This popular and often quoted essay about the meaning and importance of critical thinking was written by Dr. Peter Facione for students and the general public. It invites readers to think about critical thinking, and in so doing, it provides a sound and research-based conceptual synthesis describing critical thinking skills and habits of mind. The emphasis in the essay, beyond the definition developed, is on the personally and socially significant uses of critical thinking. Civic engagement without critical thinking may be nothing but noise, polemics, and political deception. This essay is based on the expert consensus conceptualization of "critical thinking" articulated in the 1990 APA Delphi Research Report.

This updated edition expands the discussion of critical thinking by connecting it with recent work in cognitive science. It includes a discussion of several heuristic thinking strategies humans commonly use, indentifying their potential advantages and their inherent potential biases. The essay talks about the two human problem-solving systems which appear to operate in parallel; one being more intuitive, reactive, and holistic decision-making, and the other being more reflective, procedural and rule-governed.

People of all ages and educational levels exhibit critical thinking to a greater or lesser degree.  Insight Assessment proudly provides instruments for all educational levels, kindergarten through doctorate and several professional fields, to evaluate the core critical thinking skills and habits of mind Dr. Facione describes in his essay.

Develop your critical thinking with Dr. Facione's new book, Think Critically, published by Pearson Education.