Sections 1-3 Flashcards
Critical Thinking:
A model that helps us contemplate an issue or problem through deep analysis and questioning to persist beyond the easiest, quickest, or most obvious conclusion to arrive at a well-reasoned conclusion. This model asks us to be open-minded yet skeptical, and helps us honestly consider and transcend our own deeply held beliefs and prejudices. (Thinking about ones own thinking).
Analyzing:
Breaking it down into its component parts.
Evaluate:
Identifying its weaknesses while recognizing its strengths.
Improving:
Reconstructing it to make it better.
Sterotype:
Fixed or oversimplified conception of a person, group or idea.
Critical thinking (more):
After reading the definitions provided in this module, there are several points I want to add. The purpose in engaging in critical thinking is to know “what to believe or do.” Also, critical thinking is a systematic process, one that takes lots of practice. I also think there are several ways to be systematic. Another benefit of critical thinking is the opportunity to improve the way I think. I’m not only seeking resolution to a problem, but I’m also examining the way I think. Years ago, I thought critical thinking meant finding fault, but I now know it is much more than this.
Egocentrism:
having little or no regard for interests, beliefs, or attitudes other than one’s own; self-centered: having or regarding the self or the individual as the center of all things.
Sociocentrism:
Tending to regard one’s own social group as inherently superior to others.
First-order thinking (Ordinary thinking):
Spontaneous and non-reflective, •Contains insight, prejudice, good and bad reasoning, Indiscriminately combined.
Second-order thinking:
First-order thinking that is consciously realized (i.e., analyzed, assessed, and reconstructed).
Weak-sensed critical thinking:
Does not consider counter viewpoints, lacks fair-mindedness, uses skills to only defend current beliefs.
Strong-sensed critical thinking:
Evaluates all beliefs (especially own beliefs), pursues what is intellectually fair and just.
Fair-mindedness:
Commitment to consider all relevant opinions equally without self-interest.Also to do so without reference to the sentiments or selfish interests of one’s friends, community, or nation.
Intellectual standards:
Accuracy, sound logic, clarity, and depth of thought.
Intellectual unfairness:
to always see yourself as right and just. And unfairness nearly always involves an element of self-deception.
Intellectual Humility:
Commitment to discovering the extent of one’s own ignorance on any issue. Recognition that one does not—and cannot—know everything. Consciousness of one’s biases and prejudices.
Intellectual Courage:
Confronting ideas, viewpoints, or beliefs with fairness, even when doing so is painful. Challenging popular belief.
Intellectual Empathy:
- Ability to reconstruct other people’s viewpoints and reasoning
- Ability to reason from premises, assumptions, and ideas not one’s own
- Motivation to concede when one was wrong in the past.
Intellectual Integrity:
Holding oneself to the same rigorous intellectual standards that one expects others to meet. Practicing daily what we preach to others
Intellectual Perserverance:
Working one’s way through intellectual complexities despite frustrations inherent in doing so. Not giving up when confronted by complicated problems that don’t lend themselves to easy solutions
Confidence in Reason:
Proceeds from the belief that both the individual’s and society’s higher interests are best served by unfettered reason.
Encourages people to arrive at their own conclusions through their own powers of rational thinking.
Intellectual Autonomy:
Thinking for oneself while adhering to standards of rationality.
Foundation for Critical Thinking:
- Use “wasted” time.
- Handle one problem per day.
- Internalize intellectual standards.
- Keep an intellectual journal.
- Practice intellectual strategies.
- Reshape your character.
- Deal with your ego.
- Redefine the way you see things
- Get in touch with your emotions.
- Analyze group influences on your life.
Three functions of the mind:
Thinking: Creates meaning.
Feeling: Monitors the meanings created by thinking.
Wanting: Allocates energy into action.
Sophistry:
The ability to win an argument regardless of flaws in its reasoning.
The Standards:
Clarity. Precision Accuracy. Significance Relevance. Completeness Logic. Fairness Breadth. Depth
The Elements:
Purposes. Inferences
Questions. Concepts
Points of view. Implications
Information. Assumptions
Intellectual Traits:
Intellectual Humility. Intellectual Perseverance
Intellectual Autonomy. Confidence in Reason
Intellectual Integrity. Intellectual Empathy
Intellectual Courage. Fair-mindedness
Reasoning:
The mental process the mind uses to make sense of whatever we seek to understand.
Point of View:
A specific or stated manner of consideration or appraisal. Opinion, attitude or judgement.
Purpose:
The desired outcome or intent. (The goal or objective of reasoning).
Question:
A sentence in an interrogative form, addressed to someone in order to get information in reply.
Assumptions:
Encompasses everything we take for granted as true in order to figure out something else.
(What lies at the heart of the argument).
Implications:
Something implied or suggested as naturally to be inferred or understood. (What extends beyond the position we reach).
Consequences:
The effect, result or outcome of something occurring earlier.
(What follows from our reasoning).
Information:
Statistical data, observations, other’s testimony.
What is relevant
Concepts:
General categories or ideas by which we interpret or classify information used in our thinking.
Inferences:
The process of deriving the strict logical consequences of assumed premises.
Clarity (Clearness)
Enables us to see where our thinking is leading us.
Accuracy:
To represent something as it actually is.
Precision:
Reasoning that is specific, exact and sufficiently detailed.
Relevance:
Focuses on what is important-on what matters-in understanding or deciding on the issues at hand.
Depth:
Directs us to delve deeper into an issue.
Breadth:
Directs us to look around us, at alternative or opposing perspectives.
Logic:
When thoughts and the order in which they are organized are mutually supportive and make sense in combination.
Significance:
The most important information relevant to the issues at hand.
Fairness:
Thinking that satisfies all other fundamental intellectual standards (satisfies the standard of justifiability).
Questions of Facts:
Have definitive answers.
Questions of Preference:
Have a range of potential answers that reflect personal and subjective views on a topic.
Questions of Judgement:
More than one reasoned answer but some answers are better than others.
Formulation of Questions of Judgement:
Purpose
Question @ issue
Concepts Assumptions Information Interpretations Implications Point of view
Question of Judgement
(Intellectual Standards):
Clarity Accuracy Precision Relevance Depth Breadth Logicalness Fairness
Stratigic Thinking:
Identification and Intellectual Action.
Identification:
Looking at your irrational emotions or desires and figuring out what is generating them.
Intellectual Action:
Requires figuring out: 1) What is going on in a situation; 2) Options for action; 3) A justification for choosing an option; 4) Ways to reduce the impact of irrational thinking.
Mills Method of Determining Causation:
Common Factor
Single Difference
Concomitant Variation
Process of Elimination
Common Factor:
Looking for a single shared factor
Single Difference:
Looking for a causal factor that is present in one situation but absent in another, similar, situation
Concomitant Variation:
Looking for a pattern of variation between a possible cause and a possible effect
Process of Elimination:
Successively ruling out non-causal factors until one correct causal factor remains
Causal Claim:
Any assertion that invokes causal relationships between variables.
Socratic Questioning:
Disciplined questioning that can be used to pursue thought in many directions and for many purposes, including: to explore complex ideas, to get to the truth of things, to open up issues and problems.
Assessing Information:
Inert Information
Activated Ignorance
Activated Knowledge
Inert Information:
We think we understand this information, but we don’t and can’t use it.
Activated Ignorance:
We mislearn or partially learn information or accept illogical beliefs and then act on them.
Activated Knowledge:
We bring significant ideas and knowledge into the mind and are able to apply them, systematically, to new situations.
Primary Standards:
Clear Relevant Fairly gathered and reported Accurate Adequate Consistently Applied