5 Good Reasons why Critical Thinking is Important

5 Good Reasons why Critical Thinking is Important

Critical thinking is the ability to think clearly and rationally about what to do or believe. It is also the ability to reflect and think independently of what one perceives and sees.  It is a skill which one needs to cultivate by investing time and sweat.

It is not accumulation of information. Someone with a sound memory needn’t be a critical thinker. It is to deduce from what one knows and the skill to put information at hand to use in solving problems. And, to seek pertinent and relevant sources of information to fill knowledge gaps and be equipped to solve problems.

As a society we tend to value end products – a good score in an exam, beautiful drawing or a thrilling gadget rather than what led to their creation: the learning process. Today’s educators must take a long hard look at children and how best to educate them for living and working in a society where problem solving and critical thinking are the key pillars to success.

Critical thinkers are active and analytical learners. They’re open to new ideas and perspectives. They’re willing to change belief systems and investigate contrary evidence. They ask questions, analyze and use strategies to discover meanings. And, they’re a hot catch for any employer.

Here are five good reasons why critical thinking is important:

1. Domain generic thinking skill: Whether you work in education, research, finance, management, engineering or law, the ability to think clearly and logically is paramount. Critical thinking is not restricted to one subject area and the ability to think well to systematically solve problems is an invaluable asset in any career.
2. Currency of the new knowledge economy: The global knowledge economy is driven by information and technology. The new economy forces us to analyze and integrate diverse sources of knowledge into problem solving. Critical thinking promotes such thinking skills in a fast changing work place.
3. Enhances language & presentation skills: Thinking clearly improves the expression of ideas and comprehension capacity.
4. Promotes creativity: Critical thinking enables us to evaluate ideas selecting the best and modifying them if necessary.
5. Crucial for self reflection: Critical thinking helps with self reflection. We need to justify and reflect on our values and decisions in order to live meaningful lives.

There you have it enough motivation even for the most lethargic to plunge and dive to learn the skill of critical thinking.