Thinking And The Critical Thinker

Summary of The Expert Consensus Statement on CriticalThinking:

Critical thinking is purposeful, self-regulatory judgment which results in interpretation, analysis, evaluation, and inference, as well as explanation of the evidential, conceptual, methodological, criteriological, or contextual considerations upon which that judgment is based.
Critical Thinking is essentially a tool of inquiry. CriticalThinking is a liberating technique.
While not synonymous with good thinking, CriticalThinking is a pervasive and self-rectifying human phenomenon.

The Ideal Critical Thinker exhibits the following characteristics:

Habitually inquisitive
Well-informed
Trustful of reason
Open-minded and flexible
Fair-minded and honest in evaluation
Recognizes and handles personal biases
Careful and prudent in making judgments
Willing to reconsider
Seeks clarity about issues
Brings order and structure to complex matters
Diligent in seeking relevant information
Uses reasonable criteria
Focused in inquiry, avoiding side issues
Persistent in seeking the greatest possible precision within the limits of the subject and the circumstances

They are also good at finding inconsistencies and contradictions. What is meant by "reasonable criteria"? -- DougKing

I cannot argue (and not wanting to either) with the list of statements made above. And if I use the "Well-informed" criteria against the above stated list. I would appreciate links to the source information above to assist with my assessment of the list. -- dl

"While not synonymous with good thinking..." This seems like a 'weasel' phrase. Define 'good'. Critical thought is a method for reaching well-thought conclusions. Surely this is good.

"Careful and prudent in making judgments" This seems wrong to me. IMHO, a critical thinker will be extremelly rude on his conclusions some times. And (s)he will be sustain them because (s)he believes in the truth of them.

The above says "making judgments", and does not say anything about the manner of communicating the judgment. It is quite possible to have a carefully made judgment communicated rudely.

I am amazed that critical thinking (according to the above criteria) bears no relationship to challenging the conventional wisdom, or the status quo. Obviously, this is the management approved brand of critical thinking--totally unthreatening to the established powers that be. --JohnReynoldsTheStudent

Don't conflate the skill of critical thinking with the application of challenging the conventional wisdom. Challenging convention wisdom is just one application of the skill. --TimLesher

CategoryCriticism