CriticalThinking.NET
thinking in practice
What is critical thinking?
How can we define critical thinking?
Critical thinking is reasonable reflective thinking focused on deciding what to believe or do.
A brief conception is below. For a longer definition, please see long definition . A BRIEF CONCEPTION OF CRITICAL THINKING A critical thinker: 1. Is open-minded and mindful of alternatives 2. Desires to be, and is, well-informed 3. Judges well the credibility of sources 4. Identifies reasons , assumptions , and conclusions 5. Asks appropriate clarifying questions 6. Judges well the quality of an argument , including its reasons , assumptions , evidence , and their degree of support for the conclusion 7. Can well develop and defend a reasonable position regarding a belief or an action, doing justice to challenges 8. Formulates plausible hypotheses 9. Plans and conducts experiments well 10. Defines terms in a way appropriate for the context 11. Draws conclusions when warranted – but with caution 12. Integrates all of the above aspects of critical thinking Last revised 11/26/10
(Note that this conception of critical thinking is not negative. It is also not mere persuasion, though critical thought will often be persuasive — but perhaps not often enough – the challenge of this century.)
Developed (revised 11/26/10) by Robert H. Ennis, Professor Emeritus, Univ. of Illinois. [email protected]
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