An introductory text reads, what is critical thinking and why is it important? Being a critical thinker means carefully evaluating pieces of evidence, synthesizing them, and determining how they fit into the “big picture.” Critical thinkers maintain a healthy dose of skepticism, but they are also able to adjust their thinking if presented with contradictory evidence. Consider the issue of global warming: Do you think it’s real, and are human beings causing it?
The first panel shows a silhouette of a house with smoke coming out of a chimney, a car expelling smoke, a cattle releasing gas, and smoke gushing out of chimneys in a factory. Text at the top of the illustration reads: At least 97 percent of the world’s leading climate scientists believe that greenhouse gas emissions generated by human activities, such as burning gasoline and coal, are most likely driving the warming trend (“Scientific Consensus,” 2018). A text box at the bottom of the illustration reads: Government officials consider human-caused climate change an “urgent and growing threat to our national security” (U S Department of Defense, 2015, July 23, page 3). Experts from around the world say that humans must take actions that are “unprecedented in terms of scale” to reduce the threat of dangerous heat waves, rising sea levels, flooding of coastal areas, climate-related disease outbreaks, among other things (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2018, S P M 21).
The second panel shows two human vectors in conversation. The man says, Global warming and other climate change events are not caused by humans. The woman says, where is this information coming from? And what kind of evidence supports it? An arrow from the woman points to a brain highlighted within a person’s head; text on the brain reads, critical thinking in action. Text above reads, “Yet many people are not too worried about global warming, perhaps because they don't grasp the severity of the problem: (American Psychological Association, 2015e).”
The attributes of critical thinking are listed as follows: A critical thinker is skeptical; thinks deeply; evaluates claims using existing knowledge; asks questions; considers alternative explanations; reflects on own emotional reactions; tolerates uncertainty; and is open-minded.
A line from the brain points to a thermometer which is mounted on an illustration of earth. Several callouts from the thermometer list a series of questions under the caption: Go to the source: Ask critical questions. The questions are as follows:
Text below reads, Although you will develop your critical thinking skills in psychology class, they can be used in other contexts, from resolving everyday dilemmas, such as, “Why did I get such a mediocre grade after studying so hard?” to understanding global crises such as climate change.