Critical Thinking

Some people say I'm argumentative, opinionated, even a pain in the ass. I like to think I am a critical thinker.

Being a critical thinker (and thus the meaning of critical thinking) means that you do not simply accept arguments or perspectives that are presented to you blindly. Instead, you think about things carefully, consider different aspects of the arguments, evaluate the merits, and generally make more in depth conclusions.

Critical thinking is not emphasized enough in early education. Although children are taught to think for themselves to some extent, it is usually within the larger context of Groupthink delivered by the adults.

Okay, maybe I'm a pain in the ass, but that IS the definition of critical thinking.