Why is it important to be a critical thinker?
• Accelerating change• Intensifying complexity• Escalating interdependence• Increasing danger
The overview
THE STANDARDS must be applied to
THE ELEMENTSAs we learn to develop
INTELLECTUAL TRAITS
The StandardsAll thinking must be assessed for quality using universal intellectual standards
• Clarity• Accuracy• Precision• Relevance
• Depth• Breadth• Logic
The ElementsAll thinking can be analyzed by identifying its eight elements
• We think for a Purpose, Goal, Objectives
• Within a Point of View• Based on Assumptions• Leading to Implications &
Consequences
• We use Information (data, evidence, facts, & experiences
• To make Inferences & Judgements
• Based on Concepts & Theories• To answer a question or solve
a problem
An Example – Genetically Modified Foods
• Purpose – to investigate the health risks of GM foods.
• Point of View - That the sale of GM foods should be banned until the long-term impacts on humans and animals can be determined.
• Assumptions – There are environmental hazards, human health risks and economic concerns with GMF.
• Implication & Consequences – GMF could affect our immune systems, result in mono-crops, increase the level of allerginecity
• Evidence, Data – Council of Canadians, Sierra Club of Canada, Cornell University, Iowa State University, Greenpeace)
• Inferences & Interpretations – The growth of GM crops should be halted until all of the risks have been identified and dealt with.
Concepts & Theories - That corporations are more interested in profits than the long-term effects of GMFs.
Question – What are the human, health, economic, and ecological ramifications of GMFs?
The TraitsThe ultimate goal of critical thinking is to foster the development of intellectual traits and dispositions
• Fair-mindedness• Intellectual
humility• Intellectual
courage• Intellectual
autonomy
• Intellectual empathy
• Intellectual perseverance
• Intellectual integrity
• Confidence in reason
Traits
• Fair-mindedness- looking at other viewpoints (Monsanto)
• Intellectual Humility - What don’t I know about GMFs.
• Intellectual Integrity - I need to hold myself to the same standards of evidence and proof as I do Monsanto.
Two Barriers to Critical Thinking
1. Egocentric Thinking • the tendency to view everything in
the world in relation to oneself, to be self-centered.
• To see the world in self-serving terms
Barriers cont’d
2. Sociocentric Thinking• Tendency to view everything in the
world in relationship to one’s group, to be group-centered.
• Because most people are egocentric, they form groups that are centered on themselves
Two primary tendencies of egocentric and sociocentric thought
• Seeking to get what the individual (or the group) wants without regard to the rights and needs of others
• Rationalizing the beliefs and behaviours of the individual (or the group) irrespective of whether those beliefs and behaviours are rational.
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