Ability to think

Abstract

Perhaps the most useful skill that you could learn, or practice if you already know it, is critical thinking. This is a conscious effort to “think about thinking.” It challenges you to think about what you are trying to accomplish in a systematic, purposeful, and responsible manner. It also asks how you will know you have reached an adequate conclusion. While critical thinking shares many of the skills and techniques of formal logic (as well as drawing an analytical, creative, and reflective thinking), it introduces attitudes such as open-mindedness, flexibility, skepticism, independence, persistence, relevance, contextual sensitivity, empathy, decisiveness, courage, and humility that will help you reach an understanding of the complex and uncertain issues you will encounter in life. One of the best places to practice critical thinking is in evaluating the reliability of information you see on the Internet. Although this new medium is a wonderful source of information, every thing you see there should be approached with a sense of skepticism and caution.