Critical Thinking
Socrates
469-399 B.C.
What is Critical Thinking?
Critical thinking =df. The careful,
deliberate determination of whether we
should accept, reject, or suspend judgment
about a claim – and of the degree of
confidence with which we should accept or
reject it.
Alternative Thinking Styles
• One approach to thinking is similar to the way in which
a sponge reacts to water: by absorbing.
• Advantages:
– The more information you absorb about the world,
the more capable you are of understanding its
complexities. For example, it would be difficult to
judge a sociological theory before you had absorbed
a core of knowledge about sociology.
Alternative Thinking Styles II
A second advantage of the sponge approach is that
it is relatively passive. The primary mental effort
involves concentration and memory.
Disadvantages:
• The sponge approach provides no method for
deciding which information to believe and which
to reject.
Alternative Thinking Styles III
•The sponge approach emphasizes knowledge
acquisition.
•Critical thinking stresses active interaction with
knowledge as it is being acquired.
•An individual that takes the sponge approach to
learning may underline or highlight key words
and sentences. Her mission is to find and
understand what the author has to say. She
memorizes the reasoning, but does not evaluate it.
A Critical Thinking Approach
A critical thinking approach requires that the reader ask
herself a number of questions to clarify logical steps in the
material and to help identify important omissions.
GOALS OF CRITICAL THINKING
• What is critiqued is the ideas of people, not the people
themselves who hold the ideas.
• The goal of philosophy is knowledge through a
disinterested search for truth, not winning or simply
appearing to defeat another in argument.
• Critical thinking helps both ourselves and others when it
helps us recognize that a “position, theory, or idea is
incomplete or unclear, insufficiently supported, or in some
other way unconvincing,” and thus helps us to arrive at the
truth which is the goal of knowledge seekers.
SKILLS INVOLVED IN CRITICAL
THINKING
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Critical Readers Are:
willing to spend time reflecting on the ideas presented in their reading
assignments
able to evaluate and solve problems while reading rather than merely
compile a set of facts to be memorized
logical thinkers
diligent in seeking out the truth
eager to express their thoughts on a topic
seekers of alternative views on a topic
open to new ideas that may not necessarily agree with their previous
thought on a topic
able to base their judgments on ideas and evidence
able to recognize errors in thought and persuasion as well as to
recognize good arguments
SKILLS INVOLVED IN CRITICAL
THINKING
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Critical Readers Are:
willing to take a critical stance on issues
able to ask penetrating and thought-provoking questions to evaluate ideas
in touch with their personal thoughts and ideas about a topic
willing to reassess their views when new or discordant evidence is introduced
and evaluated
able to identify arguments and issues
able to see connections between topics and use knowledge from other disciplines
to enhance their reading and learning experiences
Schumm, J. S. and Post, S. A. Executive Learning.
Thinking and Feeling
When you first encounter a conclusion, you do so with a
history. You have learned to care about certain things, to
support particular interests, and to disregard some
particular claims. You will be thinking critically in the
midst of existing opinions. You have emotional
commitments to these opinions. Sometimes it is good to
put your feelings aside for a while. This will enable you to
listen to other’s arguments openly. The danger of being
emotionally involved in an issue is that you may fail to
consider potential good reasons for other positions.
• One doesn't discover new lands without consenting to lose
sight of the shore for a very long time. --Andre Gide
Thinking and Feeling
M.Neil Browne and Stuart Keeley:
“As part of the human tendency to dichotomize or think in extremes, those
who emphasize critical thinking as an educational necessity sometimes
express contempt for emotions. All off us know that unrestrained feelings
can get us into trouble. They seem to encourage us to act first and think
later. But any tool can be misused. Emotions are an invaluable aspect of
each of us. Many of the feelings that we have are the result of deep
thought. We get angry at certain behavior for very good reasons. We may
admire specific people for some powerful reasons. So how should you feel
about your feelings as you try to think critically? Our advice is to recognize
your feelings to the extent possible, respect those that are the result of
careful reflection and try, as best you can, to prevent others from cluttering
your reasoning.”
Practical uses
• Critical Thinking is about learning how to apply
knowledge. For example, many people in the computer
industry know a great deal about computers. They may
have excellent customer service skills. However, it is
imperative that they know how to apply their knowledge
to an almost infinite array of problems. Bill Gates, owner
of Microsoft Corporation, is considered the first person to
really implement critical thinking techniques for job
interviews. Since then, many companies recognize the
importance of hiring critical thinkers and use puzzles to
assess potential employee’s critical thinking abilities.
Practical Uses II
• William Poundstone, a well-known logician, has
written books on this subjects. He explains why
logic problems are more important than questions
such as what are your strengths and weaknesses.
Questions to ask may be:
• What does all the ice in a hockey rink weigh?
• How do they make M&Ms?
• How many gas stations are there in the US?
Practical Uses III
• From Thad Peterson: “Jeremy Solomon sat across the table from a
well-known national consulting company's interviewing manager,
grappling with the question just posed to him. At that moment, the
$70,000 education he received from Harvard's Kennedy School of
Government was momentarily useless. This topic hadn't popped up in
public policy, economics or stats classes. In fact, the vexing issue was
one few ever think about: How many quarters -- placed one on top of
the other -- would it take to reach the top of the Empire State Building?
When Jeremy Solomon was asked this in an interview, he didn't have a
clue as to what would be the correct answer. Nonetheless, he remained
calm.
• First, he asked the interviewer exactly what she meant by ‘placed on
top of the other.’ After she said on their sides, Solomon began to
explain his logic step-by-step to the interviewer. He estimated that a
quarter is about an inch in diameter and guessed that there are 120
floors in the Empire State Building, with each floor being 10 feet tall.
Then he did the appropriate math. Did Solomon give the right answer?
Not quite -- the building only has 102 floors, and they aren't 10 feet
tall. Did he nail the question? Absolutely.”
Practical Uses IV
Critical thinking skills are valuable skills in the 21st century
professional world.
• For instance,
• Tackling problems and opportunities head-on.
• Finding answers.
• Creating solutions.
• Developing strategies.
• We need to be able to do more than find information in a
textbook. However, technology and research keeps
changing at a very fast rate. The professional who thinks
best will probably do best. People will need to be able to
adapt to new situations, think on their feet, and be effective
problem solvers. Critical Thinking will help you
throughout your career.