Looking for the best critical thinking courses online? This page covers the top options — from beginner-friendly introductions to deep dives on cognitive bias, logic, and reasoning — plus free resources to start with today.
What to Look for in a Critical Thinking Course
Not all critical thinking courses are equal. The best ones don’t just teach definitions — they give you tools you can apply immediately. Look for:
- Practical frameworks, not just theory
- Coverage of cognitive biases and how to spot them
- Exercises that build real reasoning habits
- Clear instruction on argument structure and logical fallacies
Top Critical Thinking Courses
1. Critical Thinker Academy: Learn to Think Like a Philosopher
Platform: Udemy | Level: Beginner to intermediate | Best for: Anyone who wants a structured, philosophy-based introduction
This course walks you through the foundations of logical argument, how to identify weak reasoning, and how critical thinking operates in everyday situations. It draws on philosophical tradition without requiring any prior philosophy knowledge. A solid starting point if you want to understand how arguments actually work — not just feel like you’re thinking better.
What you’ll learn: Argument structure, deductive and inductive reasoning, common fallacies, the role of critical thinking in society
2. Master Cognitive Biases and Improve Your Critical Thinking
Platform: Udemy | Level: Intermediate | Best for: Anyone who wants to understand why smart people make bad decisions
This course focuses on the psychological side of critical thinking — the cognitive biases that systematically distort reasoning. It covers the main biases identified in behavioural economics research (confirmation bias, anchoring, availability heuristic, and more), along with debiasing strategies you can actually use. Pairs well with Kahneman’s Thinking, Fast and Slow.
What you’ll learn: Major cognitive biases, why they exist, how to recognise them in real time, practical debiasing techniques
3. First Steps Into Critical Thinking
Platform: Udemy | Level: Beginner | Best for: Complete beginners who want a practical, accessible entry point
A lighter introduction covering thinking patterns, active listening, and de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats — a structured method for exploring problems from different angles. Good if you want something practical and immediately applicable without heavy theory.
What you’ll learn: Basic thinking patterns, listening skills, Six Thinking Hats framework, applying structured thinking to everyday problems
Free Critical Thinking Resources
Before paying for a course, these free resources cover a lot of ground:
- Carl Sagan’s Baloney Detection Kit — Chapter 12 of The Demon-Haunted World. The clearest practical guide to evaluating claims ever written. The book is cheap; summaries are free online.
- Your Logical Fallacy Is (yourlogicalfallacyis.com) — A free, illustrated reference covering the most common fallacies with plain English explanations.
- Paul Graham’s essays (paulgraham.com) — Several essays on keeping your identity separate from your beliefs, on disagreement hierarchies, and on what makes good reasoning. All free.
- Crash Course Philosophy (YouTube) — A free video series covering logic, argumentation, epistemology, and ethics. Produced by PBS, well-structured for self-study.
The Critical Thinking Toolkit
If you want a structured resource that covers reasoning frameworks, cognitive bias cards, and decision-making tools in one place, the Critical Thinking Toolkit is designed for exactly that.
It’s a comprehensive digital product covering:
- Decision-making frameworks for common situations
- A full cognitive bias reference with examples and countermeasures
- Argument mapping exercises
- Thinking worksheets for structured problem-solving
- Logical fallacy reference cards
One-time purchase at $27.97. No subscription. Get it at payhip.com/b/mpLUC.
How to Choose
| If you want… | Start with… |
|---|---|
| A structured intro to logic and argument | Critical Thinker Academy (Udemy) |
| To understand cognitive biases | Master Cognitive Biases (Udemy) |
| A quick, practical starting point | First Steps Into Critical Thinking (Udemy) |
| Free, high-quality content | Crash Course Philosophy + Sagan’s Baloney Detection Kit |
| A complete reference toolkit | Critical Thinking Toolkit (Payhip) |
The most important thing isn’t which course you choose — it’s that you practice the skills deliberately. Reading about logical fallacies doesn’t immunise you against them. Applying the frameworks to real decisions does.