Wednesday, October 29, 2014

What is Critical Thinking?

The Wall Street Journal published a terrific article by Melissa Korn this week.   The article focuses on the fact that many executives say that they want to hire people with "critical thinking" skills. However, the definition of that term seems elusive.  In fact, some people don't have a clear definition of the term. Others disagree over the meaning of critical thinking skills.   Perhaps, the article suggests, you simply know them when you see them.   The article does offer a few intriguing definitions of the term:

  • “The ability to cross-examine evidence and logical argument. To sift through all the noise.”
    -Richard Arum, New York University sociology professor
  • “Thinking about your thinking, while you’re thinking, in order to improve your thinking.”
    -Linda Elder, educational psychologist; president, Foundation for Critical Thinking
  • “Do they make use of information that’s available in their journey to arrive at a conclusion or decision? How do they make use of that?”
    -Michael Desmarais, global head of recruiting, Goldman Sachs Group

No comments: