Checking Assumptions
When we become aware of the assumptions that are guiding our actions and ways of thinking, we begin to check out whether those assumptions are as accurate as we think they are. This is the second element of critical thinking-trying to assess whether or not our assumptions are valid and reliable guides for action. Here were engaged in a process of appraisal-trying to see when assumptions make sense, and when they don't, what assumptions cover lots of situations and what assumptions are specific to very particular events. Key to this process is identifying and assessing what we regard as convincing evidence for our assumptions. Sometimes this evidence is experiential (the things that have happened to us), sometimes it's authoritative (what people we trust have told us is the truth), and sometimes it's derived from disciplined research and inquiry we've conducted.