Getting Started

You use critical thinking every day to explore problems step by step and reach solutions. Suppose you don’t have enough money both to pay your tuition and to buy the car you need. First, you might pin down the causes of your financial problem. Next, you might examine your options to find the best solution, as shown in the graphic below.

You can follow the same steps to examine many types of issues, helping you analyze a situation or dilemma, creatively synthesize to develop alternatives, and evaluate a possible course of action.

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Critical Thinking in Action