Principles of Critical Thinking – Lawrence Bland

Give someone a fish and they'll eat that day, teach them how to catch a fish and they'll never go hungry. Proverbs like this,
remind us how learning skills helped to move us towards self-reliance. This is never more true than with critical thinking.
Memorize the solution to a problem and you may master that particular problem, improve your critical thinking and you'll
give yourself the tools to create your own effective solutions to a multitude of unfamiliar problems.
➢ We must develop the skills to solve problems rather than try to remember the solution to a
particular problem.
➢ Learning to build a strategy for learning is a process that should be considered as important.
➢ It defines an approach to problem solving in familiar and unfamiliar situations.
Critical thinking refers to a diverse range of intellectual skills and activities concerned with evaluating information, as well as
our own thought in a disciplined way. When we're willing and able to examine our own capability as thinkers, acknowledging
problems and weaknesses, this can help us refine our thought processes so that we learn to think and assess information in a
more comprehensive way, that increases our ability to identify and reject false ideas and ideologies.
➢ Defining activities for evaluating information is crucial in acquiring range of intellectual skills.
➢ Evaluating our own strengths and weaknesses can make us more effective thinkers
➢ The ability to assess information correctly should be learnt and understood in order to identify and
reject false ideas and ideologies.
Critical thinking isn't just thinking a lot. A person may spend a great deal of intellectual energy defending a flawed position
or pursuing a question that actually needs reformulating before progress can begin. If they never examine possible flaws and
biases behind their approach, that's not thinking critically. We must want to be better at thinking to pinpoint and minimize
any biasing influence on our thought from culture and upbringing. To seek out and be guided by knowledge and evidence
that fits with reality, even if it refutes our cherished beliefs. Indeed, when we think critically, beliefs tend not to be cherished
but held on the understanding that if they're shown to be unfounded, a change of position is the most appropriate response.
Become aware of not wasting intellectual energy by defending a flawed position or something that
should be reconsidered or reformed.
Developing the ability to pinpoint and minimize biased thoughts due to culture, beliefs, values and
upbringing should be nurtured and practised.
It involves making reasoned assumptions based on evidences and facts that often may contradict our
own cherished beliefs and ideologies and change our position on them.
Critical thinkers cultivate an attitude of curiosity and eagerness to widen their perspective and broaden their knowledge and
they're willing to do the work required to keep themselves properly informed about a subject. They recognize that
explanations must actually explain and be testable to be worthy of serious consideration and that legitimate theories clearly
define the circumstances in which they'll concede defeat.
➢ A preparedness to look at an issue from multiple perspectives by broadening understanding and
acquire informed awareness on legitimate theories that clearly define circumstances.
Critical thinking embraces scepticism. Scepticism doesn't mean an indiscriminate rejection of ideas as some mistakenly
believe. It refers to doubting and suspending our judgment about claims with which we presented, so that we don't simply
accept claims which might be unjustified but first take the time to understand them, examining the reasoning and possible
assumptions and biases behind them.
➢ Developing scepticism should help suspend our judgment about claims in order to first examine the
reasoning and possible biases rather than an assuming an unjustified stance on acceptance of
flawed claims and assumptions.
Reasoning behind factual claims, should be based in sound consistent logic, not on emotions and social pressure. Because
the truth value of factual claims isn't determined by the emotion that accompanies them or the fact that they may be believed
by certain social groups. Sometimes people try to persuade us that reason has no value, but that's an untenable position.
Arguing against reason is cutting off the branch on which you sit, using the very thing you're dismissing in order to construct
a case against it.
➢ Factual claims must depend on logic and not on emotions or facts supported by certain social
groups.
Reason has an intrinsic role in the decisions and judgments we make as we negotiate our way through life, whether they be
momentous or trivial. If a particular line of reasoning is flawed, what will increase our understanding dismissing the value of
reason or looking honestly at the flaws. A lack of respect for reason or evidence or any number of obstructive character traits
will sabotage one's capacity for critical thought.
➢ Decisions and judgments can be hampered by dismissing reasoning through not considering the
flaws and this could destroy one’s capacity for critical thought.
One of the biggest barriers to critical thinking is an unwillingness to see complex issues in anything other than black and
white terms. If one sees only two options when more exist, this constitutes a false dichotomy. Consciousness is often
presented as something that's either in eternal immaterial entity, or reducible and identical to brain states, when in fact
there are various other positions. Many divide people into those who accept evolution and those who believe in specific gods
when these categories are not mutually exclusive.
➢ We should instead dismiss our unwillingness to see beyond limited options and considering other
positions by not merely constructing two categories of thought and positions.
If we think in false dichotomies, we'll tend to draw false conclusions. For example, by judging that if option A is false, option
B must be true. We may also misrepresent others by wrongly assuming that if they don't hold attitude X they must hold
attitude Y.
➢ Judging situations and people based on thought that considers if they do not fit into a particular
category and categorising them as belonging to the other contrasting position, can be totally flawed
reasoning.
Black and white thinking often reflects an underlying reluctance or refusal to deal with the uncertainty that results from
complexity in an absence of definite answers. The leaping to flawed conclusions because you can't tolerate the ambiguity of
not knowing, is not about truth or curiosity, but comfort. The critical thinker can handle uncertainty, preferring to be aware
of their own areas of ignorance and they can wait for valid evidence and evidence-based answers.
➢ Not accepting complex situations of not knowing can make us leap to flawed conclusions due to our
inability of not being able to handle uncertainty rather than being aware of our own ignorance and
searching for valid evidences and answers.
Critical thinking provides each of us with the keys for unlocking our own intellectual independence, leaving us willing and
able to explore and solve problems for ourselves. It moves us away from rash conclusions, mystification, and a reluctance to
question received wisdom, authority and tradition. It moves us towards intellectual discipline, the clear expression of ideas,
and the acceptance of personal responsibility for our own thinking.
➢ Unlocking our intellectual independence can prevent us from rash conclusions and draws us closer
to intellectual discipline with clear expression of ideas and acceptance of personal responsibility for
our own thinking.
Communities in which individuals are eager to acquire and apply the best knowledge and reason in all fields and willing to
acknowledge and correct flaws in their own thinking, are better equipped, to create more profoundly effective solutions to
the challenges we face in living and living together. When we teach and encourage critical thinking, we empower individual
lives, and invest in our collective future.
➢ A community of individuals well equipped with good knowledge and reasoning can help create
better living through effective solutions that address challenges and empower individual lives for a
better collective future.

BLOOM’S TAXONOMY OF LEARNING:

Stage 1: RECALLING and DEEPENING understanding
Stage 2: Analyse, evaluate, synthesise, compare & contrast in FAMILIAR situations. (implicit)
Stage 3: Create a project depicting the use of critical thinking skills in UNFAMILIAR situations. (explicit)
Rubrics: To conclude, to what extent have YOU acquired A SKILL on a scale of 1-5.
 Strategies to develop yourself as a critical thinker
• Reflect and practice: Always reflect on what you’ve learned. Is it true all the time? How did you arrive at your
conclusions?
• Use wasted time: It’s certainly important to make time for relaxing, but if you find you are indulging in too much of
a good thing, think about using your time more constructively. Determine when you do your best thinking and try to
learn something new during that part of the day.
• Redefine the way you see things: It can be very uninteresting to always think the same way. Challenge yourself to
see familiar things in new ways. Put yourself in someone else’s shoes and consider things from a different angle or
perspective. If you’re trying to solve a problem, list all your concerns: what you need in order to solve it, who can help,
what some possible barriers might be, etc. It’s often possible to reframe a problem as an opportunity. Try to find a
solution where there seems to be none.
• Analyze the influences on your thinking and in your life: Why do you think or feel the way you do? Analyze
your influences. Think about who in your life influences you. Do you feel or react a certain way because of social
convention, or because you believe it is what is expected of you? Try to break out of any molds that may be constricting
you.
• Express yourself: Critical thinking also involves being able to express yourself clearly. Most important in expressing
yourself clearly is stating one point at a time. You might be inclined to argue every thought, but you might have greater
impact if you focus just on your main arguments. This will help others to follow your thinking clearly. For more
abstract ideas, assume that your audience may not understand. Provide examples, analogies, or metaphors where you
can.
• Enhance your wellness: It’s easier to think critically when you take care of your mental and physical health. Try
taking activity breaks throughout the day to reach 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity each day. Scheduling physical
activity into your day can help lower stress and increase mental alertness. Also, do your most difficult work when
you have the most energy. Think about the time of day you are most effective and have the most energy. Plan to do
your most difficult work during these times. And be sure to reach out for help if you feel you need assistance with
your mental or physical health.