Critical thinking is necessary but it cannot be severed entirely
   from emotions. One must take emotions into account throughout
   the process and consider their impact. It's cognitive science
   here; our emotions and reasoning systems are forever linked
   together. People with damaged amygdalas cannot make decisions
   properly because there is a limited emotional "push" to get them
   to "true/ false" or to "certainty".

   So they waffle back and forth even over simple decisions. I
   could find the study but it's just the nature of our cognitive
   systems. Emotion is always there and required for any rational
   thinking and hence, always a part of critical thinking.

   It's a discipline of intellect but it is also an emotional
   discipline; they're forever linked. Ok, that is the answer to
   the 2 out of 3. I'll move to #1.