Critical Thinking
Submitted to; Mr. Irshad
12/19/2018
Mohsin Khan
Reg# 767-fss/bspsy/f16
Introduction
Critical thinking is one of the most sought-after skills in almost every Research and every workplace.
What is critical thinking? It refers to the ability to analyze information objectively and make a reasoned
judgments.
Critical thinking involves the evaluation of sources such as data, facts, observable phenomenon, and
research findings. Good critical thinkers can draw reasonable conclusions from a set of information and
discriminate between useful and less useful details to solve a problem or make a decision.
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.
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 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. 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.
Critical thinking is a powerful process if understood and applied effectively. When developing critical
thinking skills, it is important to understand more about the activity and process that comprises it. Once
understood, fears about actively applying critical thinking skills will likely dissipate. Critical thinking is
able to translate the thinking process into clear, persuasive, truthful language, which is carefully and
logically crafted. At the same time it is able to convert perceptions and reactions into concepts, ideas,
assumptions, suppositions, inferences, hypotheses, questions, beliefs, premises and logical arguments.
There are many misconceptions about critical thinking that tend to hinder individuals from continually
working to develop it. Unfortunately many assume the process is too difficult and remain unenlightened
as to how the process can help them not only in their work environments, but in their own personal
lives as well.
Four roadblocks often create negative feelings about getting more involved in the critical thinking
process:
It is more of a negative process, since it tends to tear down ideas and inserts nothing in their
place. In actuality, it is a positive process that is able to put things in a more realistic perspective.
It will lead to the inability to make commitments to people or ideas. In actuality, commitments
become informed ones.
It seems to involve traumatic change since one is expected to continually abandon old
assumptions. In actuality, some beliefs stay the same individuals simply become more informed.
It is detached, unemotional and cold. In actuality, it is highly poignant and liberating, since
individuals tend to be free of their past assumptions and the anxiety of self-scrutiny.
Components of Critical Thinking
Every process or method is made of essential components, and critical thinking is no different. These
components provide a structure to the process, which if incorporated, makes persuasive, truthful and
supportive verbal communication possible to highly influence others’ points of view and message
acceptance. The major components in critical thinking include: perception, assumptions, emotion,
language, argument, fallacy, logic, and problem solving.
Perception
Perception is considered to be the manner in which individuals receive, interpret and translate
experiences. How individuals perceive things works to define how they think. Perception tends to
provide individuals a significant filtering system.
Assumptions
Assumptions are central to critical thinking. They tend to be implied, where individuals are not always
conscious of them. Assumptions are not always bad and often rest on the notion that some ideas are
obvious. They tend to make individuals comfortable with their present beliefs, shutting out any
alternatives.
Emotion
Trying to leave emotion out of almost anything is impossible as it is part of everything people do and
think. Emotions are the number one cause of creating and putting into place thinking and operating
barriers, which are continually used as a defense mechanism. Critical thinkers do not ignore or deny
emotions but learn to accept and manage them.
Language
Thinking can’t be separated from language since both tend to have three primary purposes: to inform,
persuade and explain. Language denotes (designates meanings) and connotes (implies or suggests
something), and relies heavily on the use of metaphors. Metaphors are powerful language tools, which
are able to influence how individuals think and problem solve. These figures of speech give great color
and depth to one’s language. Metaphors can be short phrases, stories, or even poetic renditions and is a
verbal message that listeners can easily interpret and visualize.
Argument
An argument is a claim, which is used to persuade that something is (or is not) true, or should (or should
not) be done. An argument contains three basic elements: an issue, one or more reasons or premises,
and one or more conclusions. An argument can be either valid or invalid based on its structure and only
premises & conclusions are reached, which are either true or false.
The goal of critical thinking is to implement a sound argument, which has both a valid or proper
structure and contains true premises. This is where using logic makes all the difference.
Fallacy
Reasoning that doesn’t meet the criteria for being a sound argument is considered erroneous, or
fallacious. A fallacy comes from incorrect patterns of reasoning. However, it does not always mean that
the conclusion is false, but it does underscore the fact that the reasoning used to support it is not: valid,
based on true premises, or complete and does not include all necessary relevant information.
Logic
Logic incorporates two methods or types of reasoning: deductive and inductive. Deductive reasoning
relies on facts, certainty, syllogisms, validity, truth of premises sound arguments and supported
conclusions. Inductive reasoning relies on diverse facts, probability, generalizations, hypotheses,
analogies and inductive strength.
Problem Solving Through Logic
A logic problem is like any problem. It requires:
Understanding the problem. In other words, listen, read & take heed.
Identifying all of the “unknowns” as well as the “knowns.”
Interpreting relationships between them (visual aids can help).
Generating a strategy from steps two and three.
Applying the strategy and solving the problem.
Repeating the process if it is necessary.
The Five Critical Thinking Skills
1. Analytical
Part of critical thinking is the ability to carefully examine something, whether it is a problem, a set of
data, or a text. People with analytical skills can examine information, and then understand what it
means, and what it represents.
Asking thoughtful questions
Data analysis
Information seeking
Interpretation
Judgment
Questioning evidence
Recognizing differences and similarities
Skepticism
2. Communication
Often, you will need to share your conclusions with your supervisor or with a group of colleagues. You
need to be able to communicate with others to share your ideas effectively. You might also need to
engage in critical thinking with a group. In this case, you will need to work with others and communicate
effectively to figure out solutions to complex problems.
Asking important questions
Assessment
Collaboration
Explanation
Expressing opinions and ideas
Interpersonal
Presentation
Teamwork
Verbal communication
Written communication
3. Creativity
Critical thinking often involves some level of creativity. You might need to spot patterns in the
information you are looking at or come up with a solution that no one else has thought of before. All of
this involves a creative eye.
Cognitive flexibility
Conceptualization
Curiosity
Imagination
Making abstract connections
Making inferences
Predicting
Synthesizing
Visionary
4. Open-Minded
To think critically, you need to be able to put aside any assumptions or judgments and merely analyze
the information you receive. You need to be objective, evaluating ideas without bias.
Embracing different cultural perspectives
Fair
Humble
Inclusive
Objective
Observation
Reflection
5. Problem Solving
Problem solving is another crucial critical thinking skill that involves analyzing a problem, generating and
implementing a solution, and assessing the success of the plan. After all, employers don’t simply want
employees who can think about information critically. They also need to be able to come up with
practical solutions.
Applying standards
Attention to detail
Clarification
Collaboration
Decision making
Evaluation
Grounded
Identifying patterns
Innovative
Logical reasoning.