One of the important parts of critical thinking is the awareness that no one is perfectly critical and thinking logically all the time. Anyone can make errors in the process of thinking– unconscious errors that lead to misinterpretation of information that is around us. The other side of the coin is logical errors – incomplete, misleading or false statements which fail to pass critical and logical assessments.
Most people believe that they are critical thinkers, and often they actually do possess some of the most important skills. They will ask questions like: who, why and how something is happening, and they will try to spot agendas and motives behind actions and events. These are important steps but they need to be followed by some more in-depth inquiries like:
How do you know that? Why do you think so? Who told you that? How do they know that? Why would they say that? Could this alternative explanation be the case? Why\why not? Could you look at this situation differently?
Want to find out more? Read the Critical Balance e-book for youth workers on critical thinking and conspiracy theories!
