In the maelstrom of New Year’s media activity, the pervasive hand wringing about the past year and angst about the future seem unavoidable. At a recent holiday gathering, a family member suggested that as an antidote, we might each try to think of a word or two – a mantra of sorts – that might guide each of us in the coming year. After playing with that idea for the past week, I keep coming back to the art of critical thinking as my mantra for 2017.

“Critical thinking” is one of those phrases that gets used often, but that seems to defy definition. Educators struggle to find ways to teach critical thinking; companies want employees who can think critically; and pundits bemoan the lack of critical thinking in the public sphere. Perhaps the reason we cannot get enough of the critical thinking we desire is that we keep looking for a step-by-step science of thinking – a prescribed set of actions regularly taken by critical thinkers – when, in fact, critical thinking may be the ultimate art of human experience.

If we approach critical thinking as an art, its more subtle elements emerge. Like any other art form, its borders are imprecise and its application dependent on the situation at hand. Its practitioners must be creative and willing to take risks, to explore unknown areas and to draw reasoned but sometimes counterintuitive conclusions. But more importantly, critical thinking requires practice: every one of us must continually hone and shape this art in order to make sense of our personal lives, our work lives and our community lives in a time that seems confusing and uncertain. As Stephen Brookfield wrote, “Being a critical thinker is part of what it means to be a developing person, and fostering critical thinking is crucial to creating and maintaining a healthy democracy.”

Nicolae Vermont, Thinking, 1924, [Public Domain] via Wikiart.org

In a similar way, participants value the shared search for meaning as they read literature together. They explore big ideas that form the foundation of scholar Jack Mezirow’s conception of critical thinking: “understanding the meaning of what others communicate concerning values, ideals, feelings, moral decisions, and such concepts as freedom, justice, love, labor, autonomy, commitment and democracy.” Once explorations and discoveries such as these happen, the resulting understanding often carries over into widely varied interactions with others – at work, at home and in the community.

Scholars assert that another essential element of critical thinking is open-mindedness. Over and over again, Books@Work participants say, “I used to think [this] – but now I see it in a completely different way.” Thinking critically enough to challenge our own stuck ideas is objectively hard, but engaging in the art of reflecting deeply and respectfully with others repeatedly unglues our biases and assumptions.

Like any art form, critical thinking may be as much a habit as a skill set, requiring consistency and practice to become norms in our personal and collective lives. Curiosity, for example, is a natural human trait that needs to be nourished by exploring unfamiliar ideas or experiences. Listening well doesn’t happen in moments of conflict or action unless one has cultivated it over time. Asking questions instead of automatically stating opinions requires sustained attention and practice. Recognizing and rejecting false or biased information requires a mindset built over many experiences of challenging ideas and learning to spot weak arguments. Each of these (and other) critical thinking traits is built on a habit of reflection, and of shared reflection, that prepares us for times when our decisions and actions matter for our own future, the future of our work and even for the future of our country and the world. By practicing these habits of mind in situations that do not require immediate action, we hone and perfect the critical thinking skills and habits we need when we face tough decision-making and action.

If we see critical thinking as an art form, like writing or painting or playing an instrument, it gives us the opportunity to engage in a lifelong, satisfying effort to explore the complexity of the world and to bring the whole of ourselves to all of the important experiences and decisions in our lives. And its broad applicability becomes clear: in fact, no one is exempt from this regular, sustained and considered practice of critical thinking, if we desire truly open and inclusive workplaces and communities.

For me, in 2017, I see the art of critical thinking as a mantra and an action plan for the way that I can engage with others as I try to understand events and problems and have a positive influence in the world. Join me?

Image: Auguste Rodin, The Thinker, 1903, Museo Soumaya, Mexico City, [Public Domain] via Wikimedia Commons

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