Critical Thinking Critical thinking is basic to academic
Critical Thinking
Critical thinking is basic to academic inquiry 'critical thinking' 'critical analysis' 'analyse critically' 'to think critically'
Being ‘critical’ means: not accepting things as said • Even if; – You already believed it – Everybody else believes it – A close friend, wise person, or authority believes it
Critical Thinking means having a habit of; • Looking for evidence and argument • Being open-minded, but also skeptical Discuss open-minded, and skeptical
Critical, in this sense, doesn’t mean • Negative • Arguing against.
To think critically means to ask a range of questions about the; • Ideas • Claims • Arguments
Like. . . • Who is making the claim? (The source) • What is the authority for the claim? – Is it opinion, prejudice, hearsay? • What is , and how reliable is, this evidence? • Does it support the claim? • What other interpretations might there be?
These questions enable you to evaluate the claim and hence decide whether it should be accepted or rejected.
Evidence might be; • Stronger – Formal experimental data – Academic argument • Weaker – What you see or hear – Hearsay
How would you Rate? • Newspaper article? • TV program? • Web site? • Book? • Journal? • Magazine? • Personal observation? • Scientific study? • A friend’s Opinion?
- Slides: 10