Why is critical thinking an important skill?
Ana Vazquez
Soc-50 B
March 17, 2007
Why is critical thinking an important skill?
Critical thinking is a deliberate careful thought process one uses to actively and skillfully analyze information or assumptions that exist. Critical thinking skills can be developed. Webster Dictionary defines skill as a learned power of doing something competently: a developed talent or ability. Critical thinking is an important skill, because it assist in making alternative choices based on suitable information and confirm actions, decisions and judgments that are based on assumptions; therefore, being able to think critically leads away from naïve acceptance of authority. Critical thinking will help one to learn how to think for ones self and communicate unambiguously; it would also provide understanding of others’ communication styles, beliefs and thinking patterns in order to make better decisions and judgments.
By developing the skills of critical thinking, people also develop how to read and write critically, since critical thinking, critical reading and critical writing all work together. For example, critical reading is how one determines the message that the writer wants to convey and thinking critically helps to understand the language, hidden information and the values of the writer. Likewise, writing critically is very important in order to provide the audience a clear and concise argument and avoid ambiguity. Critical thinking uses logic and assists in expressing the elements of reasoning clearly, whether in verbal, non-verbal (reading) and written communication. The structure of the elements of reasoning consist of: purpose, question at iss ...