Critical thinking is about using our reasoning abilities well. Very often, we come across people who appear to be using their reasoning abilities well, but there’s another motive. Some people try to get you to believe something regardless of its truth. This is called rhetoric. When we use reasoning to pursue the truth, it’s called reasoning.
Here’s a podcast I’ve created with the help of Google Notebook LM on the distinction between reasoning and rhetoric and the various mindsets it encourages.
But if you’re more in the mood for a video, here’s a video version. The same content, just slightly rearranged for your viewing pleasure. (Also created using Google Notebook LM)
These materials do a pretty good and succinct job of explaining the reasoning vs. rhetoric distinction as well as some ground-level components of critical thinking to help you understand the basics.
Analyses by Frank Saunders Jr 