Critical thinking is a intellectually disciplined process of actively and skilfully conceptualising, applying, synthesising and evaluating information gathered by observation, experience, reasoning or communication as a guide to belief and action.
5. introduction
Critical thinking is a type of reflective thinking
that is aimed at deciding what to believe
or what to do
What is critical thinking?
Why should I practice it?
Where can I use critical thinking?
Who is a critical thinker?
GREGOR HORVAT CRITICAL THINKING
6. Critical thinking is a complex activity built up out of other skills which
are simpler and easier to acquire.
7. Critical thinking is thinking that aims at well-founded judgement and utilises appropriate
standards in the attempt to determine the true worth of something
Critical thinking is not negative, destructive or criticising thinking and it is not opposed to
creative thinking
The ability to think critically involves three things:
An attitude of being disposed to consider in a thoughtful way the problems and subjects
Knowledge of the methods of logical inquiry and reasoning
Some skills in applying those methods
GREGOR HORVAT CRITICAL THINKING
Critical thinking is the ability to think clearly and
rationally
9. Memorise the solution to a problem and you will master that particular problem. Improve your
critical thinking and you will give yourself tools to create solutions to multitude of problems.
10.
11. Why should I practice critical thinking
Critical thinking is very important in the new knowledge economy
We can minimise influence of culture and upbringing, and be guided by knowledge and evidence
that fits with reality
Good thinking skills are essential for making appropriate decisions about what to believe and
what to do
Critical thinking promotes creativity and presentation skills. It is crucial for self-reflection and
represent the foundations of democratic society
GREGOR HORVAT CRITICAL THINKING
12. Critical thinker raises vital questions and problems, and formulates them clearly and precisely
Critical thinker gathers and assesses relevant information and uses abstract ideas to interpret it
effectively
Critical thinker comes to well-reasoned conclusions and solutions
Critical thinker thinks open-mindedly within alternative systems of thought
Critical thinker communicates effectively with other
GREGOR HORVAT CRITICAL THINKING
Who is a critical thinker
13.
14. The mind has tendencies to illusion, distortion and error
Much of our thinking is biased, distorted, partial and uninformed
The problem with critical thinking
GREGOR HORVAT CRITICAL THINKING
17. When we strongly believe something then we tend to do the following
We seek out evidence which supports what we believe, and avoid or ignore evidence that goes
against it
We rate evidence as good or bad, depending whether it supports our belief or not
We stick with our belief even in the face of overwhelming contrary evidence
Critical thinker need to be aware of cognitive biases and blind spots
Belief preservation
GREGOR HORVAT CRITICAL THINKING
18. Critical thinker must try to avoid blind spots
You need to be aware of the preservation phenomenon
Counter belief preservation by exploring the
evidence against your belief
GREGOR HORVAT CRITICAL THINKING
20. What is an argument
GREGOR HORVAT CRITICAL THINKING
A core part of critical thinking is dealing with arguments
An argument is a connected series of statements intended to establish a definite conclusion
Arguments express a body of evidence in relation to some conclusion
Elements of arguments
The conclusion is the claim you try to establish
The premises are offered as reasons or evidence in support of the conclusion
There needs to be a logical connection between them
21. The scientists determined that the waves could not
be coming from natural forces because those would
follow a schedule of the tides.
Instead, it must be human activity. It's something
we're doing because it's following our schedule.
Example of a argument
GREGOR HORVAT CRITICAL THINKING
22. The scientists determined that the waves could not be coming from natural forces because those would
follow a schedule of the tides. Instead, it must be human activity, said Dr. Michael S. Bruno. "It's something
we're doing because it's following our schedule.”
The waves are caused by human activity
The waves are caused by natural forces
or by human activity
The waves could not be caused
by natural forces
The waves follow a human schedule
Waves caused by natural forces would
follow a schedule of the tides
Example of a argument
24. Questions define tasks, express problems and delineate issues
Deep questions drive our thought underneath the surface of things, force us to deal with
complexity
The art of Socratic questioning is important for the critical thinker because the art of questioning
is important to excellence of thought
Thinking is driven by questions
GREGOR HORVAT CRITICAL THINKING
25. Clarification
Why do you say that?
How does this relate to our discussion?
Assumptions
What could we assume instead?
How can you verify or disapprove that assumption?
Reasons and evidence
What would be an example?
Viewpoints and perspectives
What would be an alternative?
What is another way to look at it?
What are the strengths and weaknesses?
Implications and consequences
What generalisations can you make?
What are the consequences of that assumption?
What are you implying?
Question
What was the point of this question?
Why do you think I asked this question?
27. Six thinking hats is a simple, effective thinking process that helps people be more productive,
focused, and mindfully involved
You can learn how to separate thinking into six clear functions and roles. Each thinking role is
identified with a coloured symbolic thinking hat
Part of critical thinking is to understand that there are different ways of thinking
Edward de Bono
GREGOR HORVAT CRITICAL THINKING
28. The white hat
Only information and facts
The white hat calls for known or needed
Neutral and objective
The red hat
Feelings and intuition, you can express emotions and share fears, likes and dislikes
The black hat
Logic and judgement
Spot the difficulties and danger, where things may go wrong
The yellow hat
Symbolises brightness and optimism
Under this hat you explore the positives
The green hat
Focus on creativity, possibilities, alternatives and new ideas
What are the consequences of that assumption?
The blue hat
It is used to manage the thinking process
30. Critical thinking is the ability to think clearly
and rationally
It helps you figure out whether you should believe
to a claim and how strongly you should believe it
GREGOR HORVAT CRITICAL THINKING