Critical Reading

Whenever you read something and you evaluate claims, seek definitions, judge information,
demand proof, and question assumptions, you are thinking critically. This type of reading
goes beyond passively understanding a text because you process the author’s words and
make judgements after carefully considering the reader’s message. But why should you read
critically? Reading critically means you are thinking critically. This shows that you do not
simply accept the message on the page. You bring to your reading your own experience and
perspective, and use these to separate yourself from the text and judge for yourself what you
consider important, logical or right. This interaction between the text and the reader is
necessary because reading results from a negotiation of meaning between text and the
reader. By reading critically, you find out the author’s views on something, ask questions,
evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the author’s argument, and decide to agree or
disagree with it. Critical reading thus allows you to enter into a dialogue with the author- and
this deepens your understanding of the issue or topic discussed. Therefore, in order to arrive
at a sufficient interpretation of the text, you need to become a critical and active reader.

Critical Reading
Whenever you read something and you evaluate claims, seek definitions, judge information,
demand proof, and question assumptions, you are thinking critically. This type of reading
goes beyond passively understanding a text because you process the author’s words and
make judgements after carefully considering the reader’s message. But why should you read
critically? Reading critically means you are thinking critically. This shows that you do not
simply accept the message on the page. You bring to your reading your own experience and
perspective, and use these to separate yourself from the text and judge for yourself what you
consider important, logical or right. This interaction between the text and the reader is
necessary because reading results from a negotiation of meaning between text and the
reader. By reading critically, you find out the author’s views on something, ask questions,
evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the author’s argument, and decide to agree or
disagree with it. Critical reading thus allows you to enter into a dialogue with the author- and
this deepens your understanding of the issue or topic discussed. Therefore, in order to arrive
at a sufficient interpretation of the text, you need to become a critical and active reader.