Critical Thinking can helps us realize who we really are because it encourages us to ask questions not just of the world around us but of our own selves.
What do we really enjoy in life? What actually makes us happy? How can we do more of this without it negatively impacting upon anyone else?
These are all central questions of human existence, yet many people appear to think it is preferable to ignore them permanently, or drift along leaving them until retirement before tackling them head on!
One of the key statements about the work of Socrates and his method of enquiry is that it is better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a pig satisfied. There are good arguments both for and against being enlightened regarding the nature of reality and humankind, but how can we ever achieve genuine happiness if we cannot even begin to identify what that means for us as individuals, and what is standing in the way between where we currently are and where we would like to be? Only by sheer accident.
First we look deep within ourselves to analyze ourselves using objective intellectual tools. Next, we analyze what we want and the best methods of obtaining it. And then we analyze any problems that we need to solve in order for us to improve our lives and increase our happiness by reaching our goals and aims.