Questions About Critical Thinking

What questions might one ask about critical thinking if one is about to embark on critical thinking research? Please add, subtract, divide or multiply and share your thoughts. Here are a few questions that came to me while I was sleeping:

1.     Is there a generally accepted definition of critical thinking?

a.     Does a definition differ depending on the discipline?

b.     For example, do psychologists, philosophers and educators have similar definitions of critical thinking?

2.     Is critical thinking one thing or a collection of things?

a.     If it is a collection of things, what are those things?

b.     What skills and abilities are associated with critical thinking?

3.     How have people measured critical thinking?

a.     Do the measures vary with subject area?

b.     With age?

4.     How is the phrase ‘critical thinker’ used?

a.     Does it indicate more than approval of a person’s ideas?

b.     Is being or becoming a critical thinker generally regarded as desirable?

5.     If one is regarded as a critical thinker in one domain, does that ability tend to transfer to another domain?

a.     Are some critical thinking skills domain neutral?

b.     If so, which ones?

6.     Can critical thinking be learned?

a.     Some argue that creativity cannot be learned although others argue that in some sense and to some degree everyone is creative.

b.     If critical thinking can be learned, how can it best be taught?

c.     Can critical thinking be learned in a single lesson or course?

7.     At what age can someone develop critical thinking skills?

a.     Is becoming a critical thinker a developmental process?

b.     When is an optimal time for that process to begin?

c.     How might the early stages of becoming a critical thinker be supported?

8.     The so-called 21^st century skills are sometimes referred to as the 4 Cs: communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity. How are those four skill areas related?

a.     “Most people have the ability to communicate. Many people engage in collaborative endeavors from time to time. Some people manage to engage in critical thinking on occasion. A few people are regarded as creative.” Do those four claims sound reasonable?

b.     If one accepts the fundamental principle of a constructivist epistemology (i.e., people create internal representations to make sense of things they experience), then it follows that everyone is in some sense creative.

c.     Moreover, if one accepts the notion that people quite naturally engage in what Wittgenstein calls language games, then people not only create those internal representations, they communicate them to others. So communication, collaboration and creativity all seem to be abilities that each person have to some degree, and those abilities are a natural result of being a person living in a society. Does that line of thought make sense?

d.     On the other hand, Ludwig Wittgenstein wanted language to be clear and lead to coherent and meaningful thought (e.g., “we picture farts to ourselves”); Plato had a similar notion (see The Cratylus).  Oets Kolk Bouwsma noted that language often leads one astray (i.e., sometimes we picture things that are not factual to ourselves). Bouwsma argued that philosophers were among those who seemed particularly prone to being misled by language. Perhaps the sphere of those easily misled might be widened to include politicians and the general public. The question here is simply this: Is being a critical thinker as natural as the abilities to communicate, collaborate or create? How challenging is it to become a critical thinker?

9.     I am aware of becoming more pedantic than critical in this note, so I end it with a final question: What questions do others have with regard to critical thinking?