TonioTimeDaily

9. Compassion and empathy.

Having compassion and empathy may seem like a negative for critical thinkers. After all, being sentimental and emotional can skew our perception of a situation. But the point of having compassion is to have concern for others and to value the welfare of other people.

Without compassion, we would view all information and situations from the viewpoint of cold, heartless scientific facts and data. It would be easy to allow our cynicism to become toxic, and to be suspicious of everything we look at. But to be a good critical thinker, we must always take into account the human element. Not everything we do is about detached data and information -- it’s also about people.

10. Humility

Humility is the willingness to acknowledge one’s shortcomings and see one’s positive attributes in an accurate way. When you have humility, you are aware of your flaws, but also your strengths, and this is an important element in critical thinking and being willing to stretch and open your mind.

When you have intellectual humility, you’re open to other people’s viewpoints, you recognize when you’re wrong and you’re willing to challenge your own beliefs when necessary.

11. Willing to challenge the status quo.

Critical thinking means questioning long-established business practices and refusing to adhere to traditional methods simply because that’s the way it’s always been done. Critical thinkers are looking for smart, thoughtful answers and methods that take into account all the current and relevant information and practices available. Their willingness to challenge the status quo may seem controversial, but it’s an essential part of the creative and innovative mind of a critical thinker.

12. Open-mindedness

Being able to step back from a situation and not become embroiled helps critical thinkers see the broader view. Critical thinkers avoid launching into a frenzied argument or taking sides -- they want to hear all perspectives. Critical thinkers don’t jump to conclusions. They approach a question or situation with an open mind and embrace other opinions and views.

• 1) They're Attentive. ...
• 2) They Get the Facts Straight. ...
• 3) They Ensure That Their Ideas Are Clear. ...
• 4) They're Mindful of the Origins of Ideas. ...
• 5) They Match Ideas to Facts. ...
• 6) They Match Words to Ideas. ...
• 7) They Communicate Effectively. ...
• 8) They Avoid Vague and Ambiguous Language.

--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/antonio-myers4/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/antonio-myers4/support