Guide to Critical Thinking

Everyday Logic: Evidence, Beliefs, and Good Thinking 
(continued)
Becoming a Critical Thinker
By now it should be clear that critical thinking is an important life skill, one that will have a 
decisive impact on our lives. It does not take luck or a genetic disposition to be a critical thinker. 
Anyone can master critical thinking skills. So how do you become a critical thinker? Earlier in 
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Section 1.2 
Three Misconceptions About Logic
the chapter, logical reasoning was described as the main tool for critical thinking. Thus, the most 
fundamental step in becoming a critical thinker is to recognize the importance of reason as the 
filter for your beliefs and actions. Once you have done this, you will be in the right frame of mind 
to start learning about logic and identify what tools of logic are at your disposal.
It is also important to note that becoming a critical thinker demands intellectual modesty. We 
can understand intellectual modesty as the willingness to put our egos in check because we 
see truth seeking as a far greater and more satisfying good than seeking to be right. Critical 
thinkers do not care about seeking approval by trying to show that they are right. They do 
not assume that disagreement reflects a lack of intelligence or insight. Being intellectually 
modest means recognizing not only that we can make mistakes, but also that we have much 
to learn. If we are (a) aware that we are bound to make mistakes and that we will benefit 
when we recognize them; (b) willing to break old habits and embrace change; and, perhaps 
most importantly, (c) genuinely willing to know what others think, then we can be truly free 
to experience life as richly and satisfactorily as a human being can.