The Meaning of Critical Thinking: A Key Skill for Navigating Today’s Information Landscape

The meaning of critical thinking is analyzing, evaluating, and synthesizing information. It is vital to support you in making informed, rational decisions. In this post, I review what critical thinking is, how to develop it, and how to make your life better with wise choices.

How many times have you said to yourself, “If only I had thought that through more before I acted?” My family teases me because I like to teach our animals new tricks on the spur of the moment. These tricks often backfire. For example, I taught one of our cats to jump from the ground to my shoulder. Unfortunately, that meant he would jump on people without warning. A new visitor to our home ended up with a cat hanging off his back. I definitely wish I’d thought that through.

We live in an era where information flows rapidly, and the ability to critically evaluate this information and make informed decisions is crucial. Take advantage of the benefits of critical thinking: better decision-making, advancement in your profession, and healthier discourse about controversial topics.

What is the Meaning of Critical Thinking?

At its core, critical thinking means the ability to understand why things are the way they are, ask questions, recognize biases, and analyze the evidence before accepting any claim.

Here is an example: You’re watching The Mandalorian, and a commercial comes on about a new treatment for a disease you suffer from. The people featured in the commercial glide about in gorgeous settings, looking supremely healthy. They claim that the treatment is 90% effective, but even the tiny fine print doesn’t provide any evidence to support this claim.

You could use critical thinking to analyze the commercial and ask questions like:

“What is the source of this information?”

Probably the drug manufacturer.

“Are there any biases or assumptions present?”

The drug manufacturer trying to sell you the new drug is pure bias. That doesn’t necessarily mean the drug doesn’t work. Still, it certainly is not the same as your doctor recommending the drug based on a physical exam and understanding of your medical history.

“Is the information supported by evidence, or is it an opinion?”

There is no way to know the answer to that question based on a commercial. But the skeptic in me thinks that successful drugs don’t need expensive, eye-catching marketing.

By analyzing the information critically, you might conclude that the commercial is making an unsubstantiated claim and that you need more evidence before you can make an informed decision. That might mean looking for research on the drug or simply checking in with your doctor about whether the drug is right for you. Or ignoring the commercial.

Why is Critical Thinking Important?

Critical thinking protects us from falling victim to misinformation, sensationalism, and manipulative information.

Commercials can mislead you. Many social media platforms (and news sites) prioritize engagement over accuracy. But with critical thinking, you can:

• Spot trustworthy information and recognize when something seems biased or false.
• Think before reacting, taking time to understand the whole story instead of jumping at headlines.
• Gain a broader perspective by exploring various viewpoints.
• Encourage respectful conversations by asking good questions and speaking up when something doesn’t sound right.

Developing critical thinking skills can have a huge impact on many aspects of your life. Here are critical thinking skills examples and how they can pay off for you:

Make better decisions

Critical thinking helps you evaluate information, identify biases, and make informed decisions. This can lead to better choices, such as selecting the right career path, choosing the best healthcare options, or making informed financial decisions that yield long-term benefits.

Improve your relationships

Critical thinking can help you communicate more effectively, understand others’ perspectives, and build stronger relationships. By being more open-minded and empathetic, you can resolve conflicts more effectively and build deeper connections with others, even if you disagree.

Increase your productivity

Critical thinking can help you prioritize tasks, manage your time, and avoid procrastination. By being more focused and efficient, you can accomplish more in less time and achieve your goals.

Solve problems

Critical thinking helps you analyze problems, identify root causes, and find solutions, even creative solutions to complex problems.

Improve your health

Critical thinking can help you make informed decisions about your health, such as making healthy lifestyle choices.

Increase your creativity

Critical thinking can help you think outside the box, generate new ideas, and find innovative solutions to complex problems.

Optimize your finances

Critical thinking can help you invest wisely, eliminate debt, and build a secure financial future.

Learn more

Critical thinking can help you learn more effectively, evaluate information more critically, and develop a deeper understanding of complex subjects.

Impact your community

Critical thinking can help you evaluate information more critically and make informed decisions about politics and social issues.

Improve your mental health

Critical thinking can help you develop a more realistic and balanced perspective on life, which can lead to better mental health and resilience.

These are critical thinking skills examples that can improve your life. So, how do you develop critical thinking skills?

How to Think Critically

I teach at Walden University, where my focus is on helping new graduate students successfully launch their programs through goal setting, career planning, and scholarly writing.

To write in a scholarly way, they must understand the meaning of critical thinking. The way to advance knowledge in a field is to use the research others have conducted and apply those findings, or conduct your own research. My students learn to analyze information to determine if it is supported by facts. Then, they can support their papers with well-researched studies. They can pull information together to make assertions, hypotheses, and decisions that rely on a body of knowledge.

But you don’t have to be a student to benefit from critical thinking.

Be clear about what you want to know

Using the drug commercial as an example, you want to know whether this drug will work for you. That is not something you can decide based on a commercial, especially with the sales focus that may get in the way of accurate information.

With complex questions, be precise about what you want to know. If you are trying to decide who to vote for, clarify your question. For example, which candidate supports the causes most important to you?

Most issues are not black and white, but nuanced. As you consider issues, recognize that most things have both positive and negative aspects that need to be balanced.

Evaluate sources for credibility

Now that you know what information you want, use a trustworthy source to find your answers.

It’s important to know when an expert can be trusted, because there are many times when formal credentials don’t say much about whether someone’s opinion is valid, yet plenty of other times where expertise is critical to rely on.

An underlying skill in critical thinking is skepticism. Skepticism is a reluctance to accept information at face value. Seeking is consciously looking for perspectives other than your own.

When evaluating sources, ask:

• Does the person have reputable credentials or a track record of expertise on the subject?
• Do they provide deep evidence? Quality sources often cite data, studies, or reputable news sources.
• Does the source rely on emotional language? Sensational headlines or dramatic language are red flags for biased information.

Back to our drug commercial. Drug commercials do not meet any of these criteria. They rely on an emotional message, do not provide in-depth information, and are biased; therefore, they are not credible.

Credible sources include peer-reviewed studies conducted by researchers who are not affiliated with the drug manufacturer. Another credible source is your doctor.

Use Fact-Checking Websites

Here are several reputable fact-checking websites:

1. Snopes: One of the oldest and most popular fact-checking sites, Snopes investigates a wide range of claims, from current events to urban legends.
2. FactCheck.org: A nonpartisan project from the Annenberg Public Policy Center, focused on verifying claims in politics, media, and viral content.
3. PolitiFact: Known for its “Truth-O-Meter,” PolitiFact rates the accuracy of statements by public figures and organizations, primarily in U.S. politics.
4. Reuters Fact Check: Reuters debunks misinformation on a variety of topics, including politics and health.
5. AP Fact Check: The Associated Press fact-checks political claims, conspiracy theories, and viral misinformation across global news topics.

These fact-checking websites provide thorough, researched analyses, helping you discern accurate information from falsehoods.

Get Better Results From Your Internet Searches

Adding a few words or phrases to your internet searches can enhance your results.

Add the words “evidence-based”, and you’ll likely get results from scholarly research.

You want trusted sources. I am a vegan, and I rely on one source of information when I start searching: nutritionfacts.org.

If you want gardening tips, try adding the word “extension” to your query, like this:

Southeast pollinator gardening extension

Adding the word “extension” will provide you with evidence-based results from agricultural extension agents.

Consider Alternative Perspectives

Seek to understand multiple perspectives. This will help you better understand the information and identify any biases in your thinking.

Deciding whether a drug is right for you does not require an alternate perspective, only credible research. But other issues are less precise and more multidimensional. Perhaps you are thinking about whether to leave your job for a new opportunity. You could talk with people in your industry, check out the salary and benefit information for the potential employer, and discuss the move with people who know you well.

Apply Logical Reasoning

Logical reasoning involves evaluating an issue, questioning underlying assumptions, and ensuring that your conclusion is sound based on the evidence.

Another underlying skill in critical thinking is being able to decide whether the evidence is strong. Let’s go back to our commercial. Is the drug as wonderful as imagined in the commercial? Probably not, but it might be a good medication. Every drug goes through a rigorous testing process that takes years. So, there is evidence that the drug works for something and for some people.

I’ve noticed that many commercials for supplements that have not undergone FDA approval use the argument, “I talked to my mom, who also experienced this symptom, and she recommended this product.” Anecdotal evidence is weak, even if it comes from someone you trust.

Overcome your biases.

We all have them, and they can hinder impartial decision-making. You hold strong opinions (potential biases), and that means you tend to believe that your opinion is true. That means you may seek out people and sources that agree with your opinion. You may avoid people and sources that contradict your opinion.

Weak Critical Thinking Arguments

Weak arguments rely on emotion, personal bias, anecdotal evidence, or logical fallacies. These arguments won’t include accurate supporting data or mention other perspectives.

Here are some examples of weak arguments:

“My neighbor got sick after getting the flu shot, so vaccines must be dangerous.”

This argument relies on a story, ignores numerous studies that refute it, and confuses events happening simultaneously as being caused by each other.

“Everyone’s buying this new supplement so it must work!”

This is the basis of many commercials, that popularity means truth.

“I just feel like that’s wrong.”

“Going with your gut” is a common piece of advice. But does it work? New research on the relationship between the brain and gut microbiome is changing the way people view this old adage. For example, Shepherd, Lau, and Rudd found interesting results in their 2024 study of strategic decision-making in acquisitions.

“In particular, our identification of contextual factors such as expertise, time pressure, and dynamism, which increase the effectiveness of intuition, should embolden executives to embrace intuitive approaches to strategic decision-making.”

Therefore, there may be some support for trusting your instincts. But if you have time for more effective approaches, such as seeking facts, be sure to use those instead.

“He’s a teacher, so he must know everything about politics.”

There are two problems with this statement. First, teachers usually only have expertise in their area of study. Second, authority figures also need to be fact-checked.

Strong Critical Thinking Arguments

Strong arguments employ logic, evidence, and a recognition of other viewpoints.

“Evidence shows that vaccines significantly reduce serious illness and death. Although mild side effects can occur, the public health benefits far outweigh the risks.”

This statement provides evidence, does not overstate the results, and acknowledges some of the product’s limitations.

“While some people find remote work isolating, studies show it can improve productivity when employees have clear goals and support for collaboration.”

This statement includes evidence but also nuance, in that productivity may depend on the support employees receive from their supervisors.

“Replacing single-use plastic bags with reusable ones can reduce environmental waste, provided consumers actually reuse them multiple times.”

Although it is tempting to make a blanket statement that we should no longer use plastic bags, this statement is supported by evidence and avoids overgeneralization. It acknowledges there are other factors to be considered.

Of course, I shouldn’t overgeneralize either. There are not just weak and strong arguments. Instead, we experience a range of argument quality throughout our day. Play a game and point out weak and strong arguments as you encounter them.

Test Yourself

You read a headline claiming, “Coffee is scientifically proven to extend lifespan by 10 years.” Assuming you like coffee, would you start drinking it?

Rather than accepting the statement at face value, you could find out the source of the claim and make sure it is really scientific. Scholarly articles typically include an abstract, a concise summary of the study, which should provide information such as the number of participants and potential limitations.

Another issue to consider is that one study contributes to the body of research but doesn’t necessarily direct what we should do, especially when considering the ingestion of a substance. So,  look for whether the body of research leans in the same direction.

Finally, even the body of research doesn’t mean a particular substance is right for you, with your unique chemistry and medical history.

If you’d like to know more about the benefits of coffee, watch this video from my go-to health information source, Nutrition Facts:

Based on the research Dr. Greger reviews, I drink three cups of filtered coffee every day. Although I do occasionally have a coffee from Starbucks, the research shows that Starbucks has much lower amounts of the substance that extends lifespan in its coffee.

Examples of Critical Thinking in Action

You are at a family gathering, and a family member insists that climate change is exaggerated.

My perspective has changed since 2016, when my family became particularly divided. I do not spend time with family members who spout nonsensical political narratives. It isn’t worth the toll it takes on my well-being.

With that said, this argument isn’t as strong as “There is no climate change.” If you agree with the 99% of scientists who say climate change is a threat to our planet, perhaps you can make room for discussion. What can you do?

Start with a question. Can you tell me more about where you heard that?” That might lead to a conversation about better places to get information, such as the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which assesses the science related to climate change. Pull out your phone and show them a different view. If they still argue with you, remind them that the family’s younger generations depend on a healthy planet and move on to the dessert table.

You’re vegan, but a friend insists humans are “meant to eat meat.”

I’m vegan, and you wouldn’t believe the arguments people have for eating meat.

Have you seen a cow? They’re stupid.

[Insert influencer name here] says you have to eat meat to be healthy.

God gave us animals to use.

I consider myself well-versed in the science of plant-based eating, so I’ll engage with these types of arguments. Nutritional studies show that whole-food, plant-based diets support good cardiovascular and brain health, surpassing any other type of diet.

But I will also acknowledge the myriad of ways we have been influenced to eat meat our entire lives. It takes a significant change to go vegan, so I encourage ways to reduce the amount of meat in their diet, especially red meat. I discuss fish as the healthiest meat. I also remind them that their family would like them to live to a ripe old age, but the science of the Western diet predicts that won’t be the case. My goal is to make them consider small changes.

Building a Habit of Critical Thinking

As with any skill, critical thinking improves with practice. Here’s how to make critical thinking a daily habit:

• Approach claims with healthy skepticism.
• Practice your skills by reading and evaluating information.
• As you interact with other people, practice asking questions like “Where did you find that information?” and “How do you know that is true?”

One of my favorite websites is Clearer Thinking. They provide evidence-based tools to help you build better and clearer thinking skills.

You can take a 7-day critical thinking challenge.

Try the overconfidence analyzer.

Test whether you buy into common misconceptions.

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