Having the mindset that disposes us to engage our thinking skills as best as we can is the "eager" part of the phrase "skilled and eager to think." Describe this eagerness in terms of the positive disposition toward critical thinking.

A person with a positive disposition toward critical thinking has the consistent internal motivation to engage problems and make decisions by using critical thinking. Operationally this means three things: The person consistently values critical thinking, believes that using critical thinking skills offers the greatest promise for reaching good judgments, and intends to approach problems and decisions by applying critical thinking skills as best as he or she can. This combination of values, beliefs, and intentions forms the habits of mind that dispose the person toward critical thinking and make a person eager to engage problems using his or her critical thinking skills.