Critical Thinking Explained in New Video from ProCon.org

SANTA MONICA, Calif., June 18, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- ProCon.org announces its new video "Critical Thinking Explained" about critical thinking and how studies show that it encourages citizen involvement.

This latest episode in ProCon.org's Critical Thinking Video Series focuses on facts and studies showing that critical thinking, especially through discussion and debate of controversial issues, often leads to people being more likely to vote, follow political news, influence public policy, have an interest in the political process, attend community meetings, participate in charity events, and generally become more involved citizens.

93 percent of college faculty surveyed in 2005 reported that developing students' ability to think critically was an essential goal of undergraduate education.  Critical thinking was considered the second most valuable life skill (after interpersonal skill) in a 1994 survey of 11,000 UCLA graduates. Martin Luther King Jr. stated in 1947, "The function of education... is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically."

The 2:46 video shows that people use critical thinking every day, such as when deciding which tomato to buy or which movie to watch. However, when it comes to making major decisions on important social issues, people often find it too difficult or time-consuming to think critically about them. The video demonstrates that by applying the same daily critical thinking process towards social and political issues, the result is often more civic engagement.

The video is available for viewing on the ProCon.org website at http://www.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=5329 and on the ProCon.org YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/proconorg.

The video production was generously sponsored by the DC-based Herb Block Foundation, whose "Encouraging Citizen Involvement" grants help to "ensure a responsible, responsive democratic government through citizen involvement."

Other titles in the Critical Thinking Video Series include "Death Penalty: Thomas Edison Electrocutes an Elephant," "Milk: Is It Healthy for Humans?," and "Electronic Voting Machines: Do They Improve the Voting Process?"

For more information about critical thinking, visit the ProCon.org "Teachers' Corner" which provides studies, articles, and many teacher resources related to the impact of critical thinking.

For information about ProCon.org, visit www.procon.org.

About Us
ProCon.org (online at www.procon.org) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity whose mission is promoting critical thinking, education, and informed citizenship.  Information is presented on 47 different ProCon.org issue websites in subjects ranging from standardized testing, alternative energy, and medical marijuana to the death penalty, illegal immigration, and gay marriage.

ProCon.org websites are free of charge and require no registration.  The websites have been referenced by over 800 media entities, cited 36 times by the governments of 11 countries (including 27 US states and nine US federal agencies), and used by teachers, librarians, and educators in over 3,750 schools in 56 countries and all 50 US states.

ProCon.org had over 15.7 million unique readers in 2012 and more than 2 billion hits since its inception in 2004.

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Contact: Kambiz Akhavan
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SOURCE ProCon.org