Critical Thinking
Ideas to Consider
“Real learning is not, like foraging or moneymaking, a simple matter of acquisition. It is rather a process
in which new experience that one encounters is reciprocated by inner change in oneself” (211). Robert
Grudin. On Dialogue.
Many of us are taught in school to come to a conclusion, to search for an answer to a question. This
implies that problems or questions may have only one answer. A conclusion could be said to be a type of
answer; consider what Robert Grudin has to say about conclusions: “Unless they are understood in a
context that includes irony, ambiguity and contingency, conclusions are always wrong and assertions
always mistaken” (211).
irony: an expression or utterance marked by a deliberate contrast between the apparent and the
intended meaning
ambiguity: that which is susceptible of multiple interpretation; doubtful or uncertain
contingency: uncertainty
One of the things we assume that we learn in school is how to think. In an important book titled How We
Think, American philosopher John Dewey argues that real thinking is reflective. It is also active, not
passive. Dewy explains that, in active thinking, “the ground or basis for a belief is deliberately sought and
its adequacy to support the belief is examined. This process is called reflective thought; it alone is truly
educative in value” (1).
Dewey outlines some of the pitfalls of reflective thought: “supposition[s] accepted without reference to
[their] real grounds. . . Tradition, instruction, imitation—all of which depend upon authority in some
form” (4). (In reference to that word authority, think of Paulo Freire’s concept of banking education--see
below)
We all know that real writing and real thinking is not easy! Consider what Dewey has to say: “Reflective
thinking is always more or less troublesome because it involves overcoming the inertia that inclines one
to accept suggestions at their face value; it involves willingness to endure a condition of mental unrest
and disturbance. Reflective thinking, in short, means judgement suspended during further inquiry; and
suspense is likely to be somewhat painful” (13).
Dewey identifies the essentials of thinking: “To maintain the state of doubt and to carry on systematic
and protracted inquiry—these are the essentials of thinking” (13).
Can you think of a class you took that reinforced the above?
Think back on your education. Can you think of teachers or classes that reinforced truly reflective
thinking? Has your educational experience been one of unremitting acquisition of facts, or do you feel
you have been changed (see Grudin’s comments) by what you have encountered in your education?
Do you feel that you think reflectively? If so, explain why you think so and give an example to back
up your claim.
Critical Thinking: Philosophy, Science and Ideology
One can see the world through many lenses. Three ways to understand our circumstances include
philosophy, science and ideology.
Philosophy: 1. a. Love and pursuit of wisdom by intellectual means and moral self-discipline. b.
The investigation of causes and laws underlying reality. 2. Inquiry into the nature of things based
on logical reasoning rather than empirical methods.
Science: The observation, identification, description, experimental investigation, and theoretical
explanation of natural phenomena.
Ideology: 1. The body of ideas reflecting the social needs and aspirations of an individual, group,
class, or culture. 2. A systematic set of doctrines or beliefs.
In The Grace of Great Things, Robert Grudin discusses the difference between philosophy and
ideology:
“Philosophy is an open system. Its premises are clear, and it retains, in addition to these
premises, a method by which they can be examined. . . Ideology, on the other hand, is a
closed system whose premises, whether explicit or implicit, are unavailable to scrutiny.
Ideology causes us to judge and act automatically, uninquisitively.” “. . . a system is
ideological to the extent that its values are assumed and unexamined” (220).
“But as an essentially unphilosophical system, born if social necessity, governed by
historical circumstances, incomplete, arbitrary, and insidiously tyrannical, ideology is
unfriendly to independent thought” (219)
"Banking" Education (one of Paulo Freire's theories of Education)
In the "banking" method of education passive learners receive deposits of pre-selected, ready-made
knowledge. The learner's mind is seen as an empty vault into which the riches of approved knowledge are
placed. This approach is also referred to as "digestive" and as "narrational" education.
THE BANKING MODEL OF EDUCATION turns students into "receptacles" to be "filled" by the
teachers, like making deposits at a bank. The teacher deposits and students are the depositories. Students
receive, memorize, and repeat. (58) Since we "receive" the world as passive entities, education should
make us more passive still, and adjust us to our world so that we do not question it. The banking model
tries to control thinking and action and inhibits our creative powers. It tries to maintain the submersion of
consciousness. In it we are merely spectators, not re-creators. (62)
"Problem Posing" Education:
In the "problem posing" method of education, students are not passive recipients of information, but are
active in their own education. In this method, a task or problem is presented to the student, and with the
cooperation of the whole learning community (this includes the other students, the teacher, librarians,
other teachers, writers, journalists, etc.) the student takes the initiative and responsibility to complete the
learning task at hand. Knowledge is not seen as the private domain of teachers and scholars, but is a
domain that all may participate in. No one "owns" knowledge, and no one is locked out of the community
of learning. However, instead of passively depending on the teacher, the student now takes responsibility
for his own education.