Let's begin answering this question by dispensing a few misconceptions. Here's what critical thinking is not. It's not something that only people with a college degree can do. It's not the same as being logical, solving problems, or being creative-though aspects of some or all of these are sometimes present when we think critically. It's not something you do only if you've studied philosophy. It's not necessarily the same thing as being critical of something, as in when we tear apart
a film, or criticize a partner's, friend's, or colleague's behavior, for their shortcomings. It's not something that only happens when you reach
a certain age. It's not something that can only be pursued when you have the time to sit and reflect on an idea or a situation. And, finally, it's not correlated to IQ, personality, or other measures of intelligence. So whether or not you've been to college, how you score on intelligence tests, whether you're an extrovert or introvert, how busy or leisurely your life is, or what subjects you did best in at school are all irrelevant when considering how well you do critical thinking. So what is it? Well, my best way of describing it is to say that critical thinking happens when we do four things . . .