5 sure-shot steps to improve your Critical Thinking!

"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." —Aristotle.

Should you or should you not drink coffee early in the morning? Should you carry an umbrella on a cloudy day, even though the chances of raining are low? Whether you should you take a scooter or a bicycle to work? We’re bombarded with various life decisions every day; some crucial, others insignificant. While the overriding element remains same: the current situation, other factors, in most instances, vary. Let us consider an example. You need to go to work which is about a mile away from your place. In ideal circumstances, you might want to ride your bicycle to work. On the other hand, if it’s raining, you’ll choose your car. But what exactly is our point of discussion?

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference.”

Amidst the numerous choices that we’re required to make on a daily basis, it is difficult to pick the perfect alternative every time. But wait, hold on! There is one, particularly effective way to ameliorate the choices we make: Critical Thinking. Critical thinking is the ability to analyze a question, deconstruct it carefully, understand the hidden issues behind it (like manipulation and bias) and then draw conclusions. 

Often, the word “critical” is considered negative which, in a way, is applicable here as well. People who think critically are the ones who do not opt for a particular option just because it seems right. They get into the technicalities of all available choices and break each of them down. Critical thinkers employ scepticism to eliminate irrelevant information and keep only the ones which are reliable and useful. There are plenty of ways to get better at critically analyzing things. The best of the lot are mentioned below, follow them step-wise.

1. Know what you’re looking for

The very first rung of stepping up is formulating the question i.e., you must know what you want. For instance, if you decide to ride your bicycle to work, you should be clear about what you’re willing to achieve. Do you want to work on your weight with it or do you want to contribute to the clean air movement in your area? Both options, if considered on a micro or root level, will have implications. Riding your bicycle to work will consume more time that what car or a motorbike will. If you’re willing to lose weight, you can choose to take your car and utilize the remaining time to work-out at the gym. Knowing what your purpose is, will help you sift through the available options and pick the one which suits your needs the best. 

2. Collect relevant information

Information, in today’s era, is available in plenty. Once you have a clear idea of what you want, you’ll be able to gather all important details. In light of the above example, you must be aware of the time it takes to ride your bicycle to work and the traffic on road. This will give you an idea of how much and how well you can contribute and whether or not it is feasible. Not only does this give you clarity of the different options you have in hand but also helps you choose the best available option.

3. Put the collected information to use

To apply the information you’ve gathered, you must ask yourself a few critical questions. Digging deeper into each option, question the concepts that are applied to it, the assumptions that might exist and if your information is logically correct. For instance, consider a lottery ticket that promises you $100,000, on filling a form that requires you to enter your details. Based on your instincts, ask yourself about the approach to deal with this, whether or not should you actually believe what they’re saying and think logically about the chances of winning the lottery. You’ll get your answer!

4. Evaluate the implications

At times, the bigger picture isn’t really visible. To know the actual implications or repercussions of a certain decision, you will have to think better, think critically. For example, you want to work out at a gym to tone your body but not reduce weight entirely. The trainer asks you to eat certain food products but you’re unknowingly allergic to one of them. The diet chart will invariably fail. This is what should have been thought through before you decided to implement your diet plan.

5. Explore other points of view

You must have debated with a friend on how one government policy is better than the other. Where such views differ from person to person, try figuring out why a certain policy pleases your friend or some part of the population in general. This will broaden your horizon, helping you explore options you hadn’t and evaluate your own viewpoints. With a clearer picture thus, you will be able to make better, more informed decisions.

This process of improving your thought process will most certainly not eliminate the difficult pathways. But it definitely will add more positive choices to your basket. Critical thinking can help you analyze your options and find what you really want. A lifelong process, implementing it will give a direction to your thoughts and get better at it, along the way. Now that you know the basics of critical thinking, what are you waiting for?