Critical thinking is essential to effective learning and productive living. Would you share your definition of critical thinking?

Critical thinking is the ability to analyze information objectively and make a reasoned judgment. It involves the evaluation of sources, such as data, facts, observable phenomena, and research findings. Good critical thinkers can draw reasonable conclusions from a set of information, and discriminate between useful and less useful details to solve problems or make decisions.

Here are the steps involved in critical thinking:

1. Identification: The first step in critical thinking is to identify the problem or situation that requires critical thought. This could be a statement, an event, a person's behavior, or even a social issue.

2. Investigation: This involves gathering all relevant information about the problem or situation. This could include facts, observations, and data from reliable sources.

3. Evaluation: This step involves analyzing the gathered information and assessing its credibility. This could involve checking the source of the information, looking for bias, and determining whether the information is based on fact or opinion.

4. Inference: This involves drawing conclusions based on the evaluated information. This could involve making predictions, forming opinions, or making decisions.

5. Explanation: This involves explaining your conclusions in a clear and understandable way. This could involve presenting your thoughts in a logical order, using evidence to support your conclusions, and being able to defend your conclusions against criticism.

6. Self-Regulation: This involves reviewing your own thought process to ensure it is accurate and fair. This could involve questioning your own assumptions, checking for bias in your thinking, and being open to changing your conclusions if new information comes to light.

In essence, critical thinking is a disciplined way of thinking that can be applied to any subject, problem, or situation. It is self-directed, self-disciplined, self-monitored, and self-corrective thinking.