Critical Thinking And Why It’s Essential

Written By Colēgia

Easily one of the most important skills to have in school and life is being able to read. Reading gives us access to an immense amount of knowledge passed down from centuries ago. It allows us to immerse ourselves in good fiction while also helping us learn more about the world. Given how easily accessible information is, it's important to have a keen eye to help discern things better. This is known as critical reading and today we want to see why it's so valuable.

Don't Believe Everything You Read

Something good to keep in mind is not believing everything you read. It's essential to be able to distinguish what is fact from opinion since it can help us see past bias. Some things might be presented as fact but we can't always take them at face value. Being a critical reader requires us to check multiple sources for facts along with being aware of the reputability of a publication. Certain things have more weight to them for their studies than others inherently such as a scientific journal given the prerequisites they need to be published. Other things such as a social media post on the other hand aren't always created with objective information in mind. It's up to us to be aware of the things we take as the truth since it can take time to reach a rational conclusion.

“It's essential to be able to distinguish what is fact from opinion since it can help us see past bias.”

Look For Subtext

An important element within the things we read is known as subtext. This is effectively an underlying theme that's being conveyed within the piece and it's not always explicitly mentioned. This can also translate to things outside of reading such as non-verbal cues or even just the hidden meaning of what people say. Picking up on subtext requires us to be more mindful of the bigger picture of what we're reading. For a novel, it can boil down to what it's trying to present as its moral or it could even encompass certain things it's trying to critique through the character interactions. Subtext allows a piece to hook us in without it being too preachy about the morals within it. It also gives us something to deeply look at when we're analyzing a work.

“This is effectively an underlying theme that's being conveyed within the piece and it's not always explicitly mentioned.”

Consider Different Perspectives

One of the best things we can do to promote critical reading is to be able to look at things from multiple perspectives. A great example of this can be a history book since it can be helpful to read it from another point of view. This allows us to see past biases so we can understand the reality of a situation which in turn can help us build empathy. Another way to apply this can be reading about a piece from a different character’s perspective. Some stories can have a completely different feeling to them when we do this and can give us a better sort of context for certain events. Critical reading allows us to do a deep dive into things so that we can become more well-informed afterward.

Colēgia

Colēgia

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