Believe everything I tell you

If I told you that the world was flat, would you believe me?

In the above example, a critical thinker would want to know the context: are we talking about the physical planet we live on and its shape, or are we talking about the social world and economic term "flat"? Also, a critical thinker would want to know the type and quality of evidence I have for my conclusion. A critical thinker would take into account other perspectives, in this case, the well-established scientific evidence that the earth is round. Through this process, the critical thinker questions the accuracy and meaning of the conclusion, looking beyond a simple answer. Leave no truth unexamined, says the critical thinker.

Critical thinking is one of the most important skills needed for success in college and career. Critical thinking will sharpen your learning in any subject - science, math, English, history, communications. Also, employers demand workers who are able to exam complex situations to find complex solutions.

Here is an example of how you can use critical thinking right now. When you are reading your textbook tonight, ask yourself the following at the end of each section:

- How are the main points in the section defined or described (context)?

- What supports these main points (evidence)?

- What else do we need to know about these main points (perspective)?

- How might these main points be wrong, insufficient, unsupported, or irrelevant (question)?

If I told you that critical thinking is extremely important to your academic and career success, would you believe me?

Please don't until you question my context, evidence, and perspective.