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Defining Critical Thinking

 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
2,500 years. The term "critical thinking" has its roots in the mid-late 20th
century. Below, we offer overlapping definitions which together form a
substantive and trans-disciplinary 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.
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:

raises vital questions and problems, formulating them clearly and precisely;
gathers and assesses relevant information, using abstract ideas to interpret
it effectively comes to well-reasoned conclusions and solutions, testing
them against relevant criteria and standards;
thinks openmindedly within alternative systems of thought, recognizing and
assessing, as need be, their assumptions, implications, and practical
consequences; and
communicates effectively with others in figuring out solutions to complex
problems.
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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