The Importance of Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is a crucial skill. It is rapidly being overpowered by groupthink and biased opinion. We should use this skill daily in every aspect of our lives. Although it’s an important part of academic and business success, it’s not often taught at school unless it’s part of a math, science, or business curriculum.

As we approach 2025, critical thinking will not be a popular topic because we are so divided that each group recruits’ people to be part of the tribe, i.e., group-think robots. Be aware of the issues this will create for you, and understand there is a cost.

Critical thinking is the empowering process of taking information and making informed decisions without being unduly influenced by opinions or biases. It’s about mastering your thought processes, not being controlled by them.

Teaching Children Critical Thinking

As with most things in life, parents play a crucial role in teaching their children how to think critically. By instilling this skill, children can master the process, which will greatly benefit them as adults.

If you don’t support it, they will fall into the same trap that you are, allowing others to tell you what to think and how to act. Social media will be the primary source of that groupthink and manipulation, but as I have said many times, it is only a tool; how it’s used can be dangerous.

Here are a few thoughts to help your children expand their problem-solving capabilities:

1. Ask your child questions. Reinforce what they’ve learned at school with simple questions about their homework. Ask their opinions about their social activities or favorite television show to spark conversation and encourage kids to think of relevant answers. Discuss the words of the latest tunes they are listening to before condemning them, and be open-minded.

2. Respect your child’s opinion. Children are complete individuals with their belief systems. Listening to and considering their opinions gives them confidence and makes them feel valued and heard. Guide them in knowing the difference between constructive opinions and destructive opinions.

· Confident children who voice their opinions will become confident adults who will actively participate in their workplace.

3. Let your children think for themselves. If you do everything for your child and answer every question, they’ll always rely on you, the parent, for their answers. Please encourage them to bring at least one proposed solution to a problem when they bring it to you. Make it a learning experience.

· Encourage your child to find answers to their questions and praise them when they see the answer.

How Can I Develop Critical Thinking Skills?

Because of its importance in our daily lives, critical thinking is a skill that anyone would benefit from developing and using. You can learn to think critically and improve your problem-solving skills with self-awareness and extra effort!

Practice these techniques both at home and at work, and soon, you’ll reprogram your brain to look at all sides of a problem automatically:

1. Think for yourself. First, don’t be so quick to ask others for the answers to your problems. Step back from the question and look at the subject from all angles. Consider all relevant information about the situation to exercise critical thinking effectively.

· Try not to make snap judgments. Examine all the evidence closely and absorb all the data first. Yes, this means including the negatives also. When you consider all relevant data, your decision will be well reasoned.

2. Evaluate objectively. Evaluating the information without letting your opinions and biases affect your judgment is one of the biggest hurdles people face when developing critical thinking skills. Objective reasoning doesn’t happen overnight!

· You may need to make a conscious effort to think past your own opinions. Imagine that you are not yourself but instead a neutral outside observer. How would this change your view of the situation? Being able to get yourself into this mindset will go far toward your development of effective critical thinking capabilities.

Even if it takes some time to sharpen your critical thinking skills, the benefits far outweigh the effort. Critical thinking will teach you an entirely new way to look at the world and can do wonders for your abilities as a problem solver! As a critical thinker, you’ll be better equipped to face the challenges of an ever-changing world and be well-served in both your personal and professional life.