Commentary Today, regardless of partisanship, the idea that schools should teach “critical thinking” or how to think over what to think, wins general approval. The theory that “critical thinking” enables students to pursue dispassionate studies and arrive at rational independent conclusions is something that most people find naturally appealing. Progressive educators have touted the value of critical thinking for decades. John Dewey, the American father of activist learning, contended that a school curriculum aimed at developing critical thinking skills benefits the entire society. In the early 1960s, philosopher of education Robert H. Ennis published a paper in the Harvard Educational Review titled “The Concept of Critical Thinking.” He defined critical thinking to include “the correct assessing of statements” and, in later work, as “reasonable, reflective thinking focused on deciding what to believe or do.” Over the last 60 years, legions of educational theorists have praised the merits of criticism and …