Defining Critical Thinking
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Critical thinking...the awakening of the intellect to the study of itself.
Critical thinking is a rich concept that has been developing throughout
the past 2500 years. The term "critical thinking" has its roots in the
mid-late 20th century. We offer here overlapping definitions, together
which form a substantive, transdisciplinary conception of critical
thinking.
Critical Thinking as Defined by the National Council for Excellence in Critical Thinking, 1987
A statement by Michael Scriven & Richard
Paul, presented at the 8th Annual International Conference on Critical
Thinking and Education Reform, Summer 1987.
Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively
and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing,
and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by,
observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a
guide to belief and action. In its exemplary form, it is based on
universal intellectual values that transcend subject matter divisions:
clarity, accuracy, precision, consistency, relevance, sound evidence,
good reasons, depth, breadth, and fairness.
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It entails the examination of those structures or elements of thought
implicit in all reasoning: purpose, problem, or question-at-issue;
assumptions; concepts; empirical grounding; reasoning leading to
conclusions; implications and consequences; objections from alternative
viewpoints; and frame of reference. Critical thinking — in being
responsive to variable subject matter, issues, and purposes — is
incorporated in a family of interwoven modes of thinking, among them:
scientific thinking, mathematical thinking, historical thinking,
anthropological thinking, economic thinking, moral thinking, and
philosophical thinking.
Critical thinking can be seen as having two components: 1) a set of
information and belief generating and processing skills, and 2) the
habit, based on intellectual commitment, of using those skills to guide
behavior. It is thus to be contrasted with: 1) the mere acquisition and
retention of information alone, because it involves a particular way in
which information is sought and treated; 2) the mere possession of a set
of skills, because it involves the continual use of them; and 3) the
mere use of those skills ("as an exercise") without acceptance of their
results.
Critical thinking varies according to the motivation underlying it.
When grounded in selfish motives, it is often manifested in the skillful
manipulation of ideas in service of one’s own, or one's groups’, vested
interest. As such it is typically intellectually flawed, however
pragmatically successful it might be. When grounded in fairmindedness
and intellectual integrity, it is typically of a higher order
intellectually, though subject to the charge of "idealism" by those
habituated to its selfish use.
Critical thinking of any kind is never universal in any individual;
everyone is subject to episodes of undisciplined or irrational thought.
Its quality is therefore typically a matter of degree and dependent on,
among other things, the quality and depth of experience in a given
domain of thinking or with respect to a particular class of questions.
No one is a critical thinker through-and-through, but only to
such-and-such a degree, with such-and-such insights and blind spots,
subject to such-and-such tendencies towards self-delusion. For this
reason, the development of critical thinking skills and dispositions is a
life-long endeavor.
Another Brief Conceptualization of Critical Thinking
Critical thinking is self-guided, self-disciplined thinking which
attempts to reason at the highest level of quality in a fair-minded way.
People who think critically consistently attempt to live rationally, reasonably, empathically. They are keenly aware of the inherently flawed nature of human thinking when left unchecked. They strive to diminish the power of their egocentric and sociocentric tendencies.
They use the intellectual tools that critical thinking offers –
concepts and principles that enable them to analyze, assess, and improve
thinking. They work diligently to develop
the intellectual virtues of intellectual integrity, intellectual
humility, intellectual civility, intellectual empathy, intellectual
sense of justice and confidence in reason.
They realize that no matter how skilled they are as thinkers, they can
always improve their reasoning abilities and they will at times fall
prey to mistakes in reasoning, human irrationality, prejudices, biases,
distortions, uncritically accepted social rules and taboos,
self-interest, and vested interest. They strive to improve the world in whatever ways they can and contribute to a more rational, civilized society. At the same time, they recognize the complexities often inherent in doing so.
They avoid thinking simplistically about complicated issues and strive
to appropriately consider the rights and needs of relevant others.
They recognize the complexities in developing as thinkers, and commit
themselves to life-long practice toward self-improvement. They embody the Socratic principle: The unexamined life is not worth living , because they realize that many unexamined lives together result in an uncritical, unjust, dangerous world. ~ Linda Elder, September, 2007
Why Critical Thinking?
The Problem
Everyone thinks; it is our nature to do so. But much of our thinking, left to itself, is biased, distorted, partial, uninformed or down-right prejudiced. Yet the quality of our life and that of what we produce, make, or build depends precisely on the quality of our thought. Shoddy thinking is costly, both in money and in quality of life. Excellence in thought, however, must be systematically cultivated.
A Definition
Critical thinking is that mode of thinking - about any subject, content, or problem - in which the thinker improves the quality of his or her thinking by skillfully taking charge of the structures inherent in thinking and imposing intellectual standards upon them.
The Result
A well cultivated critical thinker:
Critical thinking is, in short, self-directed, self-disciplined,
self-monitored, and self-corrective thinking. It presupposes assent to
rigorous standards of excellence and mindful command of their use. It
entails effective communication and problem solving abilities and a
commitment to overcome our native egocentrism and sociocentrism.
(Taken from Richard Paul and Linda Elder, The Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking Concepts and Tools, Foundation for Critical Thinking Press, 2008)
Critical Thinking Defined by Edward Glaser
In a seminal study on critical thinking and education in 1941, Edward
Glaser defines critical thinking as follows “The ability to think
critically, as conceived in this volume, involves three things: ( 1 ) an
attitude of being disposed to consider in a thoughtful way the problems
and subjects that come within the range of one's experiences, (2)
knowledge of the methods of logical inquiry and reasoning, and (3) some
skill in applying those methods. Critical thinking calls for a
persistent effort to examine any belief or supposed form of knowledge in
the light of the evidence that supports it and the further conclusions
to which it tends. It also generally requires ability to recognize
problems, to find workable means for meeting those problems, to gather
and marshal pertinent information, to recognize unstated assumptions and
values, to comprehend and use language with accuracy, clarity, and
discrimination, to interpret data, to appraise evidence and evaluate
arguments, to recognize the existence (or non-existence) of logical
relationships between propositions, to draw warranted conclusions and
generalizations, to put to test the conclusions and generalizations at
which one arrives, to reconstruct one's patterns of beliefs on the basis
of wider experience, and to render accurate judgments about specific
things and qualities in everyday life.
(Edward M. Glaser, An Experiment in the Development of Critical Thinking, Teacher’s College, Columbia University, 1941)
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