Critical Thinking

Most teachers who teach courses in the social sciences and the humanities will tell you that in their courses one of the cognitive skills they want you to acquire is what they call "critical thinking."

But what does critical thinking really mean?

In my courses I define it as the rigorous interdisciplinary intellectual practice of critically, skillfully, and consistently investigating, problematizing, conceptualizing, analyzing, synthesizing, theorizing, evaluating, and applying information against the backdrop of cognitive behavior characterized by, among other things:

  • professionalism (defined here as a web of interlinked behavioral habits, that include dedication, dependability, diligence, compassion, dignity, competence, civility, impartiality, honesty, and so on);
  • the scrupulous application of moral reasoning to ethical questions;
  • a fiery passion for truth;
  • a relentless commitment to fairness and justice (in one’s own personal life, and in social terms);
  • a profound belief in the value of honest research;
  • patience and open-mindedness to take seriously the views of peers;
  • a deep sense of commitment to the acquisition of knowledge and information on a variety of issues, both, personal as well as public;
  • uncompromising honesty in confronting personal biases, prejudices, stereotypes, etc.;
  • possession of limitless curiosity regarding all kinds of intellectual subject matter; and
  • a refusal to make judgments that are not based on reasoned reflection.


Critical thinking, today, is more important than ever before. Why? Because of the invention of social media, which has explosively generated the phenomenon of "fake news" (or "fake information") where it isn't only some innocent byproduct of uninformed social media users gossiping but has grown to become a potent weapon for politicians, and their allies, to employ in their effort to win elections, promote deleterious (from the perspective of the citizenry) socio-economic policies and agendas, and so on. Moreover, this gross misuse of literacy is a problem not just restricted to United States. It is a disease that has spread across the world, with, in some cases, horrendous human rights violations of the powerless (specifically, racial/ethnic, etc. minorities) because of the globalization of “identity politics” that ruling elites have discovered is a godsend in allowing them to maintain their hegemony to the detriment of democracy—defined here in the dyadic sense of both procedural democracy and authentic (or as it is sometimes described as “substantive”) democracy. (See the Online Course Glossary for more on this true definition of democracy.)

Of course, fake information is not only the currency of unscrupulous politicians; it is also being used by ordinary individuals, including school-age children against each other. I hope you are not among them.