What is critical thinking? It is a question that has been asked in our class more than once and also answered in different ways. What role does critical thinking play in decision-making? In this paper, I will discuss the importance and benefits of critical thinking in the decision-making process.
Critical thinking is the art of thinking about thinking while thinking in order to make thinking better. It involves three interconnected phases: 1) It analyzes thinking; by focusing on the parts of thinking in any situation-its purpose, question, information, inferences, assumptions, concepts, implications, and point of view. 2) It evaluates thinking; by figuring out its strengths and weaknesses-the extent to which it is clear, accurate, precise, relevant, deep, broad, logical, significant, and fair. 3) It improves thinking; by building on its strengths while reducing its weaknesses.
Critical thinkers share a common core of purposes with other critical thinkers, in keeping with the values of critical thinking. This has a variety of implications, one of the most important of which is that critical thinkers perceived explicit command of the thinking process as the key to command of behavior. Applied to the learning process, this entails that the best thinkers see reading, writing, speaking, and listening as modes of skilled thinking. “As human thinkers we are governed by our thoughts; as critical thinkers we learn how to govern the thoughts that govern us.” (Critical Thinking, 2006)
Decision-making is the implementation of a choice from many available options. This can be as simple as the decision of whether to act, or as complex as selecting many actions from many possibilities. People make decisions constantly, based on experience, best guesses, or impul ...