Critical Thinking Definitions

We need a good working definition of critical thinking. I used these in Models, Myths and Muddles:

"Thinking about your thinking while you're thinking in order to make your thinking better."
(Richard Paul, Think, http://www.criticalthinking.org/)
I like this one because it is a reminder to be aware similar to what we do in many other areas of our life. For instance, years ago a friend told me that I tended to lug the motor while driving--I think that's what you call it when you shift to the next higher gear too soon. So I made myself aware every time I started up the car that I'd wait until going 20 mph to shift to second gear. In the same way, you could make yourself aware that you tend to divide many issues into either/or and try to break the habit.

"A systematic process for separating truth from fiction. It bears many resemblances to the scientific method, but is more applicable to the vague and incomplete information one faces in daily life." (Adam Wiggins, http://dusk.org/adam/criticalthinking/whatis.php) I like the way this definition separates CT from the scientific method and gives it its own domain. Some blogs such as http://skeptoid.com/ apparently assume that everything is either science or it's pseudo-science, which is to say, complete nonsense. There are a lot of in-between areas of life that science doesn't touch and you can't exactly experiment with.

Another website about CT is: www.thethinkingblog.com/2007/06/define-critical-thinking-skills.html So far on this site posters are emphasizing logic courses as taught in college, including informal logic which is a lot more important for everyday and the average citizen than syllogisms or Truth Tables.

But Wikipedia's entry notes there's more to it yet: "Part of critical thinking comprises informal logic. However, a large part of critical thinking goes beyond informal logic and includes assessment of beliefs and identification of prejudice, bias, propaganda, self-deception, distortion, misinformation, etc."
This broader use of the CT term is what I have been writing about in my books. However, once you start to get into the areas of ideologies and politics, it is very easy to get off-track and think you are talking about logic and critical thinking when you are simply espousing your opinions. In another post I'd like to analyze a very long thread about critical thinking on http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/critical-times-for-critical-thinking/ which contains some good insights but also many examples of people getting off-track and ideological. It seems to be more fun to ride your favorite hobbyhorse and call it critical thinking than to actually think critically.