There's a difference, though, between being discerning and being judgmental, and between thinking critically and being critical.
Thinking about writing as a critic and thinking critically as a practioner are both helpful.
I think, at least for my Dad, thinking critically about music is the same as thinking critically about anything.
Theory and Criticism (one course) provides tools for thinking critically across all these periods, identities, and genres.
But thinking critically about these issues is missing the point.
It's the habit of thinking critically, aided by techniques developed over more than two millennia.
Yet thinking critically about what seems obvious can be revealing, and possibly even useful.
And that perhaps was the first time I started thinking critically about what we were doing".
Or that you can support your country while thinking critically about its actions and its citizenry.
It doesn't matter what you read as long as you're thinking critically.
"Art can really enlighten social movements and get people thinking critically," he says.
