a good way to begin the process of thinking critically
about a subject is to do some conscious thinking about it before you
do any reading or hear any presentations in the subject. Thus, if you
are going to study biology or sociology or writing, a good way to
begin is by writing down some of the main ideas you already have
about biology or sociology or writing itself before you do any reading
or listen to lectures. This allows you to be an active listener rather
than a passive recipient of information. It helps you to become aware
of your assumptions about the subject so that you can assess them
more accurately in light of what you will later read and hear.
Some Definitions of Critical Thinking
Here are three definitions of critical thinking by leading researchers.
First, Robert Ennis’s classic definition:1
Critical thinking is reasonable, reflective thinking that is focused on deciding
what to believe or do.
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Next, Matthew Lipman’s definition:2
Critical thinking is skillful, responsible thinking that is conducive to good judgment
because it is sensitive to context, relies on criteria, and is self-correcting.
Finally, in informal presentations, Richard Paul uses this definition:
Critical thinking is thinking about your thinking, while you’re thinking, in
order to make your thinking better.
Each of these is an excellent definition of critical thinking. It pays
to read them several times and to stop and reflect on every aspect of
each definition. Why did the expert include this word rather than
another? Just what are the experts trying to capture with the words
they have chosen? What overlap is there in the definitions, and what
main differences of emphasis are there?
It may seem hard to believe, but each of these definitions, brief as
they are, is the product of a long period of intense pondering about
how best to describe critical thinking.
Each definition is an attempt to
convey in words the essence of an
activity, a “thing”—critical thinking.
Before trying to define it, each expert
had an intuitive grasp of what critical
thinking is, based on years of
working with it. This was what the
experts tried to capture in the words
they chose.
So in reading the experts’ definitions
and in the discussion ahead,
one very important goal to keep in
Revise your concept of
critical thinking over the
semester. Reformulate it
(maybe starting over
entirely) so that it accords
with your deepening grasp
of what critical thinking is.
Even before you start reading this text, begin by examining your own concept
of critical thinking. Respond to the following in a paragraph or two:
What is your concept of critical thinking? (You can respond by giving
a description. An alternative way to address it, though, is to use examples:
Describe a situation in which you thought through something critically; then
describe a situation in which you did not think through something critically.)
Next, write a paragraph describing how, in your best judgment, critical
thinking is necessary within the subject matter you are studying?