Personal benefits of critical thinking

Self-confidence and a sense of control over one’s life are the two main personal benefits of being a critical thinker.
Once one commits oneself to a lifelong search for the most reasonable beliefs and actions, and one learns how to
conduct that search properly, self-confidence and self-respect begin to flourish. Also, the better one is at evaluating
and constructing arguments, the more likely one will be in control of situations where decisions need to be made or
problems solved.
Another benefit of critical thinking is that one should notice an improvement in one’s studying and course
work. It is possible--perhaps even likely--that many students will become more efficient at using their intelligence
because of becoming more critical in their thinking. Whatever benefits accrue to you because of using this text, the
benefits will be due mainly to your efforts. The text is merely a guide. It points you in the right direction. Where
you arrive is largely up to you. What a critical thinker hopes for is to become free from the tyranny of those who
would rather see obedient servants than thoughtful, independent thinkers. We should also hope to become free
from our own tyranny--the tyranny of self-deception and wishful thinking. Only by becoming free from these
tyrannies can we hope to think clearly and accurately so that we might judge fairly what we ought to believe and
do. We will still make mistakes, but they will be our mistakes.