The 7 CogSkills of Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is nothing more than a set of skills

The good news is that clearer thinking isn't magical or mysterious. Critical thinking simply comes down to a discrete set of skills. Most of us are already good at some of these skills, and worse at others. We can all stand to improve our thinking.

We delve into each critical thinking skill in depth in the book, but here is a brief introduction. We will call these cognitive skills "CogSkills" for short. The nickname “CogSkill” reminds us that each one is a cognitive, or “thinking” skill, and that the seven big CogSkills are extra important compared to just any other skill we can develop.

CogSkills are broad thinking skills that can be applied to any field or profession. Doing a certain type of math problem may be a skill. But Analysis is the CogSkill that can help you solve a number of math problems, understand the structure of a great novel... or even fix a leaky toilet!

There are seven big CogSkills:

•      CogSkill 1, Knowledge

•      CogSkill 2, Understanding

•      CogSkill 3, Insight

•      CogSkill 4, Analysis

•      CogSkill 5, Judgment

•      CogSkill 6, Creativity

•      CogSkill 7, Self-Reflection