Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
even just guessed it. The other may have to suggest that there are two distinct ways of
worked it out independently, by reasoning and thinking: cold hard reason on one hand and
persistence and imagination. Although the free-ranging creativity on the other. In fact,
difference may not show from the answer there is so much overlap and interdependence
given, the second student scores over the first between the two that it is very difficult to say
in the long term, because he or she has the where one begins and the other ends. Clearly
ability to adapt to different challenges. The there are times when a seemingly insoluble
first is limited to what he or she knew and problem has been cracked by an imaginative
could recall, or simply guessed correctly. leap rather than a methodical process. Some
of the greatest advances in science have been
Reasoning the result of creative thinking that appeared to
Reasoning is the ability most closely associated conflict with reason when first put forward.
with human advancement. It is often cited as Yet it is just as clear that many apparent
the faculty which marks the difference flashes of genius, which seem to come ‘out of
between humans and other animals. The the blue’, actually come on the back of a lot of
famous apes studied by the psychologist careful and methodical work. Likewise, new
Wolfgang Köhler learned ways to overcome and creative ideas have to be understood and
problems, such as using a stick to get at food explained to be of any practical value.
that was beyond their reach; but they Reasoning is required both to enable and to
discovered the solution by trial and error, and apply creative thinking, just as creative
then remembered it for the next time. This is thinking is needed to give a spark to
evidence of animal intelligence, and certainly reasoning.
of skill; but it is not evidence that apes can
‘reason’. As far as we can tell, no animal ever Reflection
draws conclusions on the basis of observable Another quality that is evidently exclusive to
facts. None of Köhler’s apes thought anything human thinking is reflection. Reflecting
like, ‘That banana is further from the bars means giving deep or serious or concentrated
than the length of my arm. Therefore I need to thought to something, beyond the immediate
find a stick’; or ‘If this stick is too short, I will response to stimuli. When we are engaged in
need a longer one.’ reflection we don’t just make up our minds on
Reasoning is the process by which we impulse, but carefully consider alternatives,
advance from what we know already to new think about consequences, weigh up available
knowledge and understanding. Being rational evidence, draw conclusions, test hypotheses
is recognising that from some facts or beliefs and so on. Critical thinking, problem solving
others follow, and using that understanding to and decision making are all forms of reflective
make decisions or form judgements with thinking.
confidence. If there is one overriding aim of Moreover, the reflective thinker does not
this book it is to improve students’ confidence focus only on the problem to be solved, the
in reasoning. decision to be made, or the argument to be
won, but also on the reasoning processes that
Creative thinking go into those activities. Reflecting on the way
Reasoning is not the only higher thinking we think – or thinking about thinking – helps us
skill, nor the only kind of rationality. to evaluate how effective our thinking is, what
Imaginative and creative activities are no less its strengths are, where it sometimes goes
important in the history of human wrong and, most importantly, how it can be
development and achievement. But that is not improved.
[1] No more than one of the statements on This is a breakthrough. Now all the clues we
each envelope is false. need are on envelope Y. Using suppositional
reasoning again we ask: What if the key were in
This also tells you that:
Y? Well, then C and D would both be false. But
[1a] At least one of the statements on each we know (from [1b]) that they can’t both be
envelope must be true. false. Therefore the key must be in envelope Z.
Summary
• When we talk of thinking as a skill we are • Reflection includes ‘thinking about
referring to higher-order activities, such as thinking’. In many ways the content of this
analysing, evaluating and explaining; and book is thinking about thinking: thinking
to challenges such as problem solving and more confidently, more skilfully and more
evaluating complex arguments. independently.
• Three broad categories of higher-order
thinking are reasoning, creativity and
reflection. They all overlap.
1.2 An introduction to
critical thinking
What makes some thinking critical, others Critical Thinking
uncritical?
‘Critical’, ‘criticism’ and ‘critic’ all
(and critical thinking)
We should also be aware of the difference
originate from the ancient Greek word
between ‘critical thinking’, as a general
kritikos, meaning able to judge, discern or
descriptive term, and Critical Thinking (with a
decide. In modern English, a ‘critic’ is
large C and T), which is the name of an
someone whose job it is to make evaluative
academic discipline with a broadly defined
judgements, for example about films, books,
syllabus. This book addresses both. In Units 2,
music or food. Being ‘critical’ in this sense
4 and 7 it covers the Critical Thinking (CT)
does not merely mean finding fault or
component of the Cambridge and other
expressing dislike, although that is another
meaning of the word. It means giving a fair syllabuses. But it goes well beyond the
and unbiased opinion of something. Being confines of exam preparation. In fact, having
critical and thinking critically are not the mentioned the distinction, we can largely
same thing. ignore it. To have maximum value, thinking
If critical thinking did just mean judging, skills have to be transferable from one task or
wouldn’t that mean that anyone could do it context to others. The aim of this book is to
simply by giving an opinion? It takes no instil in students a critical approach to
special training or practice to pass a reading, listening and reasoning generally; and
judgement. If I watch a film and think that it to provide the conceptual tools and skills that
is boring, even though it has had good enable them to respond critically to a wide
reviews, no one can really say that my range of texts. The CT syllabus gives the book
judgement is wrong and the professional its structure but not its whole purpose.
critics are right. Someone can disagree with The objects of critical focus are referred to
me, but that is just another judgement, no generically as ‘texts’. The word is used in its
better or worse, you might say, than mine. In broadest sense. In real life a ‘text’ can be
a limited sense, this is true. But a serious spoken or written or visual: a television
critical judgement is more than just a programme, for example, or Tweet or blog; or
statement of preference or taste. A critical just a conversation. In a book, of course, the
judgement must have some basis, which texts are restricted to objects which can be
usually requires a measure of knowledge or placed on a page, so that they are often
expertise on the part of the person making referred to instead as documents. Most of the
the judgement. Just saying ‘I like it’ or ‘I don’t documents that are used in the coming
like it’ is not enough. There have to be some chapters are in the form of printed texts. But
grounds for a judgement before we can call some are graphical or numerical; or a mixture
it critical. of these. Two other generic terms that are used
are ‘author’ and ‘audience’. The author of a supports its conclusion; or how strong some
text is the writer, artist or speaker who has piece of evidence is for a claim it is supposed to
produced it. The audience is the receiver: support.
reader, watcher or listener. Further argument is self-explanatory. It is
Some CT textbooks give the impression that the student’s opportunity to give his or her
critical thinking is directed only at arguments. own response to the text in question, by
This can be quite misleading if it is taken too presenting a reasoned case for or against the
literally. Arguments are of particular interest in claims it makes.
CT, but by no means exclusively so. (In most CT examinations, including
Information, items of evidence, statements and Cambridge, these three tasks are set and
assertions, explanations, dialogues, statistics, assessed in roughly equal measure. They are
news stories, advertisements . . . all of these referred to as the three ‘assessment objectives’.)
and more may require critical responses. What
these various expressions have in common is Attitude
that they all make claims: that is, utterances that As well as being an exercise of skill and
are meant to be true. Since some claims are in method, critical thinking also relates to an
fact untrue, they need to be assessed critically if attitude, or set of attitudes: a way of thinking
we, the audience, are to avoid being misled. We and responding. Here is a fragment from a
cannot just accept the truth of a claim passively. document. It is just a headline, no more. It
Arguments are especially interesting because belongs to an article exploring the history of
their primary purpose is to persuade or aviation in the magazine section of a
influence people in favour of some claim. The newspaper. It challenges the familiar story of
critical question therefore becomes whether the the first manned, powered flight in a heavier-
argument succeeds or fails: whether we should than-air machine, by Wilbur and Orville
allow ourselves to be persuaded by it, or not. Wright in 1903. The headline reads:
Critical thinking, by contrast, should the judgement – using it to form your own
always be: views – is ultimately up to you.
You cannot evaluate a bare assertion
• fair and open-minded
without considering the reasons its author has
• active and informed
for making it. So the whole article is presented
• sceptical
on the next page. Read the document and
• independent.
then have a go at the following question, a
Most of these speak for themselves. Without typical critical thinking task.
an open mind we cannot judge fairly and
objectively whether some statement or story is
true or not. It is hard sometimes to set aside or
Activity
discard an accepted or long-held belief; but we
How strongly does the information in the
must be willing to do it. Nor can we judge any
article support the headline claim that the
claim critically if we know nothing about it.
Wright brothers were not the first to fly?
We have to be ready to take an active interest
You can answer this individually, or in a
in the subject matter, and be prepared to
discussion group of two or more. Use your
investigate and enquire. Hasty, uninformed
own words. It is an introductory activity, so
judgements are never critical. At the very least
you are not expected to use any special
we would need to read the article before an
terms or methods.
informed judgement is possible.
Some degree of scepticism is also needed: a
willingness to question or to entertain doubt.
Commentary
Scepticism is not the same as cynicism. For
This is a typical critical thinking question, and
example, it doesn’t mean doubting everything
one you will be asked in one form or another
that journalists write as a matter of course
many times on different topics. This
because you think that they are driven only by
commentary will give you an idea, in quite
the wish to grab the reader’s interest, with no
basic terms, of the kind of critical responses
regard for fact. Critical appraisal requires each
you should be making.
claim or argument to be considered on its
Firstly, with any document, you need to be
merits, not on blanket prejudgements of their
clear what it is saying, and what it is doing. We
authors – however justified those may
know from this article’s style that it is
sometimes seem.
journalistic. But perhaps the most important
Lastly, critical thinking requires
point to make about it is that it is an argument.
independence. It is fine to listen to others, to
It is an attempt to persuade the reader that one
respect their beliefs and opinions, to learn
of the most widely accepted stories of the 20th
from teachers, to get information from books
century is fundamentally wrong: the Wright
and/or from online sources. But in order to
brothers were not the first to fly a powered
think critically you must also be prepared to
aeroplane. That claim is, as we have seen,
take some initiative: to ask your own questions
made in the headline. It is echoed, though a
and reach your own conclusions. We get very
bit more cautiously, in the caption beside the
used to being told or persuaded what to think,
first photograph: ‘Or did they (make history)?’
so that being faced with choices or decisions
The article then goes on to give, and briefly
can be uncomfortable. The methodology of
develop, four reasons to support the claim.
critical thinking can give you greater
Two obvious questions need answering:
confidence in your own judgements, and
(a) whether the claims in the article are
more skill at defending them. But exercising
Gustave Whitehead, pictured with his aeroplane ‘No. 21’, and his daughter and assistants