Critical Thinking Is a Wide Concept - Essay Example

The definition of critical thinking is that given by Michael Scriven and Richard Paul, in a presentation at the 8th Annual International Conference on Critical Thinking and Education Reform, Summer of 1987. They defined critical thinking as the intellectually disciplined way of active and skillful conceptualization, application, analysis, and evaluation of data collected by observing, experiencing, reflecting, reasoning, and communicating, as a guide to believing and acting. Paul and Elder (2008), define the term Critical thinking as the way of thinking - about something, where the person who is thinking develops the quality of his or her thinking by being skillful when taking care of the structures involved in thinking and forcing intellectual standards on them. In my understanding, for this reason, critical thinking means, thinking outside the box, having creative thoughts, and internalizing the thoughts. Critical thinking involves general intellectual values.

Critical thinking includes several skills. These skills include rationality, self-awareness, honesty, open-mindedness, discipline, and judgment. Rationality is based on the fact one is thinking critically when he or she relies on reason and not emotions; when one requires proof, not ignoring evidence, and following where the evidence leads. Also being rational in critical thinking is concerned more with coming up with the rightful way of explaining other than being right through analysis of apparent confusion and asking questions.

Self-awareness in critical thinking involves comparing the effects of motives and bias, and recognition of one’s assumptions, biases, and points of view. Being honest in thinking critically, is evident when one recognizes emotional impulses, selfish motives, nefarious purposes, or other ways of deceiving ones-self. One is thinking critically, with an open mind when all reasonable inferences are evaluated, considerations of various viewpoints or perspectives, being open to other ways of interpreting; accepting a new explanation and model because it explains the proof well, is easy, or has few inconsistency or covers more data.

One should not reject unpopular views out of hand. Discipline in critical thinking makes sure that ideas are precise, understandable, exhaustive, and on the point. One should not allow to be manipulated and appeal irrationally and avoid judgments. A critical thinker also identifies the relevance and importance of other assumptions and perspectives. He also recognizes the amount of evidence that is available before making any judgments. (Kurland 2000). Based on the definitions and characteristics of critical thinking and understanding of critical thinking, I always want to think critically whether in academics or my personal life. If I think critically before doing anything and before taking any important decisions, then I will be successful in all areas of life. Critical thinking will help me do well academically and my entire life. Read More