ABSTRACT
What is critical thinking, exactly? Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action. 1 Whew. That’s a mouthful! Here’s another definition: the awakening of the intellect to the study of itself. 2 That, we think, is the heart of critical thinking. It differs from independent thinking in that it relies more on logic and less on social relations.
