~ Critical Thinking ~
Definition
In a fascinating and comprehensive work by Peter A. Facione, PhD, commissioned by the American Philosophical Association (APA) that has come to be known as The Delphi Report, Dr Falcone defines and outlines his work on Critical Thinking (CT). In this document titled Critical Thinking: A Statement of Expert Consensus for Purposes of Educational Assessment Instruction, he defines the term as follows;
We undersand critical thinking to be purposeful, self-regulatory judgment which results in interpretation, analysis, evaluation, and inference as well as explanation of the evidential, conceptual, methodological, criteriological, or contextual inquiry... The ideal critical thinker is habitually inquisitive, well-informed, trustful of reason, open-minded, flexible, fair-minded in evaluation, honest in facing personal biases, prudent in making judgments, willing to
reconsider, clear about issues, orderly in complex matters, diligent in seeking relevant information, reasonable in the selection of criteria, focused in inquiry, and persistent in seeking results which are as precise as the subject and the circumstance of inquiry permit.
In 1987, Michael Scriven & Richard Paul, presented at the 8th Annual International Conference on Critical Thinking and Education Reform, Summer 1987. Reproduced from the Foundation for Critical Thinking, Scriven & Paul give the following comprehensive definition;
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.
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.
CT is a skillset learned early in life during the critical years of neurodevelopment. As stated above, it is a step-wise, relatively objective way of thinking in general as opposed to a way of thinking related to a particular category or debate. CT falls squarely in the 'you have it or you don't' classification. And 'if you have it', then that is the way in which you think globally, about all things and not just specific things. Conversely, 'if you don't' have it, then you do not think critically across the board, and in order to do so, one generally has to be directed to do so and told how to do so, and then may or may not be able to follow through. The ability to self-reflect, to take a close and introspecctive look at yourselft, of how you see your self and the world around you, depends on the skillset of CT.
CT is an imperative component in the understanding and accepting of responsibility and fault. Richard Bach, author of Jonathon Livingston Seagull, wrote...
If it's never our fault, we can't take responsibility for it.
If we can't take responsibility for it, we'll always be its' victims.
Thinking critically is no minor point. CT helps define aspects of how you learn, what you learn, and how you operate in the world, without which, the ability to change and grow becomes arduous if not impossible. Critical thinkers generally (but not always) come from families whose individual members are also critical thinkers, not surprising considering it is often the way in which family members are raised, and generally with great intent. There are entire professions based upon the ability to think critically, which is not to say that all members of that profession are critical thinkers but the majority are, and oftentimes the very skill set attracts those to the profession for that very reason.
The 6 Steps of CT
There are 6 steps generally recognized as the foundation for CT; 1) Knowledge, 2) Comprehension, 3) Application, 4) Analysis, 5) Synthesis, and, 6) Evaluation. Knowledge is loosely defined as the acquisition of factual or commonly accepted information gained through experience or education, whereas comprehension refers to the ability to process and understand the meaning of information. The distinction between knowledge and comprehenion is oftentimes stated as the difference between regurgitating information without any meaning attached to it, vs the process of inbuing that information with meaning and the ability to extrapolate or utilize that meaningful information in different ways. I may know that continual use of an addictive substance leads to dependence and abuse. This is information. However, to comprehend that information implies that I also understand what that information means by way of also knowing what addiction is and/or how it is caused, and that taking a non-addicting medication in its place if possible would be more prudent. In this case, comprehension enables me to use that information to keep me healthy. College students quickly learn the difference between the two concepts when taking a multiple choice test versus writing an essay related to those questions.
While knowledge and comprehension are somewhat passive, application implies action. Application is the intentional doing or putting into effect or operation of something based upon the understanding of certain information. Analysis, the fourth step in the process of CT, refers to the investigation, study or scrutiny of something by way of examining its separate or individual components. To analyze my Earl Grey tea requires my taking a deeper look at the ingredients that differentiate Earl Grey tea from the more common black teas (the former has begamont oil added to the leaves), the temperature of the water before it was added to the kettle, the material of my tea cup and kettle, and whether or not the water is poured at or just off boiling.
If analysis is defined as the breaking down of something into its component parts, synthesis, the fifth step of CT, is the combining or processing various component parts into its conglomerate or unified whole. The final step of CT involves evaluation. Evaluation refers to the judging of something. To pass judgment is to render an idea or a verdict on the thing or idea at hand. While it is true that anyone can (and too often does) render an opinion on something with little to no basis in anything other then whim or feeling, this does not pass the definition of evaluation. Rather, evaluation implies the intentional weighing of information based upon the comprehension, analysis and synthesis of that information. Only then can it accurately be stated that an evaluation has occurred.
Case In Point
By and large, the critical thinker is an individual that has a natural inquisitiveness to learn about themselves and the world. We have all experienced the difference - regardless of grade level - between those students that are interested in learning the material that is required and not a drop more, and those students that relentlessly ask questions, sometimes even indirectly related to the topic and who want to know things for reasons beyond just receiving a high grade. It would by no means be a stretch to say that the difference between those that are critical thinkers versus those that are not, can be the difference between life and death. Just ask the family members of those that lost their lives aboard Alaska Airlines Flight 261.
Doomed Alaska Airlines flight 261 went down carrying and killing all 50 people on board. After a thorough investigation, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) concluded that the cause of the crash was due to the thread-bare nut of a screw necessary to ultimately keep the plane stabilized. As inconceivable as it now seems, neither the airline manufacturer nor the airline maintenance company knew that these particular screws required a steady state of lubrication, in excess of any of the other more than half-a-million nuts and bolts required to build an airliner, because of the particular type and placement of these screws relative to any other. It was not listed in the manual nor did the maintenance crew think to ask. As it turned out, and according to the NTSB, it should have been 'common sense' given the job these particular screws were required to perform and that they can lose their thread more easily if not properly lubricated. It was argued legally, that everyone was simply following instructions and should not be held accountable for something they were not expressly told to do. In contrast, it was argued that whether or not it was printed or taught, it should have been 'common sense' to go beyond what was in black and white, given the role of the maintenance company, the expertise of their trained personnel, and the natural extra wear and tear screws for this assemblage would be subjected to, the very role of the maintenance crew.
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