What is the definition of critical thinking?

This is the area of judgement: how we make decisions and choices as well as judgements of others. Critical thinking analyses each stage of decision-making taking account of all the factors relevant in the way decisions are made and the thinking that is involved in the process.

Critical thinking is vital in such situations as ethics meetings in the hospital, where life and death decisions must be made in association with a group concerned. Also, in legal situations where not just established law but the stages of decision-making will affect the outcome of a case.