Christ-Centered

Critical Thinking
Lesson 3: Elements of
Thought
 Learning outcomes
In this lesson, we will:
1. Learn the elements of thought
2. Understand how identifying the elements of
thought in multiple contexts is present in our
reasoning.
3. Understand why the elements of thought are
essential to our thinking.

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A Brief Overview of the Universal Intellectual Standards and Elements of Thought

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 Purpose
All reasoning has a PURPOSE.
• Take time to state your purpose
clearly.
• Distinguish your purpose from
related purposes.
• Check periodically to be sure you
are still on target.
• Choose significant and realistic
purposes.

Criteria for assessing purpose:

1. Specific
2. Realistic
3. Measurable
4. Significant

http://www.criticalthinking.org/ctmode
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Question at Issue
All reasoning is an attempt to
figure something out, to settle
some QUESTION, to solve some
problem.
• State the question at issue clearly
and precisely.
• Express the question in several
ways to clarify its meaning.
• Break the question into sub-
questions.
• Distinguish questions that have
definitive answers from those that
are a matter of opinion or that
require multiple viewpoints
(review types of questions).

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Five ways to generate questions that lead to disciplined
thinking:

Use your •To focus on questions based on: Purpose,

knowledge of the question at issue, concepts, assumptions,
elements of information, interpretations, implications,
point of view.
thought
Use your knowledge To focus on 3 types of questions:
of the types of • Questions that have one right or wrong answer
• Questions that are a matter of preference
questions • Questions that require reasoned judgment.

Use your knowledge To focus on questions based on standards: Clarity,

of the intellectual accuracy, precision, relevance, depth, breadth,
logicalness, fairness.
standards

Use your •To formulate and address questions that

knowledge of prior must be answered before addressing a
complex question.
questions
Use your •To focus on questions specific to a discipline
knowledge of or domain: Scientific questions, mathematical
disciplines and questions, historical questions, literary
questions, etc.
domains

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Information

All reasoning is based on DATA,

INFORMATION, and EVIDENCE.
• Restrict your claims to those
supported by the data you have.
• Search for information that
opposes your position as well as
information that supports it.
• Make sure that all information
used is clear, accurate and
relevant.
• Make sure you have gathered
sufficient information.

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Information

Types of information
1. Primary sources (eyewitness)
2. Secondary sources (report)
3. Tertiary sources (third party)

Primary and secondary sources of

information are preferred.

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Concepts
All reasoning is expressed through,
and shaped by, CONCEPTS and
IDEAS.
• Identify key concepts and explain
them clearly.
• When evaluating sources, be sure you
understand how the author is using a
concept.
• Consider alternative concepts or
alternative definitions of concepts.
• Make sure you are using concepts
with precision.

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 Concepts
Concept: an abstract idea; a general
notion [about a thing or class of
things].
synonyms: idea, notion, conception,
abstraction, theory, hypothesis
(Oxford Dictionary)

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 Mapping Concepts

Concept maps are a great way of

identify relationships between
concepts.
1. Identify the key concepts.
2. Compare and contrast different
concepts.
3. Revise concepts in response to
new situations.
4. Create concepts to cover new
http://classes.uleth.ca/200303/educ3508def/concept_img.gif situations.
Create a concept map of Sire’s
James Sire defines worldview as “a commitment, a fundamental definition of worldview.
orientation of the heart, that can be expressed as a story or in a set
of presuppositions (assumptions which may be true, partially true, or
entirely false) which we hold (consciously or subconsciously,
consistently or inconsistently) about the basic constitution of reality,
and that provides the foundation on which we live and move, and
have our being.”

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Inference and Interpretation

An inference is a
conclusion arrived at by
analyzing information.
Inferences must be
logical and make sense
of the information we
have.
Inferences unify our
understanding of the
data as we seek to
answer the question at
issue.
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Assumptions

All reasoning is based on

ASSUMPTIONS.
• Clearly identify your
assumptions and
determine whether they
are justifiable.
• Consider how your
assumptions are shaping
your point of view.
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Two Kinds of Assumptions:
1. Warranted assumptions –
something we take for granted
with good reason.
2. Unwarranted assumptions –
something we take for granted
without good reason.

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Ways to reflect critically on assumptions:

1. Identify, become aware

of your assumptions.
2. Evaluate your
assumptions in light of
evidence.
3. Compare and contrast
your assumptions with
others.
4. Place your
assumption(s) in a larger
context (cultural,
religious, etc.)
5. Check to see if your
assumptions are
reasonable

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The Difference between Assumption and
Inference

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Inference & Interpretation

All reasoning contains

INFERENCES or
INTERPRETATIONS by
which we draw
CONCLUSIONS and give
meaning to data.
• Infer only what the
evidence implies.
• Check inferences for their
consistency with each
other.
• Identify assumptions
underlying your
inferences.

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Implications & Consequences

All reasoning leads

somewhere or has
IMPLICATIONS and
CONSEQUENCES.
• Trace the implications and
consequences that follow
from your reasoning.
• Search for negative as
well as positive
implications.
• Consider all possible
consequences.
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Implications/consequences
are forms of transportation
– they take us somewhere.

Implication = what could

happen

Consequence = what
actually happens

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Three kinds of implications
1. Possible ones
2. Probable ones
3. Necessary ones

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Point of View

All reasoning is done

from some POINT OF
VIEW.
• Identify your point of
view.
• Seek other points of
view and identify their
strengths as well as
weaknesses.
• Strive to be fair-
minded in evaluating
all points of view.

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Point of view

Potential sources for

our point of view:
Time, culture, religion,
gender, discipline,
profession, interests,
emotional state, social
status, group
affiliation, etc.

Do not confuse point

of view with intellectual
relativity (the self-
refuting view that
everything is relative
and therefore nothing
can be proved).

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Point of view = Perspective

When I look at
__________.

I see (from my point

of view) __________.

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Three Additional Elements of Thought

In simplest terms – an issue is a question.

Issues
Whenever we call a claim into question – that is, when Claims
we ask questions about its truth or falsity – we raise an
issue. Arguments

A man is walking down the street one day when he Identify the issue in the
suddenly recognizes an old friend whom he has not seen
short story.
in years walking in his direction with a little girl. They
greet each other warmly, and the friend says, “I married
since I last saw you, to someone you never met, and this
How did the man know
is my daughter, Ellen.” the man says to Ellen, “You look
the little girl looked “just
just like your mother.”
like her mother?”

Issue = Question
Answer = Claim

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Three Additional Elements of Thought

A claim is . . . . . Issues
• An assertion of the truth of something.
• Spoken or written to convey information Claims
• Open to examination and evaluation
Arguments

OBSERVATIONS:
• Some claims require little or no critical evaluation.
• A claim that is offered as a reason for believing
another claim is a premise.
• The claim for which a premise is supposed to give a
reason is the conclusion.
• Not all statements are claims (e.g., questions,
greetings, requests, exclamations, commands
intended as orders, suggestions, or proposals).

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Three Additional Elements of Thought

We make an argument when we give reasons for Issues

thinking that a claim is true or false.
Claims

An argument is not
• A feud or fuss about something
Arguments
• A list of facts
• An explanation

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 Arguments:
Expressing an
Claims
Opinion
R
E e
E
v a
x Arguments are structures of
i s
a reasoning designed to be
d o
m persuasive. They must
e n
p meet certain standards:
n i
l their claims must be
F c n
e supported by reasoning,
e g
s a facts, examples, and
c evidence. In a good
t argument, the reasoning is
s Assumptions carefully constructed. A
poor argument lacks
examples, facts, evidence,
and reasoning; and it rests
on unexamined
assumptions.

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Supporting an Opinion

To Support and Opinion:

1. What: state the opinion or principal claim in one
sentence.
2. Source: was the opinion based on personal
experience, preference, or research (heard or read).
3. Support
a. Give three reasons why you believe this opinion is true
or false
b. Provide evidence in the form of facts, statistics, or
specific examples to support your reasons
4. Persuasion: explain why you feel others should
accept or reject this opinion.
5. Conclusion: bring your ideas together into a
summary or generalization.

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 Analyzing an Opinion
To Analyze an Opinion:
1. Is the opinion a judgment, advice, generalization or sentiment.
Support your answer providing an example and explaining it
fully.
2. Is this opinion a personal expression of taste or sentiment, or is it
offered in an attempt to influence others? Explain fully.
3. Does the person giving the opinion show any special expertise
regarding the subject or have any special qualifications? Explain
what information you have and what is lacking.
4. Is the opinion backed up by evidence and sound reasoning?
Show why or why not.
5. Does the opinion appear to be based on an objective study of
the facts, or does it seem to be motivated by vested interests or
a profit motive? Explain your judgment.
6. Would you call this a responsible opinion? Why or why not?
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Putting It All Together

Review the critical

thinking model and
the three additional
elements.

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 For Further Study
Follow the link to the Foundation for Critical Thinking
http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/learn-the-elements-and-
standards/861
 Questions?
Email questions and comments to your instructor.