Many people don’t realize the importance of critical thinking in everyday life. When you’re paying taxes, buying groceries, renting an apartment, or even working at your job, you are exercising critical thinking skills. Every time you go to work, you make use of the skills that you’ve learned during your schooling. Critical reasoning skills to help us make informed and responsible decisions in every situation.
Most of us come across a number of biases every day. We tend to base our decisions on personal experiences and opinions, as well as on what we have been taught by the media, our friends, and other authorities. If we are critical thinking about these various things, we can come up with different and better conclusions, and we can avoid coming to incorrect conclusions in the process. If we apply the methods of critical thinking to our assumptions, biases, and general observations, we can evaluate and critique our assumptions and arrive at better conclusions than we originally thought.
One example of using critical thinking when making choices is when you decide between two competing businesses. Do your research, and arrive at different conclusions based on the information that you have gathered. Drinking coffee is good for you; it can keep you awake during the day; and it can boost your productivity. There is no reason to choose one over the other.
Some critical thinkers argue that critical reasoning skills are important because they help us make better decisions and arrive at more accurate and beneficial conclusions. In fact, some say that a critical thinker’s greatest assets are his or her ability to reason correctly and accurately. The ability to reason correctly and accurately could mean the difference between success and failure. How would you like to run a successful business or corporation without using critical thinking skills? It would be virtually impossible.
A number of recent studies show that people who don’t use critical thinking skills are less successful than those who do. People with critical thinking skills are more likely to arrive at the right conclusions. Therefore, drinking coffee might not be so bad after all.
Now, it is true that those who don’t think critically, won’t be as successful as those who do. This doesn’t mean that critical thinking skills don’t help. In fact, they can help you make better decisions. However, most of us already possess these skills. For instance, if you don’t believe something, you will not reason it out or try to find the best evidence for it.
On the other hand, if you practice critical thinking skills, you will become more aware of both the facts and your interpretation of those facts. You’ll also be aware when you’ve made an error in your reasoning. Finally, you’ll be ready to quickly and effectively solve problems, regardless of their nature.
So, what’s the best way to practice critical thinking skills in your everyday life? The best way is to read everything you possibly can, and learn as much as possible about whatever it is you’re reading. For example, if you’re reading a resume, you should look at the resume from cover to cover. Not only should you look at the cover, but also at the language used, the grammar used, the spelling, and so on. After you look at every aspect of the resume, you’ll have a better idea of whether or not this person is actually qualified to do the job.
Of course, there are some biases that you are going to have to overcome. When you are critical thinking, you will tend to look at any information that challenges your already established opinion. This might make you feel uneasy, but you have to stay calm and control your reactions. This is not the time to seek refuge in cynicism. In the long run, cynicism will only give you more problems than it solves.
One of the best ways to practice your critical thinking skills is to go to a job interview. Assess how the hiring manager thinks, and use your intuition to determine whether or not this person is right for the job. Once you do this in many job interviews, you’ll be better prepared to handle almost any question that will come to you during the job interview process.
