The importance of critical thinking
In 1987, the National Council for Excellence in Critical Thinking, defined it as follows:
‘Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualising, applying, analysing, synthesising, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action. In its exemplary form, it is based on universal intellectual values that transcend subject matter divisions: clarity, accuracy, precision, consistency, relevance, sound evidence, good reasons, depth, breadth, and fairness.’
In our information-rich world soon to become dominated by artificial intelligence prompted answers, the ability to critically think has never been more important. Unfortunately, it’s not a skill that we are automatically born with, most of us need to learn how to do it.
It’s not enough to have access to information, experience or even a ‘process’ for thinking. The information needs to be analysed objectively, questioning assumptions, and evaluating evidence before forming judgements. It requires time to think, intellectual rigour and self-awareness to recognise biases whilst systematically reasoning through problems to reach sound conclusions.
When we suffer from attention poverty, caused either by a relentless cycle of ‘busyness’ or an inability to focus as a result of distractions, our ability to critically think is diminished. We default to cognitive shortcuts and surface-level ‘processing’ rather than the deeper, slower analytical thinking that critical thought requires.
One such shortcut is the use of AI. Defaulting to a ‘machine’ to do our thinking for us may seem like a time-saving way to get things done, yet it introduces risks that can have far-reaching consequences not only for our own intellects, but also for our reputations and future careers too.
However, the primary risk is cognitive atrophy. If we consistently outsource our critical thinking to AI, we lose the muscle memory of rigorous thought, making us less capable of independent judgment when it matters most.
Over time, this creates a dangerous dependency where we lack both the confidence and competence to challenge AI outputs (which need to be continually checked), question underlying assumptions, or think through problems when the technology isn't available.
I’m also starting to see a flattening effect on organisational thinking. When teams rely on AI for analysis and problem-solving, they risk homogenised perspectives and the loss of the productive friction that comes from diverse viewpoints.
The messy, intuitive, context-rich thinking that emerges from healthy friction, debate and collective sense-making gets replaced by algorithmically-generated ‘answers’ that may be coherent but lack the wisdom that comes from lived experience and emotional intelligence.
Perhaps most concerning for individuals and the cultures that they’re part of is that if people stop practicing critical thinking (or else lack curiosity with what they’ve been presented with), they become passive consumers of information rather than active contributors to knowledge and idea creation.
This fundamentally undermines collaboration, reduces accountability, and creates teams that wait to be told what to think rather than wrestling with complexity together.
This isn’t doom-mongering, I think it’s a warning worth heeding.
Use technology to aid the thinking process, not replace it. Turn off distractions to provide yourself with time to think and debate. Don’t rely on assumptions and learn from your experiences. Challenge what you're told and enjoy the discomfort of not having immediate answers.
Shortcutting your thinking will make you replaceable, which is exactly what the technology companies want.
