Critical Thinking Reflects Solutions

I am discovering more and more that questioning my own thoughts leads me to peace.

Here is some information on critical thinking. One of the most useful processes to bring insight and illumination.

Courtesy of Wikipedia.

Critical thinking, in general, refers to higher-order thinking that questions assumptions. It is a way of deciding whether a claim is true, false, or sometimes true and sometimes false, or partly true and partly false. The concept is somewhat contested within the field of education due to the multiple possible meanings.[1] The origins of critical thinking can be traced in Western thought to the Socratic method of Ancient Greece and in the East, to the Buddhist Abhidharma. Critical thinking is an important component of most professions. It is a part of the education process and is increasingly significant as students progress through university to graduate education.

History and etymology

The critical thinking philosophical frame traces its roots in analytic philosophy and pragmatist constructivism, as well as the Buddhist Teaching — kalamasutta and abhidhamma, and the Greek Socratic tradition that dates back over 2,500 years in which probing questions were used to determine whether claims to knowledge based on authority could be rationally justified with clarity and logical consistency. The one sense of the term critical means crucial or related to core criteria and derives from the ancient Greek kriterion, which means standards; a second sense derives from kriticos, which means discerning judgment.[7] The movement represented a pragmatic response to expectations and demands for the kind of thinking required of the modern workforce.”[8] The critical-theory philosophical frame has its roots to the Frankfurt School of Critical Social Theory that attempted to amend Marxist theory for applicability in 20th-century Germany. Critical thinking within this philosophical frame was introduced by Jurgen Habermas in the 1970s.

Meaning

Critical thinking clarifies goals, examines assumptions, discerns hidden values, evaluates evidence, accomplishes actions, and assesses conclusions.

“Critical” as used in the expression “critical thinking” connotes the importance or centrality of the thinking to an issue, question or problem of concern. “Critical” in this context does not mean “disapproval” or “negative.” There are many positive and useful uses of critical thinking, for example formulating a workable solution to a complex personal problem, deliberating as a group about what course of action to take, or analyzing the assumptions and the quality of the methods used in scientifically arriving at a reasonable level of confidence about a given hypothesis. Using strong critical thinking we might evaluate an argument, for example, as worthy of acceptance because it is valid and based on true premises. Upon reflection, a speaker may be evaluated as a credible source of knowledge on a given topic.

Critical thinking can occur whenever one judges, decides, or solves a problem; in general, whenever one must figure out what to believe or what to do, and do so in a reasonable and reflective way. Reading, writing, speaking, and listening can all be done critically or uncritically. Critical thinking is crucial to becoming a close reader and a substantive writer. Expressed in most general terms, critical thinking is “a way of taking up the problems of life.”[9]

“Fluid Intelligence” directly correlates with critical thinking skills. You are able to determine patterns, make connections and solve new problems. When you improve your critical thinking skills, you also improve your fluid intelligence, which also helps increase your problem solving-skills and deep-thinking elements. All of these skills relate to one part of the brain, and the more you use them the easier it will be to put your skill to the test.[citation needed]

Skills

The list of core critical thinking skills includes observation, interpretation, analysis, inference, evaluation, explanation, and meta-cognition. There is a reasonable level of consensus among experts that an individual or group engaged in strong critical thinking gives due consideration to:

* Evidence through observation
* Context
* Relevant criteria for making the judgment well
* Applicable methods or techniques for forming the judgment
* Applicable theoretical constructs for understanding the problem and the question at hand

In addition to possessing strong critical-thinking skills, one must be disposed to engage problems and decisions using those skills. Critical thinking employs not only logic but broad intellectual criteria such as clarity, credibility, accuracy, precision, relevance, depth, breadth, significance, and fairness.[10]

Creativity

In many curriculum documents, a distinction is made between ‘critical’ and ‘creative’ thinking. Thus, teachers are encouraged or required to develop their students’ ‘critical and creative thinking’ as if these are two separate outcomes. However, this distinction fails to acknowledge the central skill of critical thinking which is to consider the significance of claims (historical claims, statistical claims, evidential claims, predictions, recommendations, principles, and so on). In doing this, we need to consider questions such as ‘what explanations are there for this?’, ‘what else do we need to know?’ and ‘what assumptions do we need to make in order to draw inferences?’. Such questions involve significant creative thinking.
[edit] Procedure

Critical thinking calls for the ability to:

* Recognize problems, to find workable means for meeting those problems
* Understand the importance of prioritization and order of precedence in problem solving
* Gather and marshal pertinent (relevant) information
* Recognize unstated assumptions and values
* Comprehend and use language with accuracy, clarity, and discernment
* Interpret data, to appraise evidence and evaluate arguments
* Recognize the existence (or non-existence) of logical relationships between propositions
* Draw warranted conclusions and generalizations
* Put to test the conclusions and generalizations at which one arrives
* Reconstruct one’s patterns of beliefs on the basis of wider experience
* Render accurate judgments about specific things and qualities in everyday life

In sum:

“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.”[11]