“To every complex question there is a
simple answer, and it is wrong”
- H.L. Mencken
Thinking critically means using your experience and
accumulated knowledge to see problems/issues/subjects/activities from as many
different perspectives as possible, to try and gain the broadest and least
biased understanding. This involves breaking it down in different ways, viewing
it from different angles, seeing it in relation to other problems/issues/etc.,
doing broad research, and discussing it with others. It also involves being
aware and critical of your own situation, privileges, and biases, such as where
did you grow up, how, with whom, what personality type are you, etc. Critical
thinking means questioning; it means the continual search for understanding,
including as many voices as possible into your analysis.
Even in statements like 2+2=4, we must critically think:
- How did I learn this?
- How can this be applied?
- Is THis always the case?
- If two people eat two pieces of fruit, is the end result really four?
- Think of the whole world!
