Nevertheless, critical analysis remains as difficult to define as to foster. From the standpoint of the reading brain, critical thought represents the full sum of the scientific-method processes. It synthesizes the text’s content with our background knowledge, analogies, deductions, inductions, and inferences and then uses this synthesis to evaluate the author’s underlying assumptions, interpretations, and conclusions. The careful formation of critical reasoning is the best way to inoculate the next generation against manipulative and superficial information, whether in text or on screen.
