Critical Thinking

"Critical thinking is the use of those cognitive skills or strategies that increase the probability of a desirable outcome. It is used to describe thinking that is purposeful, reasoned and goal directed - the kind of thinking involved in solving problems, formulating inferences, calculating likelihoods, and making decisions when the thinker is using skills that are thoughtful and effective for the particular context and type of thinking task. Critical thinking also involves evaluating the thinking process - the reasoning that went into the conclusion we've arrived at the kinds of factors considered in making a decision. Critical thinking is sometimes called directed thinking because it focuses on a desired outcome."
Halpern, Diane F. Thought and Knowledge: An Introduction to Critical Thinking. 1996.

Critical thinking is the development of cohesive and logical reasoning patterns. Stahl and Stahl, 1991.

"Broadly speaking, critical thinking is concerned with reason, intellectual honesty, and open-mindedness, as opposed too emotionalism, intellectual laziness, and closed-mindedness. Thus, critical thinking involves: following evidence where it leads; considering all possibilities; relying on reason rather than emotion; being precise; considering a variety of possible viewpoints and explanations; weighing the effects of motives and biases; being concerned more with finding the truth than with being right; not rejecting unpopular views out of hand; being aware of one's own prejudices and biases, and not allowing them to sway one's judgment."
Kurland, Daniel J. I Know What It Says . . . What does it Mean? 1995.

The above quotes apply to me when I’m creating my hypertext. When I write my draft, I’m writing for a purpose, and obviously, I tend to focus on the final outcome. Not only do I write for that one page, I have to think and form strategies to formulate my other pages as well; my main goal is to tie it all together in a coherent and understandable manner, and I have to always be open to change just in case something does not work out the way I imagined. It takes a lot of planning to get it all to work out in the end. Because I am publishing for anyone to view, I have to remind myself that I shouldn’t be biased in my opinions and try not to take sides. I also want to present information in a manner that investigates all aspects rather than just focusing on one little part. I’m always feeling as though I have to think outside the box to ensure full exploration of the subject at hand.