Asking the Right Questions, A Guide to Critical Thinking, 8th Ed

Final Word
Critical thinking is a tool. It does something for you. In serving this function
for you, critical thinking can perform well or not so well. We want to end the
book by urging you to get optimal use of the attitudes and skills of critical
thinking that you have worked so hard to develop.
The Tone of Your Critical Thinking
As a critical thinker, you have the capability to come across like an annoying warrior,
constantly watching for ways to slay those who stray from careful reasoning.
But learning is, in important ways, a social activity. We need one another for
development; we need one another to share conversation and debate. None
of us is so gifted that we can stand alone in the face of the complexities we
encounter. Critical thinking can make you more self-reliant if you use it to
improve your own decision-making.
Hence, critical thinkers need to think about what they are giving off
when they use their critical thinking. When you use your critical thinking, you
are sending some kind of message to others about what critical thinking
means to you. This message will be especially effective when it combines the
curiosity and excitement of the child with the skeptical nature of our best scientists,
all moderated by the humility of a monk. Your critical thinking then is
on display as a pathway to better conclusions. You seek those conclusions not
to elevate yourself above those who have other conclusions, but to move us all
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