credibility, and only then form a conclusion.

Benefits of Critical Thinking
Critical thinking offers numerous advantages in both everyday life and the workplace:

• Stimulates curiosity and creativity: Critical thinkers constantly ask questions and explore the world around them, which helps them generate fresh, innovative ideas.

• Increases independence and self-evaluation: They are less likely to be influenced by crowds or misinformation.

• Leads to well-informed, rational decisions: Their decisions are based on evidence, not fleeting emotions.

• Improves problem-solving and communication skills: Logical thinking enables them to identify optimal solutions and express ideas clearly.

• Supports unbiased information analysis: They know how to verify information from multiple sources without falling into bias.

Especially in the workplace, critical thinking empowers employees to develop creative solutions, saving time and resources for the organization.

Key Skills in Critical Thinking
Critical thinking involves a set of essential skills that help individuals approach and process information systematically. Here are the core skills:

1. Analysis

Analysis is the foundation of critical thinking, enabling individuals to evaluate and understand a problem.
It involves identifying issues, gathering data, categorizing information, and assessing evidence.
A strong analyst can pinpoint key elements in a situation and distinguish between useful and distracting information.
When faced with a problem, a critical thinker doesn’t just accept facts—they question the origin and reliability of the data.

2. Inference

Inference is the ability to draw logical conclusions from the information at hand after thorough analysis.
Critical thinkers look beyond the surface and ask deeper questions about the implications of the data.
Strong inferencing skills help evaluate different scenarios, anticipate consequences, and choose the most suitable course of action.

3. Evaluation

Evaluation is the skill of assessing the accuracy, relevance, and value of information.
Skilled evaluators consider the objectivity of data and can detect hidden biases in arguments.
Proper evaluation helps avoid poor decisions that stem from incomplete or misleading information.

4. Explanation

Explanation is the ability to clearly and logically present arguments and conclusions.
Effective critical thinkers use precise language and structure to explain their reasoning persuasively.
They can also tailor their explanations to fit the audience, enhancing communication and understanding.

5. Effective Communication

A vital aspect of critical thinking is the ability to convey ideas and arguments clearly.
Strong communicators present their thoughts coherently, defend their positions rationally, and accept feedback objectively.
Active listening is also essential, as it allows them to understand opposing views and refine their thinking accordingly.

6. Informed Decision-Making

Smart decision-making is the ultimate outcome of strong critical thinking.
Those with this skill don’t rush into conclusions—they weigh multiple factors, consider long-term impacts, and evaluate different options before deciding.
This is especially crucial in business environments, where decisions can significantly affect performance and profitability.

How to Ask Critical Questions?
Asking critical questions is a key component of critical thinking. It helps uncover more information, verify the accuracy of data, and evaluate the logic behind arguments. To ask effective critical questions, you can rely on three main factors:

1. Based on Knowledge and Skills

High-quality critical questions often stem from a strong foundation of knowledge and skills.
When you have in-depth understanding of a subject, you can ask precise questions that clarify overlooked aspects or test the logic of the information provided.

Example:
You read a book on investing and personal finance where the author advises using debt as leverage—such as taking out a loan to build rental properties that generate income.
However, another book recommends living debt-free, focusing on paying off existing debt, and managing finances by allocating 20% for savings, 60% for daily expenses, and 20% for investments.

With knowledge from both sources, you can critically question:

• Which approach is more suitable for your financial goals?

• Are there risks in leveraging debt?

• In what contexts might one strategy be better than the other?

This is a form of critical questioning based on prior knowledge, where you don’t accept advice at face value but instead evaluate it within the bigger picture of what you know and your personal situation.

2. Use Personal Experience

Personal experience allows you to ask critical questions that are practical and context-specific.
When faced with new information, ask yourself:

• “Based on my past experience, does this make sense?”

• “Would this actually work in a real-world situation?”

Combining real-life experience with objective data helps assess the accuracy and reliability of the information.
You can also frame your critical questions by reflecting on events you’ve personally gone through.

Example:
You may not have enough academic knowledge to challenge a teacher’s statement in a certain subject. For instance, in a marketing class, your instructor explains that SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the process of optimizing a website to meet search engine ranking algorithms—and that it’s a key tool to increase traffic and engagement.

Using your own experience, you might respond:
“I once worked part-time (or as an intern) at a marketing company, and while SEO was indeed important, I observed that the website’s content had a bigger impact. High-quality content often generated more value for readers and helped our pages go viral—even beyond SEO factors.”

This is a form of constructive critical thinking:
You’re not rejecting the idea but adding nuance and real-world insight.

Sometimes, critical thinking isn’t about declaring right or wrong—it’s about recognizing that the effectiveness of a concept can vary based on context.
Linking theoretical knowledge to real-life circumstances—your own or others’—can help frame more grounded and balanced critical questions.

3. Ask questions based on curiosity

Curiosity is an important driving force that helps expand understanding and explore new perspectives. A person with critical thinking will not accept information as self-evident but will ask questions such as: “Why does this happen?”, “Is there another way to solve this problem?”, “What will happen if we change an element in the initial assumption?”. Continuously asking questions based on curiosity helps to identify unclear points or gaps in reasoning. For example: Although you may not have much experience and are still young, so your knowledge and experience are limited. However, even if you haven’t come up with a suitable solution for the reality, you can still ask questions based on the curiosity to explore new perspectives. For instance, if your boss assigns you a task applying AI, instead of going online to find out how to do it, you ask questions like where can I find materials, how do I get the data, why does the boss expect this, is this result reasonable, should AI return a different result? You might find that the author of a book or the person asking this question is unclear or wrong. Be curious about why they were able to do it or why they asked that way.

Why is critical thinking important?

Many people are hesitant to voice their opinions and implicitly assume that older people are always right. Or in class, you always take it for granted that the teacher is correct and that you have no right to challenge those ideas. This inadvertently becomes a habit of accepting without thinking. This is harmful because you don’t develop depth in your thinking, and when you speak, your answers are very superficial. And when you feel uncomfortable or have an opinion about an issue at work, you also don’t dare to speak up for fear of being judged, or you choose to maintain harmony even though you are very uncomfortable.

Without critical thinking, you are also very easily deceived. There are many scams in this world that exploit your naivety, lack of thought, and lack of critical analysis. For example, they might scam you out of money, or tell you that drinking this or that is good, or approach you to defraud you. In such situations, you need to ask “why.” Why are they approaching me? What is the reality of this or that item? Is it really good? Why do they want me to do this or that?

However, it’s not about doubting everything in life. We need to rely on skills, knowledge, and curiosity to learn and suggest better ways. Critical thinking is also particularly necessary for sharpening our own thinking. This means that when we raise an idea or a viewpoint, we ourselves also critique that very viewpoint. If anyone has ever learned to write essays, it’s similar to presenting a counter-argument and rebuttal. The purpose is to identify the weaknesses in our own reasoning from opposing perspectives, so that we can then strengthen it to be more solid and convincing.