Whilst we may know what critical thinking is in theory, applying it in practice may still feel challenging. A good place to start to consider this is with source selection.

We can use our example of vaccine passports to think about some of the practicalities of reading and thinking critically at university level. Let’s think about that second statement again:

“The government are just trying to put microchips into us!”

If the person arguing this had good evidence then this could be an example of critical thinking – after all they do come to an opinion on the issue. However, they seem a little vague about how they found their evidence which suggests that it might not be the most reliable source of information. Therefore, it doesn’t support their argument, and it doesn’t help them think critically.

Whilst the above might seem like a somewhat obvious example, at university a similar kind of principle applies. If you don’t have good evidence to back up your claim then it’s hard to make a good claim at all! Therefore, it is a very good idea to find some strategies that will help you identify whether the information you are reading can relied upon.

A close up shot of a microchip

Image: Brian Kostiuk on Unsplash