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How to think critically
Critical thinking: two words you'll tire of hearing during your time at university, but also a skill that will help you improve your grades, build strong arguments, think clearly and even spot the sneakiest of fake news on your social media feed.
By the time you reach the end of this page, you'll know what critical thinking is, how to hone it and how to demonstrate it in your work. Are you ready? Let's get critical.
Test your knowledge: can you spot critical thinking in action?
You probably know more about critical thinking than you think. This short exercise from The Critical Thinking Toolkit helps you recognise the difference between critical and uncritical thinking in everyday situations.
Which student is critically thinking?
Ken and Lisa are politics students. Both read an article on a social media outlet which claims that all politicians are corrupt.
Ken reads the article and accepts it at face value. He takes this as knowledge that is factually correct and absorbs it into his belief system: all politicians are corrupt. Indeed, when chatting about the subject with friends after a lecture he cites it as an absolute fact and bases his argument on it. The writer’s opinion has become absolute.
Lisa reads the article and asks herself what the foundation for it is: what are the writer’s views, what was the aim of the article and what is the basis of the claims.
She recognises that it was the writer’s opinion and when chatting about the subject with friends after a lecture she initiates an interesting debate about the merits of the opinion. As a group they explore the idea and develop their understanding and own thoughts and opinions in relation to what corrupt means, consider how ‘corrupt’ is measured, wonder if there are there exceptions to the rule and reflect on the impact of a corrupt politician.
Who’s the critical thinker? If you chose Lisa, you’re right.
Read the chapter below to explore why—and to start building your own critical thinking action plan.
Why does reasoning matter?
This free chapter from Tom Chatfield's Critical Thinking shows you the ins and outs of reasoning, including the difference between an argument and an explanation and what makes an argument effective.
Five things you will learn in this chapter
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The significance of reasoning in work and research
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How to identify arguments and their conclusions
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How to create clear descriptions, summaries and examples
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How to tell the difference between arguments and explanations
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How to distinguish between better and worse explanations
Tips for critical thinking in the real world
- You need to make the time to actively reflect upon your own thinking if you want to improve. This thinking-about-thinking is sometimes called metacognition.
- Be as honest as possible about your limitations. Don’t get into the habit of pretending greater confidence than you actually have.
- Learning entails taking a close interest in the gaps in your knowledge, experience and expertise – and what you need to find out (and who you should listen to) to redress these.
- Seeing the world more clearly means taking careful steps to test what you think you know – and being prepared to change your mind in the light of new knowledge.
- No matter how strongly you believe something, be prepared to submit it to honest scrutiny
Extract from Tom Chatfield's How to Think
Being a critical reader
Critical thinking, reading and writing go hand in hand. This chapter from the bestselling book Critical Reading and Writing for Postgraduates illustrates what it means to be a critical reader and how you can achieve it.
"Academic writing is generally much more benign. We do not expect authors to be lying or trying to swindle us. But there may still be hidden layers to an academic text. A critical approach when reading a journal article or book is therefore essential if we are to assess the value of the work it reports. Certain expectations underpin the way in which academic writing operates. As readers, we are attempting to find common ground between our own understandings and beliefs, and those of the authors. We think about the extent to which the claims and supporting evidence in a text – which satisfied the authors – also satisfy us."
Create effective counterarguments
Counterarguments are more than proving someone wrong. That said, what are they, and how do you produce one? Get answers and see how counterarguments are created in practice in this chapter from The Essential Guide to Building Your Argument by Dave Rush.
How to show you are a critical thinker?
1. Look for the key ideas, themes and concepts in your research
2. Compare, contrast and link the different ideas you identify
3. Understand these ideas, and apply them to new questions or problems
4. Contribute your own ideas to the academic debate; respond to the key ideas you’ve identified - don't just summarise them!
5. Question everything you read, whether it’s been written by a renowned academic or your favourite commentator on a topic. Ask:
- What was their purpose when writing their work?
- Do they explain their reasoning sufficiently?
- Are there alternative arguments and do they deal with them?
- Can you introduce anything from your wider research to contrast with or support this particular text?
Extract from Academic Writing and Grammar for Students by Alex Osmond
Other critical thinking resources
- Take a break from reading and watch our critical thinking webinars
- Check out Tom Chatfield's 10 Commandments for Critical Thinking on YouTube
- Learn about misinformation on social media
