How to Practice Critical Thinking in 4 Steps

It can take time to practice critical thinking, but it's never too late to start. The Foundation for Critical Thinking suggests that practicing the following four steps will help you become a critical thinker.

01
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Ask Questions

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Critical thinkers start by asking questions about whatever is in front of them. They consider cause and effect. If this, then what? If that, then how is the outcome different? They understand that every action has a consequence, and they think about all possible outcomes of decisions before they make them. Asking questions helps this process.

Be curious about everything.

02
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Seek Information

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Once you have asked every question you can come up with about a matter (it helps to write them down), seek information that will help you answer those questions. Investigate! Do some research. You can learn almost anything on the Internet, but it's not the only place to do your research. Interview people. I'm a big fan of polling. Ask the experts around you. Gather information and various opinions you can use to make your own determination. The wider the variety, the better.

03
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Analyze With an Open Mind

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You've got a pile of information, and now it's time to analyze it all with an open mind. This is the most challenging part, in my opinion. It can be pretty difficult to recognize the filters that were instilled in us from our first families. We are products of our environments, of the ways in which we were treated as a child, of the role models we've had throughout our lives, of the opportunities we have said yes or no to, of the sum of all of our experiences.

Try to be as aware as possible of those filters and biases, and turn them off. Question everything during this step. Are you being objective? Are you speculating? Assuming anything? This is the time to look at every thought as purely as possible. Do you know it to be absolutely true? What are the facts? Have you considered the situation from every different point of view?

Be ready to be surprised by how many times we all jump to conclusions that aren't reached through critical thinking.

04
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Communicate Solutions

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Critical thinkers are more interested in solutions than in placing blame, complaining, or gossiping. Once you've reached a conclusion through critical thinking, it's time to communicate and implement a solution if one is called for. This is the time for compassion, empathy, diplomacy. Not everyone involved will have thought the situation through as critically as you have. It's your job to understand that, and to present solutions in a way that everyone can understand.

Learn more about critical thinking at the Critical Thinking Community. They have lots of resources online and for purchase.

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Peterson, Deb. "How to Practice Critical Thinking in 4 Steps." ThoughtCo, Aug. 28, 2020, thoughtco.com/how-to-practice-critical-thinking-31722. Peterson, Deb. (2020, August 28). How to Practice Critical Thinking in 4 Steps. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/how-to-practice-critical-thinking-31722 Peterson, Deb. "How to Practice Critical Thinking in 4 Steps." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/how-to-practice-critical-thinking-31722 (accessed March 29, 2024).