While critical thinking has a neutral definition,1 the term carries a lot of baggage and vague associations. It seems to be conflated with the capacity to rebut critical attacks on dearly-held convictions. In this sense, it is compared against deconstructive analysis. It must be employed to constructively repair the damage done by malicious deconstructive (i.e. worthless) attackers.
Of course, deconstruction is also a subset of (correctly understood) critical thinking. Analytical skills can be used both to construct and deconstruct ideas. We do students a disservice by stigmatizing the deconstructive potential of analytical reasoning.
Definition of critical thinking: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/critical%20thinking↩︎