An Introduction to the Status, Meaning, Effects and Outlook of Critical Thinking

With a glance at the constant development and progress of knowledge and information in today's world, critical thinking seems to be one of the most extensive concepts essential to any educational system. Western philosophers have always attached great importance to teaching critical thinking, among whom Socrates, Descartes, Kant and Popper are cases in point. Employing linguistic analysis, contemporary philosophers of education consider the critical thinking as a dispositional and episodic phenomenon. The authors believe that critical thinking, if practiced properly, can make a change in the process of learning in future. The article presents three light, gray and dark areas in our thought and culture and maintains that critical thinking has precious effects on the gray area including cognitive, mental, social and scientific effects. Utilizing an analytical style, the article tries to pave the way for training critical thinking in our schools and universities, which allegedly would lead to the betterment of the individual and the society.