Critical Thinking

    What does it mean to think critically?  I am sure people have different takes on the concept of critical thinking and have different ways of applying it.  Your personal take on critical thinking comes from a combination of different factors and life experiences.  It may come from your upbringing, schooling, hobbies or profession.  For example, consider a college graduates way of thinking critically to a non college graduates way of thinking critically.   The differences are probably substantial in most cases due to the different levels of education and different lifestyles they live.  People with different professions will obviously think critically about the certain field they specialize in, like a doctor in the medicine field, or a chef in dealing with food.  Everyone will have their own way of thinking critically and applying that thinking in their own way.  I am sure my way of thinking is no exception to this.
    Critical thinking is to think about something on a deeper level, rather than just skim across the top of whatever you are analyzing.  This means thinking about the details of something instead of just the broad spectrum of the subject.  I think critically about many things on a daily basis, both voluntary and involuntary.  My academic studies are something that I think about on a deeper level every time I do an assignment or read.  I take it very seriously and want to do the best I possibly can on every assignment I do, no matter how minuscule it may be.  Thinking critically allows me to to open my mind on the subject and let my mind indulge in an array of thoughts on the topic at hand.  This is especially true when I am reading.  When I read I like to think about what the author is trying to get across with his/her words.  There is so much more to a book then just reading the words on the pages.  In order to understand the book to the fullest you must put yourself in the characters shoes and endure what he is going through.  When doing this, you will not only understand the book more fully, but it will also be a much more enjoyable experience overall.  School is just one aspect of my life in which I use critical thinking on a regular basis.
    I use critical thinking on many things outside of school as well.  Basketball and poker are two of my biggest hobbies and I use deep or critical thinking in both.  In basketball, I think about how the defense is going to react if I go a certain way or make a specific pass.  By doing this, I make what I think is the best possible decision at the time.  Basketball is very fast paced, so these decisions are made very quickly.  While playing poker, I am constantly thinking critically about decisions that have to be made.  It goes deeper than calling or folding.  I consider many factors such as hand strength, opponents tendencies, position, etc.  In both of these hobbies of mine I think critically on a regular basis.  I would like to say that I think critically in all aspects of my life, but that is just not the case.  While I use critical thinking a lot, there are just some areas where I just do not think on a deeper level, whether it being due to the fact that I am just lazy or I just do not care about the topic at hand.
    While I use critical thinking quite a bit in my life, I could still learn a lot about the processes and how to apply them.  I am hoping this class will help improve and enlighten me about what thinking critically is all about.  By writing this short little blog entry, I already feel smarter than I was on the topic of thinking critically, so by the end of the semester I can only imagine how much knowledge my mind will absorb.  I am looking forward to this journey, and the valuable insight that will come with it.