Thinking and critical thinking do not sound that different in nature. After all, they both include the verb thinking, and therefore, imply that some form of thinking is taking place. If you find yourself wondering, what is the difference between thinking vs critical thinking, you have had an excellent thought.
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, thinking is what we do when we are considering things with our minds. Critical thinking takes things a bit further. Critical thinking is when we push our feelings and our emotions out of the way so that we can carefully focus on a specific topic.
Going back to your question. When you thought, what is the difference between thinking and critical thinking and you began to weigh the difference, you were performing the action of critical thinking! Let’s take some time to dig further into the differences in thinking and critical thinking.
What is Thinking?
Thinking is an action. The action that is required to produce thoughts. Whether we are thinking about what we want to eat for lunch, the color green, or how cute a baby pig in rainboots looks, all of these thoughts are produced in our minds through the process and action of thinking.
There are many things that can lead to thinking. If you are walking down the street and pass a bakery and you smell the sweet smell of apple pie and you think about being in your grandma’s kitchen, this process of thinking is initiated by something called stimuli.
Stimuli are basically anything in the environment that we interact with using our five senses. That means when we hear, touch, see, smell, taste, or feel something, we are interacting with various stimuli.
Have you ever laid in bed trying to go to sleep, but you kept thinking about the pile of papers you left on your desk or the long to-do list you have waiting for you tomorrow? You may be thinking too much because you are stressed or simply because it is difficult for you to turn off your brain, so to speak, at night when it is time to sleep.
What is Critical Thinking?
Generally speaking, critical thinking is a broad category of deeper-level thinking skills used to complete specific tasks. This includes things like analyzing situations, solving problems, comparing and contrasting, and drawing conclusions based on a given set of data.
Since critical thinking goes beyond the basic formation of thought that we do hundreds if not thousands of times a day, it is considered a skill that must be practiced. This is why students study things in school like problem-solving, critical analysis, and how to compare and contrast different things.
Though critical thinking in its most basic form can come naturally, in order to really master and feel comfortable with various aspects of critical thinking, we must learn about the different processes involved in critical thinking. Then we can more confidently apply these individual thinking skills that fall under the umbrella term of critical thinking.
Why do We Use Critical Thinking?
There are many reasons we use critical thinking. One of the biggest reasons you will often hear from employers is problem-solving. Critical thinking is crucial in being able to problem solve, and many companies are seeking people who are capable and comfortable with working through and solving problems.
When you collect information through your senses and use that information to form conclusions, for example, if you go outside and the sky is gray, the air smells sweet and feels damp. You can most likely form the conclusion that it is going to rain soon. Though this seems like a simple thought, it uses critical thinking.
We all have opinions, and when we meet someone with a different opinion, we use critical thinking skills to form arguments. We take our knowledge of a particular subject and logically piece together an argument that supports our opinion of that subject. This can be something a simple as whether pineapple belongs on pizza or something more complex like the causes of global warming.
Even people who do not consider themselves to be good at arguing can still learn to improve the critical thinking skills needed to be a better arguer.
There are just a few of the major uses for critical thinking in our daily lives, and each use requires a different set of critical thinking skills.
5 Everyday Critical Thinking Skills
There are more than a dozen different critical thinking skills ranging from analyzing to critiquing. Oftentimes, we use multiple critical thinking skills at one time.
For example, when you are shopping, you evaluate the quality of a product by reading customer reviews, but you will also compare prices at different stores, and you may even compare and contrast different brands of the same type of item.
Let’s talk about five of those critical thinking skills that you likely use every day without even thinking about it.
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Comparing and Contrasting
When you look at two or more things and decide what is similar and what is different between them, you are using the critical thinking skills of comparing and contrasting. We do this when we look at universities or job options. We look at the majors that are offered or the benefits that come with the job to see how they are similar and different.
In school, we are taught to compare and contrast different things in the form of an essay, but we have to first critically think through the similarities and differences before we can write the essay.
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Forecasting
The person on the television is not the only person who is capable of predicting or forecasting possible future events. If you work in real estate or you hold stakes in the stock market, you make decisions on whether to buy or sell based on what you believe will happen in the future.
If you believe the housing market is going to crash, you sell while you can to get the most for your money. If you believe a particular stock is going to increase in value in the future, you buy now while the prices are low.
We also practice forecasting when we make our 5-year plans or even just think about what we might do over a long weekend. Forecasting can be as simple as that, or it can be much more in-depth, like predicting the weather or changes in the stock market.
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Reasoning
When you practice the critical skill of reasoning, you are thinking in a way that is logical. Maybe you are trying to figure out the best way to get home during rush hour traffic, or you are trying to choose between which subway routes you could take to get to your destination. These both require trying to figure out how to do something logically.
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Critiquing
Though we may not be movie or food critics professionally, it is human nature to critique things. Though the critical thinking skill of critiquing usually goes much deeper than deciding whether your meal was delicious or not, you still critique things in your daily life.
If you have ever seen a movie and had an in-depth discussion with someone about the good and the bad parts of the movie or talked about the storyline or the acting, you were critiquing.
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Evaluating
Have you ever decided that you wanted to buy something online like a computer or a new pair of shoes? Most of the time, when we shop online, we will look at different websites to check customer reviews. Even if you just glance at a product’s star rating or look at the available features for a specific product, you are evaluating the overall product before you decide to purchase.
Similarities and Differences
It is a general belief that every person is capable of thinking. However, the skills of critical thinking take practice. This does not mean some people are incapable of critical thinking. It only means that it may be more difficult for some than others.
The easiest way to explain the similarities and differences between thinking and critical thinking is this: Critical thinking is a form of thinking, but not all thinking is critical thinking. This means that when you form a thought, no matter how simple or complex it may be, you are performing the act of thinking.
On the other hand, when you are in deep thought, usually about a single subject, and are using one or more of the many skills listed above, you are performing the act of critical thinking, which is still thinking but deeper.
Conclusion
If you want to challenge yourself to go beyond just thinking and reach a level of critical thinking, keep pondering questions like what is the difference between thinking and critical thinking? Questions like these will naturally push you to use your critical thinking skills. As you further develop your ability to think critically, you will find that other skills like problem solving and brainstorming come more easily to you.
References
Difference Between Thinking and Critical Thinking
