Critical Thinking + Empathy = Problem-Solving

When we think about critical thinking, we often think of cold logic – carefully dissected arguments, objective evidence, and rational conclusions. But this image is missing a crucial element: empathy. Empathy is not at the opposite end of the spectrum from reason; rather, it is essential to true critical thinking. Without it, our judgments become dubious, our conclusions shallow, and our problem-solving ineffective. In a complex and polarized world, I think empathy is not a distraction from critical analysis – it’s what makes it work.

Empathy doesn’t mean agreeing with everyone or abandoning objectivity. Rather, it’s the ability to imagine someone else’s perspective, emotions, and experiences. It’s a form of mental simulation that helps us understand why people believe what they believe, even if we don’t share those beliefs. It makes us pause before jumping to conclusions and makes us consider more variables, more voices, and more possibilities. In a culture that prizes hot takes and snap judgments, empathy is a form of resistance. It says, ‘Wait. Let’s understand this first.’

Understanding the Main Ideas

One way my students learn to break down ideas on SAT reading and writing passages is by asking who, what/which, where, when, how, and why. Who/what/which tells them the subject or actor. When/where describe the constraints under which the claim holds true. I advise my students that hardly anything in the world is absolutely true all the time, so they should be wary of answers that couch things in all-or-nothing, completely certain terms. ‘The sky is blue,’ yes, but ‘The sky is blue on Earth [where] during the daytime [when]’ is more accurate.

The how and the why are what the hard questions focus on, but these are the questions that I think a society benefits from being able to confront. Carl Rogers noted, ‘When someone really hears you without passing judgment on you, without trying to take responsibility for you, without trying to mold you, it feels damn good.’ Empathy is the skill that lets us understand why someone holds a differing belief and how they got there.

Take, for example, the ongoing debates about climate change policy. While the science is clear, people’s responses to environmental policies can be deeply colored by economic, cultural, and regional concerns. In parts of the US where coal or oil jobs anchor the local economy, people may see environmental regulations as existential threats to their way of life. These seemingly irrational reactions to change are often rational within the framework of people’s lived experience, and dismissing these concerns as ignorance or denialism misses the point and shuts down dialogue. When people feel dismissed, misunderstood, or morally condemned, they dig in deeper.  

Understanding why someone clings to a carbon-intensive job or distrusts green energy isn’t ‘giving in’ to their viewpoint – it’s the first step in designing a solution they can be part of. Empathy allows us to ask, ‘What fears or losses are driving this resistance? How might we design transitions that honor these communities’ dignity and economic realities? What does a just transition look like for everyone, not just those already on board?’ Critical thinking tells us what needs fixing. Empathy tells us how to fix it without leaving people behind. When we use empathy alongside critical thinking, we design better systems—not just greener, but fairer and more sustainable, because they account for real human fears, habits, and needs.

Empathy as Mental Health Self-Defense

Another thing I coach my students to do on the SAT: avoid answer choices that include emotionally charged language or assert too much certainty. Why? Because colleges are looking for students with academic curiosity and some level of resistance to logical fallacies. The SAT is assessing not just their comprehension but also their ability to interpret tone and bias.

This approach teaches an implicit form of empathy: recognizing claims that are too extreme to be balanced and recognizing bias that gets in the way of clear communication. Students who do well learn to spot loaded or dismissive tones and to assume, rightly, that this isn’t a valid response. The same goes for real life: if they’re in an argument with another person who is using emotional rather than critical reasoning, they’re better able to (a) avoid distractions and stick to the point and (b) deflect ad hominem arguments. When we scroll through social media or read the news, we’re constantly bombarded with voices that are emotionally loaded, certain, and divisive. Being able to recognize this tone and question its reliability is as much about empathy as it is about logic.

In working with students who have ADHD or executive functioning issues, I’ve come to appreciate that they often have trouble faking enthusiasm for things they don’t find personally relevant. One way we work on improving their grades in subjects they’re less interested in is by incorporating things that they are interested in. This is a human strength I think we should celebrate rather than treat. Caring about what they learn and how to apply their knowledge effectively is what we should want students to do.  And so, empathy in education starts with recognizing and loving students as they are.

Empathy as an Engine for Progress

Psychologists have long noted that our brains prefer stories to statistics. Empathy allows us to connect data to the human experience. In public health, for example, statistics about vaccination rates are important, but they rarely change minds. Listening to the story of someone who was hesitant about the COVID-19 vaccine, learned more, and then got vaccinated is far more persuasive than citing a CDC chart. Empathy helps us contextualize information and makes our reasoning more compelling and real.

The most pressing problems of our time – climate change, inequality, misinformation, health care – are not simply technical puzzles. They are deeply human dilemmas. They require collaboration, perspective-taking, and a willingness to tolerate discomfort. Critical thinking is often portrayed as a cold skill, but it’s actually warm-blooded. It requires curiosity, humility, and the emotional imagination to understand views we might otherwise reject.

Empathy doesn’t mean abandoning skepticism. It means recognizing that understanding someone’s experience is often the first step to effectively challenging assumptions – either theirs or our own. It means realizing that human beings aren’t Vulcans.

I think we should stop treating empathy as the ‘soft’ counterpart to hard thinking. It is a cognitive skill as much as a moral one. It takes effort to imagine another point of view, especially when we disagree. But that effort, when paired with logic and curiosity, can lead to insights that cold reason alone cannot. We can use empathy as a design principle that helps us build systems – from transportation to education to health care – that actually work for the people using them.

In an age of rising loneliness, polarization, and anxiety, I think empathy acts like connective tissue. It keeps conversations going where they might otherwise break down. It makes it easier to tolerate disagreement, admit when we’re wrong, and feel safe enough to learn. These are not just emotional skills – they are survival tools for human society.

And I think that is what true critical thinking looks like.