What is critical thinking?

The simplest way to define critical thinking is taking the facts of a situation, event, or item and using them to form a judgment about that thing. When you employ critical thinking, you're putting your own experience, observation, analytical skills, and reasoning to work to examine the facts and to apply intellectual standards to those facts. Critical thinking involves asking questions, gathering information, removing preconceived notions, and communicating clearly about that which you're analyzing. Critical thinking allows you to more clearly approach any subject to learn and understand it better.

Why is it important for me to learn critical thinking?

When you grasp the principles of critical thinking, you're able to analyze and reflect on the facts and put aside any biases that you may have. You probably already put critical thinking to work in your daily life to one extent or another, but you may not apply it as a discipline. The idea behind critical thinking is to understand the connections between the facts and ideas of a subject or situation, and it involves developing certain skills to engage effectively in reasoning. It's not about the knowledge you've accumulated; rather it's about how you're able to think and reason in a given moment. It's a skill that you have to learn and practice to use effectively.

How does critical thinking affect my career?

You can apply critical thinking as a way to improve yourself at work. Critical thinking skills allow you to make reasonable decisions in the moment, especially when you or others around you are under stress. You can solve problems better when you put critical thinking into practice. Critical thinking also helps you to make decisions without resorting to emotions or selfishness. Thorough knowledge of critical thinking can even help you become more creative and innovative. Critical thinking gives you a suite of tools that you can use to set yourself up for career success.

How can taking online courses on Coursera help me learn critical thinking?

When you take a course in critical thinking on Coursera, you can study topics like understanding arguments, developing negotiating skills, or confronting gender-based violence. You can learn about problem-solving as it relates to the workplace as well as university success. Online courses on Coursera can help you understand reasoning across disciplines and problem solving using computational thinking too.

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Critical Thinking

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615 results for "critical thinking"

Institute for the Future
Futures Thinking
Skills you'll gain: Entrepreneurship, Research and Design, Leadership and Management, Innovation, Professional Development, Forecasting, Probability & Statistics, Operations Research, Strategy and Operations, Business Psychology, Culture, Finance, Business Analysis, Collaboration, Creativity, Critical Thinking, Human Computer Interaction, Leadership Development
4.8
(1.4k reviews)
Beginner · Specialization · 3-6 Months
Free
Free
Free
Free
Free
The University of Sydney
Innovation Through Design: Think, Make, Break, Repeat
Skills you'll gain: Critical Thinking, Design and Product, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Leadership and Management, Problem Solving, Product Design, Product Management, Research and Design, Strategy and Operations, Technical Product Management, Business Analysis, Persona Research, Human Computer Interaction, User Experience
4.8
(1.6k reviews)
Beginner · Course · 1-3 Months
Google
Google Data Analytics
Skills you'll gain: Data Analysis, Data Science, Statistical Programming, Business Analysis, SQL, Spreadsheet Software, Business, Data Visualization, Data Management, R Programming, Exploratory Data Analysis, Statistical Visualization, Communication, Statistical Analysis, Data Analysis Software, Business Communication, Data Structures, Data Visualization Software, Tableau Software, Big Data, Cloud Computing, Collaboration, Conflict Management, Critical Thinking, Customer Analysis, General Statistics, Leadership and Management, Plot (Graphics), Probability & Statistics, Small Data, Algorithms, Application Development, Budget Management, Computational Logic, Computer Architecture, Computer Networking, Computer Programming, Computer Programming Tools, Cryptography, Data Mining, Data Model, Database Administration, Database Design, Databases, Decision Making, Design and Product, Distributed Computing Architecture, Entrepreneurship, Extract, Transform, Load, Feature Engineering, Finance, Full-Stack Web Development, Interactive Data Visualization, Machine Learning, Mathematical Theory & Analysis, Mathematics, Network Security, Other Programming Languages, Problem Solving, Product Design, Programming Principles, Project Management, Research and Design, Security Engineering, Security Strategy, Software Engineering, Software Security, Storytelling, Theoretical Computer Science, Visual Design, Visualization (Computer Graphics), Web Development
4.8
(108.2k reviews)
Beginner · Professional Certificate · 3-6 Months
Free
Yale University
Connected Leadership
Skills you'll gain: Entrepreneurship, Leadership and Management, Strategy and Operations, Marketing, Sales, Strategy, Change Management, Human Resources, Leadership Development, Business Analysis, Critical Thinking, Project Management, Research and Design, Accounting, Audit, Business Process Management, Computer Programming, Computer Programming Tools, FinTech, Finance, Operating Systems, Operations Management, People Management, Systems Design, Theoretical Computer Science, Emotional Intelligence
4.7
(44 reviews)
Beginner · Course · 1-3 Months

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In summary, here are 10 of our most popular critical thinking courses

Futures Thinking: Institute for the Future
Know Thyself - The Value and Limits of Self-Knowledge: The Unconscious: The University of Edinburgh
Critical Thinking Skills for University Success: The University of Sydney
Problem-Solving: Arizona State University
Emotions: a Philosophical Introduction: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Big History: Connecting Knowledge: Macquarie University
التفكير الناقد | Critical Thinking: Alfaisal University | KLD
Innovation Through Design: Think, Make, Break, Repeat: The University of Sydney
Creative Problem Solving: University of Minnesota
Google Data Analytics: Google

Frequently Asked Questions about Critical Thinking

The simplest way to define critical thinking is taking the facts of a situation, event, or item and using them to form a judgment about that thing. When you employ critical thinking, you're putting your own experience, observation, analytical skills, and reasoning to work to examine the facts and to apply intellectual standards to those facts. Critical thinking involves asking questions, gathering information, removing preconceived notions, and communicating clearly about that which you're analyzing. Critical thinking allows you to more clearly approach any subject to learn and understand it better.‎
When you grasp the principles of critical thinking, you're able to analyze and reflect on the facts and put aside any biases that you may have. You probably already put critical thinking to work in your daily life to one extent or another, but you may not apply it as a discipline. The idea behind critical thinking is to understand the connections between the facts and ideas of a subject or situation, and it involves developing certain skills to engage effectively in reasoning. It's not about the knowledge you've accumulated; rather it's about how you're able to think and reason in a given moment. It's a skill that you have to learn and practice to use effectively.‎
You can apply critical thinking as a way to improve yourself at work. Critical thinking skills allow you to make reasonable decisions in the moment, especially when you or others around you are under stress. You can solve problems better when you put critical thinking into practice. Critical thinking also helps you to make decisions without resorting to emotions or selfishness. Thorough knowledge of critical thinking can even help you become more creative and innovative. Critical thinking gives you a suite of tools that you can use to set yourself up for career success.‎
When you take a course in critical thinking on Coursera, you can study topics like understanding arguments, developing negotiating skills, or confronting gender-based violence. You can learn about problem-solving as it relates to the workplace as well as university success. Online courses on Coursera can help you understand reasoning across disciplines and problem solving using computational thinking too.‎

This FAQ content has been made available for informational purposes only. Learners are advised to conduct additional research to ensure that courses and other credentials pursued meet their personal, professional, and financial goals.

Filter by

615 results for "critical thinking"

Futures Thinking

Know Thyself - The Value and Limits of Self-Knowledge: The Unconscious

Critical Thinking Skills for University Success

Problem-Solving

Emotions: a Philosophical Introduction

Big History: Connecting Knowledge

التفكير الناقد | Critical Thinking

Innovation Through Design: Think, Make, Break, Repeat

Creative Problem Solving

Google Data Analytics

Connected Leadership

Removing Barriers to Change

Searches related to critical thinking

In summary, here are 10 of our most popular critical thinking courses

Frequently Asked Questions about Critical Thinking

What is critical thinking?‎

Why is it important for me to learn critical thinking?‎

How does critical thinking affect my career?‎

How can taking online courses on Coursera help me learn critical thinking?‎

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615 results for "critical thinking"

Searches related to critical thinking

In summary, here are 10 of our most popular critical thinking courses

Frequently Asked Questions about Critical Thinking

What is critical thinking?‎

Why is it important for me to learn critical thinking?‎

How does critical thinking affect my career?‎

How can taking online courses on Coursera help me learn critical thinking?‎

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