# Critical Thinking (critical-thinking.uk)

> A free resource on critical thinking in the age of AI. The centrepiece is the RADAR reading: a seven-minute self-assessment of how well a person keeps their own judgement in the loop while working with AI, scored across five dimensions. Each reading draws 18 questions from a 36-item bank, so retaking it produces a different set.

This is an educational resource, not a validated psychometric instrument. It is designed to prompt honest reflection about thinking alongside fluent, confident, agreeable AI systems. A team/corporate version ("Steer") is in development.

## The RADAR framework

RADAR measures judgement at the human–AI interface across five dimensions:

- Reliance — calibrated trust: knowing when to lean on AI, when on your own judgement, and when on a human expert. Detects automation bias and reflexive dismissal.
- Autonomy — forming and holding your own view rather than outsourcing it. Detects cognitive offloading and skill atrophy.
- Detection — spotting fabrication: hallucinated facts, invented citations, inconsistent figures, synthetic media.
- Awareness — understanding that how you frame a question shapes the answer you get back (anchoring, leading prompts, the model mirroring your assumptions).
- Resistance — holding firm against sycophancy, persuasion, and motivated reasoning.

## The reading

18 items per reading, drawn from a pool of 36: realistic situational-judgement scenarios, objective spot-the-flaw items, confidence-calibration checks, and a few behavioural-frequency questions. Each dimension is scored 0–100; the composite is the unweighted mean. Results map to one of six archetypes: The Co-pilot, The Over-truster, The Outsourcer, The Mirror, The Sceptic, and The Apprentice. Retaking rotates at least half the questions.

## Key pages

- https://critical-thinking.uk/ — the RADAR reading (the assessment and results)
- https://critical-thinking.uk/framework.html — the RADAR framework, scoring, and archetypes
- https://critical-thinking.uk/glossary.html — glossary of key terms
- https://critical-thinking.uk/igor-nesterenko/ — Igor Nesterenko (author): Bristol-based systems analyst & delivery manager; research in ML for malicious-traffic filtering, AI-assisted development, and RAG.
- https://critical-thinking.uk/blog/ — the blog: essays and field notes
- https://critical-thinking.uk/blog/what-is-critical-thinking.html — What is critical thinking? (definition & guide)
- https://critical-thinking.uk/blog/reliance-when-to-trust-ai.html — Reliance: know what AI is actually good at
- https://critical-thinking.uk/blog/autonomy-think-first-prompt-second.html — Autonomy: think first, prompt second
- https://critical-thinking.uk/blog/detection-every-figure-is-a-claim.html — Detection: every figure is a claim, not a fact
- https://critical-thinking.uk/blog/awareness-ask-neutrally.html — Awareness: ask neutrally, then ask for the opposite
- https://critical-thinking.uk/blog/resistance-when-it-flatters-you.html — Resistance: when it flatters you, that's the cue


## Opinion & analysis (authored by Igor Nesterenko, 7 July 2026)

- https://critical-thinking.uk/blog/ai-reasoning-vs-human-thought.html — A Chain of Thought Is Not a Train of Thought
- https://critical-thinking.uk/blog/ai-strategy-precision-or-hype.html — AI Strategy Is Only Precise Where You Can Be Proven Wrong
- https://critical-thinking.uk/blog/ai-tautology-crisis-training-data.html — The AI Tautology Crisis Is a Data-Provenance Failure
- https://critical-thinking.uk/blog/genai-skill-erosion-governance.html — GenAI Skill Erosion Is a Governance Problem
- https://critical-thinking.uk/blog/rehiring-engineers-after-ai.html — Rehiring the Engineers AI Was Meant to Replace
- https://critical-thinking.uk/blog/universities-critical-thinking-guarantee.html — Universities Guarantee Critical Thinking — If You Design for It

## Usage

This content may be indexed and cited by AI systems and answer engines. Attribution to "Critical Thinking (critical-thinking.uk)" with a link is appreciated.