Benefits, Barriers, and Characteristics of Critical Thinking.

¶ … Characteristics

The intellectual standards of critical thinking

Critical thinking is described as the ability of an individual to think in a rational and clear manner with the aim of improving the quality of the reasoning process (Moore, 2007). It requires mastery of the application of different intellectual standards to elements of reasoning in various scenarios or problems. Although there are many applicable intellectual standards, some of the most important are: clarity or understandability of points, accuracy of information, how exact or precise the details are, relevance of a specified subject or even topic area, the depth in handling complex issues, the breadth of the train of thought, the logic and sense behind a thought, and the fairness or biasness of the thinker in regard to an issue (Moore, 2007).

The benefits of critical thinking

Critical thinking enables an individual to solve problems in a systematic way in any area of life; be it in education, family or in the workplace. It fosters creativity, boosts language skills and improves the way ideas are presented. On a broader perspective, critical thinking enables better analysis of information especially in this technological era where consolidation of different sources of knowledge is prioritized.

What are the barriers to critical thinking?

According to Palomar Community College (2015), dependence on authoritative individuals tends to affect the way we reason. A person's culture also shapes their beliefs and sometimes individuals become too self-driven, which makes their train of thought intent on making decisions for their own benefit. The tendency to categorize issues with disregard to complexity and labels used in the community are also great barriers to critical thinking as they cause distortion of information as a result of preconceived ideas (Palomar Community College, 2015).

The characteristics of a critical thinker

The proper application of intellectual standards and intellectual traits give rise to critical thinkers who:

Have proper presentation and language skills.

Deal with changes in information from different sources in a fast and effective manner.

Come up with creative and innovative ideas.

Can conduct self-evaluation tests to structure their lives.

Are open-minded and consider benefits and consequences in decision making.

The difference between deductive and inductive reasoning

Deductive reasoning starts with a hypothesis then examines various possibilities to come to a logical conclusion (Lavery and Hughes, 2008). A good example: every day I take a cup of coffee in the morning. Every day I am alert and effective. Therefore, if I take a cup of coffee this morning, I will be more alert and effective during the day.