*General Education Studies | Topic Guide Home: Critical Thinking

Why the Analysis of Thinking is Important

Everyone thinks; it is our nature to do so. But much of our thinking, left to itself, is biased, distorted, partial, uninformed, or downright prejudiced. If we want to think well, we must understand at least the rudiments of thought, the most basic structures out of which all thinking is made. We must learn how to take thinking apart. 

©2007 Foundation For Critical Thinking. - *reference material from The Thinker's Guide to Analytic Thinking

A person possessed of a Spirit of Inquiry is continually seeking to know more, to learn more broadly and understand more deeply, to think both critically and creatively, and to make connections between ideas, disciplines, cultures, perspectives, and peoples.

A Spirit of Inquiry arises naturally from the Jesuit tradition of  "cura personalis"--that is, a care for the spiritual, social and intellectual growth of each person--and flows readily into Spring Hill College's mission of helping students become leaders in service to others. Active curiosity, diligent pursuit of knowledge, and meticulous use of information are all part of a Spirit of Inquiry.

Inquiry is larger than information literacy, although good information literacy skills serve inquiry well.  And inquiry goes beyond research methods, although conscientious habits of research help to extend both the process and eventual products of inquiry.

A person with a Spirit of Inquiry will delight in learning over the course of a lifetime, and can be expected to contribute meaningfully to the world. 

From:   Spring Hill College, Spirit of Inquiry Libguide

Does Logic Always Work?

For instance, assume a writer was using the following logic to convince an audience to adopt a smaller government:

Premise 1: The government that governs least, governs best.
Premise 2: The government I am proposing does very little governing.
Conclusion: Therefore, the government I am proposing is best.

Some members of the audience may be persuaded by this logic. However, other members of the audience may follow this logic instead:

Premise 1: The government that governs best, governs most.
Premise 2: The government proposed by the speaker does very little governing.
Conclusion: Therefore, the government proposed by the speaker is bad.

Because they adhere to a different logical sequence, these members of the audience will not be persuaded to change their minds logically until they are persuaded to different values through other means besides logic. See the OWL resource here for more examples of how to integrate argument and rhetorical strategies into your writing.

From: Purdue Owl

Critical thinking is concerned with the nature of ARGUMENTS; their structure, ‘validity’ and also their effectiveness. An argument can be logically ‘invalid’ but still effective. Critical thinking sees claims and arguments as part of a ‘web of intercourse’, which may involve partially competed and implied lines of reasoning, shared and hidden assumptions, vagueness, rhetorical devices and, of course, FALLACIES.

Fallacies

ad hominem

bandwagon

begging the question

either-or fallacy

equivocation

false analogy

false authority

false cause

guilt by association

non sequitur

red herring

slippery slope

From: http://writing.eng.vt.edu/other/dictionary.html

Practical thinking is defined as considering ways to adapt to your environment, or changing your environment to fit you, so that you are able to pursue a goal. Practical sense is sometimes referred to as street smarts or common sense. Practical thinking is not concerned with gathering additional information or analyzing what you already know in multiple ways. It is concerned with taking the knowledge that you already have and effectively using it to solve problems in the real-world. In other words, practical knowledge is not concerned with gaining new knowledge, but rather using or applying knowledge to guide some action.

If you have good practical thinking skills, you're able to:

• Manage your own thinking process
• Adapt to situations
• Be open to other options
• Have flexibility in the way that you approach problems
• Know how to get along with and talk to others
• Apply knowledge or information that you've previously learned to solve real-world problems

From: Study.com

See:  Multimedia & Style Guides  Presentation & Multimedia Resources

      Analyzing the Logic of a Subject

When we understand the elements of reasoning, we realize that all subjects, all disciplines, have a fundamental logic defined by the structures of thought embedded in them. Therefore, to lay bare a subject’s most fundamental logic, we should begin with these questions:

From:  Critical Thinking Community

   Mathematical thinking

...the development of a mathematical point of view - valuing the process of mathematization and abstraction and having the predilection to apply them; and the development of competence with the tools of the trade, and using those tools in the service of the goal of understanding structure. (Schoenfeld, 1992)

From:  http://www.flaguide.org/cat/math/math/math1.php

Math news from the NYT

We have come to believe that discussions of art may be one of the most fertile grounds for teaching critical thinking skills precisely because there is no one right answer.
—Abigail Housen