Critical thinking?

Question

Definition:

"Critical thinking consists of mental processes of discernment, analysis and evaluation. It includes all possible processes of reflecting upon a tangible or intangible item in order to form a solid judgment that reconciles scientific evidence with common sense"

If everything is cut and dry for some, do you think that will hinder someone's critical thinking skills?

Answer 1

Scientific evidence is limited to the physical realm and cannot discern or judge the intangible. Obviously critical thinking must encompass more than the physical realm. If we see the way a car engine runs and all the process that go into it, we marvel, and not one of us would dare to assume this engine evolved. Yet the human cell is a factory that far surpasses the automobile engine in all its functions and processes in its precision and amazing design. Intelligence created the automobile engine and intelligence obviously created the cell. That is critical thinking. To say the auto engine is created by intelligence and the cell which far exceeds the auto in complexity, design and function, somehow happened by random chance is plain dumb. Critical thinking never forsakes the obvious answer for convenience or bias. So critical thinking needs one other element: Intellectual honesty.

Answer 2

Critical thinking involves the ability to use reason, and objective analysis. Something Astrology is not capable of. Astrology is subjective. Astrology is not reasonable nor logical. There is nothing logical about continuously contradicting yourself. An example of this Sorry I broke the trees, You continue to guess my Star sign. You've spent two days doing this over e-mail. After I have told you how incorrect you were. Within 22 hours, you have posted a question that is now deleted, making up and estimating my sun sign. But then you make a statement, saying that Sun sign "zodiac" signs, are not important, they do no matter because there is a lot more to look into. I have told you that you contradict yourself. How can you say zodiac sign is not important and has no meaning, but at the same time, spend a considerable amount of time guessing someones Sun sign? What is logical about wishful thinking, cherry picking, using selective thinking, inductive reasoning, making hasty generalizations, ignoring or rejecting factual evidence that contradict many claims that astrology makes? There is nothing reasonable, sensible or logical about wanting to make something that does not work - work. You are not a critical thinker, if you rely and have faith in astrology. The term faith is the antithesis of rational. Try this again. And keep guessing my Star sign while continuing to say that Star sign has no importance.

Answer 3

I do think that if everything was cut and dry, then critical thinking would be greatly impaired. If I already have the answer, why look at the question from all angles? I personally love to examine every question, and find the joy in answering comes from extensive critical thinking.

The beauty of life is that NOTHING is cut and dry. Everything should be questioned, everything should be examined. There is a huge difference from believing in something based on knowledge from authority (someone told you the answer) and knowledge of experience (you figured out the answer either on your own or at least with personal experience).

P.S. Not all critical thinking involved scientific evidence. How do you apply scientific evidence to literature? Or to a piece of art or cords of music? Yet all these can be examined with critical thinking to find the deeper answer below the surface.

Interesting question, I'm curious at the direction in which it is leading...

Answer 4

Definitely. But that statement does not say that things are cut and dry. It is saying that by the processes of reason, evidence, and (un)common sense, that a truth of sorts can be attained.

Answer 5

Yes. Leave any part of that definition behind and the process is incomplete. It is in the incompleteness that many take refuge.
The definition provided by "Jesus M" is also a valid definition and both may be combined to, in essence, say the same thing.

Answer 6

I would think that anything that affects one's mental functioning could affect critical thinking abilities. That could range from birth defects to early training and childhood bias, to medication, drugs, alcohol, etc.

I think that having things "cut and dried" will at best DELAY critical thinking. Of course, that delay may last a lifetime. Whether a person has the intellectual abilities to move past his/her early training and whether they are presented with ideas that fall outside the framework of a black-and-white world are crucial to the start of critical thinking. I believe that a person who has lived in a cut-and-dried sort of black-and-white world is in for a bigger shock the longer they live in that world - IF they are brave enough and capable enough to escape.

Answer 7

critical thinking

noun
type of critical analysis: disciplined intellectual criticism that combines research, knowledge of historical context, and balanced judgment

Your definition of critical thinking is wrong. Read the meaning I have given you above.
jtm

Answer 8

"All possible processes" sounds pretty broad to me.

Better apply some serious criticism to your definition, before it begins to hinder your own thinking skills.

Answer 9

I agree with the definition (in part). Evidence can be scientific, philosophical, logical, mathematical, experiential, and emotive.

Critical thinking is involved with deductions and conclusions rather than just recognition of facts.

Cordially,
John
http://www.GodSci.com

Answer 10

kind of makes me think of it this way.....everyone cant be a doctor or a lawyer..... the world needs ditch diggers too.
that paragraph explains why we have the problems we have on the planet today...alot of the people who should be or are ditch diggers...believe thay deserve to be the doctor or lawyer.
and when you say.... you cant..... they get upset and blame everyone else because they are not intelligent enough....and of course then they are being persecuted or held down... because they are a ditch digger