The-Five-Pillars-Of-Critical-Thinking.pdf

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The Five Pillars of Critical Thinking
There%is%a%widespread%view%that%critical%thinking%is%primarily%about%logic%
and%argument%analysis.%These%are%the%sorts%of%skills%that%are%tested,%for%
example,%in%graduate%and%professional%school%admission%tests%—%the%LSAT%
(law%school),%GMAT%(business),%MCAT%(medical%school),%GRE%(graduate%
school),%etc.%And%they%are%the%focus%of%the%various%critical%thinking%
assessment%tools%that%have%been%developed%for%college%and%university%
audiences.
Logic%and%argument%analysis%are%important%skills,%but%it%is%a%profound%
mistake%to%think%that%they%constitute%the%core%of%critical%thinking.%It%is%very%
easy%to%be%(1)%very%good%at%logic%and%argumentation,%and%(2)%a%severely%
impaired%critical%thinker.%
If%you%want%to%understand%how%this%can%be%so,%keep%reading!
Contents
1.%Introduction ..................................................................................................
2
2.%Logic%and%Argumentation ...........................................................................
6
3.%Logic%for%Critical%Thinkers ........................................................................
11
4.%Argumentation%and%Rhetoric ...................................................................
21
5.%Background%Knowledge:%Critical%Thinking’s%Dirty%Secret ...................
25
6.%What%Critical%Thinkers%Can%Learn%from%Good%Actors ..........................
29
Critical Thinker Academy
© Kevin deLaplante 2014
2 The Five Pillars of Critical Thinking
1. Introduction
1
The%ultimate%goal%of%critical%thinking%is%to%improve%the%quality%of%our%
beliefs,%judgments%and%decisions.%
That’s%easy%enough%to%state,%but%it%doesn’t%say%much%about%what%sorts%of%
skills%are%part%of%critical%thinking%or%what’s%involved%in%becoming%a%beXer%
critical%thinker.
In%the%five%points%below%I%summarize%how%I%approach%these%questions.%%
The%lectures%that%follow%explore%these%topics%in%greater%detail.
i. Critical thinking is multidimensional
Critical%thinking%is%a%multidimensional%human%activity.%Minimally%one%can%
distinguish%five%component%areas%that%are%necessary%for%successful%critical%
thinking.%These%are:
1.
2.
3.
4.
logic
argumentation
rhetoric
background%knowledge
a.
c.
5.
of#subject#ma-er
of#the#psychology#of#human#judgment
b.
of#the#history#of#debate#on#a#topic
character%(aXitudes%and%values)
I%have%called%these%the%“five%pillars”%of%critical%thinking.%I%should%note%
that%in%the%time%since%I%first%produced%the%video%tutorials%on%which%these%
lectures%are%based,%I’ve%revised%my%thinking%and%would%add%a%sixth%pillar%
to%this%list:
6.
creativity
1.%Note:%the%content%in%this%section%labeled%“Introduction”%was%wriXen%specifically%for%this%
document%and%is%not%part%of%the%video%tutorial%transcripts%from%which%the%rest%of%the%content%is%
drawn.%
Logic and Argumentation
3
However,%the%content%below%reflects%my%original%five`dimensional%model%
of%critical%thinking.%I%elaborate%on%each%of%these%components%in%later%
sections%of%this%document.
ii. The components of critical thinking interact and depend on
one another
Successful%use%of%any%single%component%often%requires%the%use%of%other%
components.%For%example,%recognizing%whether%to%evaluate%an%argument%
as%deductive%or%inductive%(a%logical%distinction)%might%require%background#
knowledge%about%the%issue%in%question,%and/or%accurately%judging%the%
intentions%of%the%arguer.%
In%general,%successful%application%of%critical%thinking%skills%in%real`world%
contexts%is%a%holistic%phenomenon,%involving%complex%interactions%among%
the%various%components,%directed%at%and%responding%to%the%situation%at%
hand.%
Consequently,%to%develop%as%critical%thinkers%we%need%to%cultivate%skills%
in%all%the%different%components%of%critical%thinking.
iii. Different situations demand skill in different components of
critical thinking
Consider%the%critical%thinking%skills%involved%in%(i)%solving%a%logic%puzzle,%
(ii)%writing%a%leXer%to%your%boss%requesting%a%raise,%(iii)%leading%a%team%of%
soldiers%into%a%baXlefield,%or%(iv)%assessing%the%latest%media%report%on%the%
safety%of%immunization%vaccines.%
Each%of%these%situations%places%more%emphasis%on%certain%critical%
thinking%skills%and%less%on%others.%Skill%in%rhetoric,%for%example,%plays%no%
role%in%(i)%but%important%roles%in%(ii)%and%(iii).%Different%types%of%
background%knowledge%are%more%relevant%in%some%contexts%than%in%others%
(e.g.%baXlefield%training%vs.%the%safety%of%immunization%vaccines).%Some%
critical%thinking%skills%are%general%and%can%apply%in%almost%any%situation,%
but%others%are%highly%context`specific.%
4 The Five Pillars of Critical Thinking
Thus,%the%same%person%can%be%a%good%critical%thinker%in%some%contexts%
and%a%poor%critical%thinker%in%others,%simply%because%different%contexts%
require%different%skill%sets.
iv. People differ in their competencies in each of the five
dimensions
John%is%good%at%logic%puzzles%but%is%often%unsuccessful%at%persuading%
people%through%argumentation%because%he%has%difficulty%understanding%
the%background%positions%and%concerns%of%other%people.%
Darlene%is%good%at%argumentation%but%she%focuses%on%“winning”%
arguments%by%pointing%out%the%weaknesses%of%other%people’s%views,%and%is%
defensive%and%dogmatic%about%her%own%positions.%
Kris%is%an%expert%on%many%topics%in%the%physical%sciences,%and%takes%
some%pride%in%being%scientifically%literate.%But%he%is%prone%to%
overconfidence%in%the%breadth%of%his%expertise,%often%making%broad%
generalizations%on%topics%in%which%he%has%no%training.
These%examples%illustrate%how%people%can%vary%in%their%critical%thinking%
skills%and%deficits.%This%is%another%way%that%a%person%can%be%a%good%critical%
thinker%in%some%contexts%and%a%poor%critical%thinker%in%others.%Or%
alternately,%how%in%the%very%same%context,%one%person%can%be%a%good%
critical%thinker%and%another%person%a%poor%critical%thinker.
v. Part of critical thinking is being able to assess what skills are
required in a given situation and how to respond if you don’t
have them
A%given%critical%thinking%context%requires%a%particular%set%of%skills%to%
navigate%successfully,%since%some%critical%thinking%components%will%be%
more%relevant%than%others.%An%important%critical%thinking%skill%is%being%
able%to%(i)%recognize%which%components%are%relevant%to%the%situation%and%
which%are%not,%(ii)%judge%how%well%suited%(or%unsuited)%your%particular%skill%
set%is%in%relation%to%the%critical%thinking%challenge%posed%by%the%situation,%
and%(iii)%respond%in%a%way%that%appropriately%reflects%this%understanding.%
Logic and Argumentation
5
These%sorts%of%skills%are%rarely%discussed%in%the%critical%thinking%
literature,%I%suspect%because%it%places%so%much%emphasis%on%cultivating%an%
awareness%of%our%limitations%and%weaknesses%as%critical%thinkers,%rather%than%
our%strengths.%
But%this%kind%of%self`awareness%is%an%important%part%of%the%conception%of%
critical%thinking%that%I’m%advocating%here.%It%reflects%a%growing%
appreciation%of%the%role%of%cognitive%biases%in%the%psychology%of%human%
judgment,%and%the%many%ways%in%which%we%are%prone%to%error%and%
irrationality.%
*%%%*%%%*
Okay,%that’s%a%quick%overview%of%the%key%ideas%behind%my%approach%to%
critical%thinking.%I’m%sure%you%have%questions%about%some%of%the%concepts%
introduced%here.%In%the%lectures%below%I%expand%on%these%topics.

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