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Day 6: Critical Thinking
Daniel J. Mallinson
School of Public AffairsPenn State [email protected]
PUBPL 304
Mallinson Day 6 September 1, 2017 1 / 19
Road map
Define critical thinking
Tools for critically analyzing thought
Application
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What is critical thinking?
Mallinson Day 6 September 1, 2017 3 / 19
What is critical thinking?
Scriven and Paul 1987
“Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined processof actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying,analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating informationgathered from, or generated by, observation, experience,reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide tobelief and action.”
Mallinson Day 6 September 1, 2017 4 / 19
What is critical thinking?
Scriven and Paul 1987
“Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined processof actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying,analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating informationgathered from, or generated by, observation, experience,reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide tobelief and action.”
Mallinson Day 6 September 1, 2017 5 / 19
What is critical thinking?
Scriven and Paul 1987
“Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined processof actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying,analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating informationgathered from, or generated by, observation, experience,reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide tobelief and action.”
Mallinson Day 6 September 1, 2017 6 / 19
What is critical thinking?
Scriven and Paul 1987
“Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined processof actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying,analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating informationgathered from, or generated by, observation, experience,reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide tobelief and action.”
Mallinson Day 6 September 1, 2017 7 / 19
What is critical thinking?
Scriven and Paul 1987
“Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined processof actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying,analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating informationgathered from, or generated by, observation, experience,reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide tobelief and action.”
Mallinson Day 6 September 1, 2017 8 / 19
What is critical thinking?
Scriven and Paul 1987
“Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined processof actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying,analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating informationgathered from, or generated by, observation, experience,reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide tobelief and action.”
Mallinson Day 6 September 1, 2017 9 / 19
What is critical thinking?
Scriven and Paul 1987
“Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined processof actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying,analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating informationgathered from, or generated by, observation,experience, reflection, reasoning, orcommunication, as a guide to belief and action.”
Mallinson Day 6 September 1, 2017 10 / 19
What is critical thinking?
Scriven and Paul 1987
“Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined processof actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying,analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating informationgathered from, or generated by, observation, experience,reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide tobelief and action.”
Mallinson Day 6 September 1, 2017 11 / 19
What is critical thinking?
A learned skill (Elder 2007)
“They realize that no matter how skilled they are asthinkers, they can always improve their reasoning abilitiesand they will at times fall prey to mistakes in reasoning,human irrationality, prejudices, biases, distortions,uncritically accepted social rules and taboos, self-interest,and vested interest.”
Mallinson Day 6 September 1, 2017 12 / 19
One Tool: Intellectual Standards
Clarity
Accuracy
Precision
Relevance
Depth
Breadth
Logic
Significance
Fairness
Standards are applied to...
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One Tool: Elements of Thought
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When we think, we...
... think for a purpose...
... within a point of view...
... based on assumptions...
... leading to implications and consequences.
We use data, facts, and experiences...
... to make judgments...
... based on concepts and theories...
... in attempting to answer a question.
Mallinson Day 6 September 1, 2017 15 / 19
When we think, we...
... think for a purpose...
... within a point of view...
... based on assumptions...
... leading to implications and consequences.
We use data, facts, and experiences...
... to make judgments...
... based on concepts and theories...
... in attempting to answer a question.
Mallinson Day 6 September 1, 2017 15 / 19
When we think, we...
... think for a purpose...
... within a point of view...
... based on assumptions...
... leading to implications and consequences.
We use data, facts, and experiences...
... to make judgments...
... based on concepts and theories...
... in attempting to answer a question.
Mallinson Day 6 September 1, 2017 15 / 19
When we think, we...
... think for a purpose...
... within a point of view...
... based on assumptions...
... leading to implications and consequences.
We use data, facts, and experiences...
... to make judgments...
... based on concepts and theories...
... in attempting to answer a question.
Mallinson Day 6 September 1, 2017 15 / 19
When we think, we...
... think for a purpose...
... within a point of view...
... based on assumptions...
... leading to implications and consequences.
We use data, facts, and experiences...
... to make judgments...
... based on concepts and theories...
... in attempting to answer a question.
Mallinson Day 6 September 1, 2017 15 / 19
When we think, we...
... think for a purpose...
... within a point of view...
... based on assumptions...
... leading to implications and consequences.
We use data, facts, and experiences...
... to make judgments...
... based on concepts and theories...
... in attempting to answer a question.
Mallinson Day 6 September 1, 2017 15 / 19
When we think, we...
... think for a purpose...
... within a point of view...
... based on assumptions...
... leading to implications and consequences.
We use data, facts, and experiences...
... to make judgments...
... based on concepts and theories...
... in attempting to answer a question.
Mallinson Day 6 September 1, 2017 15 / 19
When we think, we...
... think for a purpose...
... within a point of view...
... based on assumptions...
... leading to implications and consequences.
We use data, facts, and experiences...
... to make judgments...
... based on concepts and theories...
... in attempting to answer a question.
Mallinson Day 6 September 1, 2017 15 / 19
Breaking it down
We can use the elements of thought, in conjunction withthe intellectual standards, to break down our thinking andthat of others.
http://www.cc.com/video-clips/63ite2/the-colbert-report-the-word---truthiness
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Another Approach
Ask Yourself (Kraus et al. 2013)
1 What am I being asked to believe or accept?
2 What evidence is available to support the claim?
3 What alternative ways are there to interpret the evidence?
4 Rate the evidence/alternatives on 0-10 scale based onvalidity/strength
5 What assumptions or biases came up when doing the abovesteps?
6 What additional evidence would help us evaluate thealternatives?
7 What conclusions are most reasonable or likely?
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Application: Uri Geller
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9w7jHYriFo
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Application: Uri Geller
Ask Yourself (Kraus et al. 2013)
1 What am I being asked to believe or accept?
2 What evidence is available to support the claim?
3 What alternative ways are there to interpret the evidence?
4 Rate the evidence/alternatives on 0-10 scale based onvalidity/strength
5 What assumptions or biases came up when doing the abovesteps?
6 What additional evidence would help us evaluate thealternatives?
7 What conclusions are most reasonable or likely?
Mallinson Day 6 September 1, 2017 19 / 19