This post begins a series of articles on critical-thinking concepts and skills. Critical thinking is the ability to analyze and evaluate statements, claims, or assertions made by others (or by oneself) based on evidence and careful reasoning. Its essence is judgment, though critical thinking often reveals the need to accept and tolerate ambiguity regarding what we are told or even what we observe ourselves. I know the preceding sounds like vague double talk, but it really isn’t. If you follow this series throughout fall term, you’ll get a pretty concrete idea just what critical thinking is all about.

We’ll begin with a simple Checklist for Reasoning:

1. All reasoning has a PURPOSE.
2. All reasoning is an attempt to FIGURE something out, to settle some QUESTION, or solve some PROBLEM.
3. All reasoning is influenced by often-unstated ASSUMPTIONS.
4. All reasoning is done from some POINT OF VIEW.
5. All reasoning is based on DATA, INFORMATION, AND EVIDENCE.
6. All reasoning is expressed through, and shaped by, CONCEPTS and IDEAS.
7. All reasoning contains INFERENCES or INTERPRETATIONS by which we draw CONCLUSIONS and give meaning to data.
8. All reasoning leads somewhere or has IMPLICATIONS and CONSEQUENCES.

The next eight articles in this series will explore each item on this list and give examples of how it can be put into practice.

Stay tuned.

Doc Carney