I thought I was doing myself a favour

[BlackMason]

The benefit of critical thinking is that you'll be able to analyze an argument for its truth-value and make appropriate decisions as a result.

Critical thinking aids problem-solving by helping you to identify problems which may be inherent in your thinking.

My point of contention is that it is focused on arguing. I'm not a professional debtor nor do I aspire to be one. There seems to little in the way of real problem solving. Not every life situation needs to be argued.

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I've been studying this critical thinking course and I'm a little disappointed. The material seems to be applicable in an academic environment and doesn't really have real world application. Maybe that didn't come out right. What I mean is that it's great for writing research papers and theses. But for figuring out things like bypassing a barrier to entry for a business...it just doesn't really cater to that.

I'm not through the course yet. I haven't even got to the part about argument mapping. The fact that there's a chapter on argument mapping is precisely what I'm talking about. I don't want to be analysing people's arguments all the god damn time. A lot of the focus so far has been on semantics. Maybe I made a mistake by taking this course. I should've gone for something more tuned to problem solving. I don't wanna be some wise ass behind a fucking computer screen. Just what the hell are the benefits of critical thinking?

Informally, you do it every day: every time you make a decision, you're using critical thinking (to a greater or lesser extent) to weigh up your options so that you make 'the right' decision.

Formally, I don't know the syllabus of your course but speaking as a Business Analyst working in IT & Business Change for the Financial Services sector, I can tell you that the ability to think critically is central to my job. For me, the big 3 benefits are:

- I can apply Business Analysis methodologies appropriately, precisely and accurately, delivering real-world results
- I can help businesses understand themselves and their needs in order to maximise benefits
- I can analyse, understand & articulate the business implications of proposals and requirements

I also see others, across a variety of roles, putting critical thinking to good use.

I don't see how someone without formal training in critical thinking can't do that. I'm sure you nor your colleagues have formal training in the discipline. But you're doing just fine.

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How's that for irony? I'm using critical thinking to show you that it's not very useful.