Why is Critical Thinking Important?

We are almost constantly bombarded with erroneous conclusions and even blatant propaganda. We hear it from all corners of the news, advertising, entertainment and even scholarly articles claiming to be unbiased. Sometimes it is simply caused by honest error and sometimes it is intentional. People often have a need or desire to get others to believe what they believe, vote for who they want us to vote for or buy what they have to sell. This is not always a bad thing, for example, Louis Pasteur said (rough translation) 'it is not enough to know the truth, we must also proclaim it'.  Louis Pasteur knew some truths that were extremely important to share with others. Critical thinking helps us discern and discover what is truth and what is not.