what is critical thinking?

Everyone thinks; it is our nature to do so. But much of our thinking, left to itself, is biased, distorted, partial, uninformed or down-right prejudiced. Yet the quality of our life and that of what we produce, make, or build depends precisely on the quality of our thought. Shoddy thinking is costly, both in money and in quality of life. Excellence in thought, however, must be systematically cultivated.

A Definition:

Critical thinking is that mode of thinking - about any subject, content, or
problem - in which the thinker improves the quality of his or her thinking
by skillfully taking charge of the structures inherent in thinking and
imposing intellectual standards upon them.

The Result:

A well cultivated critical thinker:
- raises vital questions and problems, formulating them clearly and
precisely;
- gathers and assesses relevant information, using abstract ideas to
interpret it effectively comes to well-reasoned conclusions and solutions, testing them against relevant criteria and standards;
- thinks openmindedly within alternative systems of thought,
recognizing and assessing, as need be, their assumptions, implications, and practical consequences; and
- communicates effectively with others in figuring out solutions to complex problems.

Critical thinking is, in short, self-directed, self-disciplined, self-monitored, and self-corrective thinking. It presupposes assent to rigorous standards of excellence and mindful command of their use. It entails effective communication and problem solving abilities and a commitment to overcome our native egocentrism and sociocentrism.

2006-10-19 10:46:11 補充：
quote from: http://www.criticalthinking.org/aboutCT/definingCT.shtml

in my critical thinking class, we learned how to write different types of essays (analytical, persuasive, informative, argumentative, etc.), that includes the basic structure of an essay. we also analyze and criticize essays. we did extensive research on a topic, did a pros and cons debate, and wrote an essay on it. i guess that's a way to help you think critically.

Critical thinking is that you will discuss a topic according to your Sociey.
In this way, you will know the ideas that people know and also you know.
It's quite interesting if everyone can share their knowledge together and debate that at the same time.
You will know something you haven't known now, finally.
And it's good if you have this ability to extent what your knowledge with your classmetes into a topic.

iq eq aq
morality(westerner has lower morality than chinese &korean)