CRITICAL THINKING RESOURCES

Thoughts are forms conceived in the mind, rather than the forms perceived through the five senses, whereas thinking and thought are the processes by which these forms are perceived and manipulated. Thinking allows beings to model the world and to represent it according to their objectives and or acting forces of influence. Thoughts are a function of passion and not only model the world, they model the world as we are, not necessarily as it is - see for example picture below: and the auto-correcting function. The latter may indicate the existence of an auto-correcting function in our mind that says that as long as we intellectually get the concept, that is good enough. Or for example, if we listen to an exciting lecture that resonates with our current situation, we may think that we understood the main concepts. However, when we get home, as we try to recall what was said, we are often unable to do so. To what extent the strength of the auto-correcting function is due to the forces of influence, the Threshold of BIC or our passion, that is the subject of additional analysis.

Critical thinking is a never ending, purposeful reflective process concerning what to believe or what to do. Operative point here is awareness, so as to avoid the Frog Soup Syndrome: Frog soup syndrome: If a frog is placed in boiling water, it will jump out, but if it is placed in cold water that is slowly heated, the frog will not perceive the danger and will be cooked to death. Something similar happened to the nation on 9-11 or during the 2008 financial meltdown: While critical indicators showed major problems ahead, as a nation we were just like the frog in the frog soup.

The list of core critical thinking skills includes interpretation, analysis, inference, evaluation, explanation and meta-cognition. There is a reasonable level of consensus among experts that an individual or group engaged in strong critical thinking gives due consideration to the evidence, the context of judgment, the relevant criteria for making the judgment well, the applicable methods or techniques for forming the judgment, and the applicable theoretical constructs for understanding the problem and the question at hand. In addition to possessing strong critical thinking skills, one must be disposed to engage problems and decisions using those skills. Critical thinking employs not only logic but broad intellectual criteria such as clarity, credibility, accuracy, precision, relevance, depth, breadth, significance and fairness. The elements of critical thinking are:

a. Perception.
b. Assumption.
c. Emotion.
d. Language.
e. Argument.
f. Fallacy.
g. Logic.
h. Problem solving.

The positive habits of mind (as opposed to the habits that hinder critical thinking) which characterize a person strongly disposed toward critical thinking (and some would argue, his or her destiny) include a courageous desire to follow reason and evidence wherever they may lead, open-mindedness, foresight attention to the possible consequences of choices, a systematic approach to problem solving, inquisitiveness, fair-mindedness and maturity of judgment, and confidence in reasoning. In reflective problem solving and thoughtful decision making using critical thinking one considers evidence, the context of judgment, the relevant criteria for making the judgment well, the applicable methods or techniques for forming the judgment, and the applicable theoretical constructs for understanding the the given scenario

Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at the Uinervtisy of @EWBO, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a total mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mind deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

· The hypothetical syllogism, modus ponens, has as its first premise a conditional hypothesis: If p then q; it continues: p, therefore q.

· The disjunctive syllogism, modus tollens, has as its first premise a statement of alternatives: Either p or q; it continues: not q, therefore p.

· The categorical syllogism comprises three categorical propositions, which must be statements of the form all x are y, no x is y, some x is y, or some x is not y" (2005)

A categorical syllogism, on the other hand, is an argument consisting of exactly three categorical propositions (two premises and a conclusion) in which there appear a total of exactly three categorical terms, each of which is used exactly twice.

Reference: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001 05 .http://www.bartleby.com

Forces of influence - Forces of Influence are defined as factors that affect the way a problem is identified, perceived, defined, and evaluated. Forces of influence include contextual factors, urgency, importance, thinking styles, individual versus group impact, personal attributes, and collective perceptions. Age, gender, education, ethnicity, financial status, pedigree, etc. Read more

1.) All men are animals (premises/minor term) True; Pigs are animals (premises/major term) True; Therefore, men are pigs (conclusion/middle term) False

2.) All women were babies (premises/minor term) True; some babies are girls (premises/major term) True; Therefore, women are babies (conclusion/middle term) False

3.) All cake is sweet (premises/minor term) True; Corn is sweet (premises/major term) True; Therefore, all cake is corn (conclusion/middle term) False

4.) Most people can swim (premises/minor term) True; All fish can swim (premises/major term) True; Therefore, all people are fish (conclusion/middle term) False

5.) All people sleep (premises/minor term) True; Computers can be put in sleep mode (premises/major term) True; Therefore, people are computers (conclusion/middle term) False

Note: If a syllogism is valid, it is impossible for its premises to be true while its conclusion is false, and that can be the case only if there is something faulty in its general form.

Resource: Philosophy pages: Categorical Syllogisms the Structure of Syllogism. Retrieved 12/22/2005 from URL, http://www.philosophypages.com

Checking for Syllogism Validity Versus Non -Validity

Premises concept of positive/negative/irrelevant/relevance to the conclusion:

1. Each statement must provide at least some evidence or reason for thinking that the conclusion is true

2. The premises must provide logical conclusive reasoning for accepting the conclusion.

3. If the premise does provide some evidence for the conclusion, the argument is positively relevant to the premises and the conclusion.

4. The premises are negatively relevant to the conclusion; if true, makes the conclusion at least somewhat less likely.

5. Statements that count against other statements are negatively relevant to those statements such as, Joe is an Uncle. Therefore, Joe is a female.

6. Statements can be logically irrelevant to other statements.

7. A statement is logically irrelevant to another statement if it counts neither for nor against that statement. My husband is a man; therefore, he owes me dinner.

Bassham, G (2000). Critical Thinking, a Students Introduction Ch. 5, pg. 1.

Just like there is listening and critical listening, there is reading and there is critical reading. The SQ3R reading method for example, is thought to enhance understanding and retention of material. On the other hand, critical reading is about evaluating assertions and assessments.

Reading critically is as important as listening. What is the author trying to say? Is it true? Is it an assertion, or is it an assessment? Is it fact or opinion? Is the author trying to persuade or to mislead?

Think of writing as a special kind of conversation the author is engaged in with the author. Likewise, when reading, think of having a conversation with the author. The author, on the other hand, is just one in a great number of other domain experts. So, to make an informed decision, we need to get a “high definition” view of what the author is trying to tell us – that is, the broader the input, the better the quality of the information.

So, when reading, it is a good idea to look at the author’s qualification and look for assessments, assertions and supporting evidence. Specific questions to ask may include

2. Where is the evidence for the assertions.? Is the evidence sufficient to convince you of the assertions? If not, what’s missing?

4. What is the author’s call to action? That is, what does the author want you the reader to do, once you are done with the text?

here are two ways to go about life: question everything or question nothing. In either case, we do not have to think.

It can be argued that only after we have listened to many experts in the field, or become an expert in our own right, can we develop a sound position or point of view (POV )

Lacking the time to become an expert and or review a number of authors, we can however determine whether the author’s assertions are credible. We can also determine if the author’s assessments are grounded or ungrounded:

Assertions are claims about what is observable in the world. They are capable of being witnessed and the witnesses can classify them as true or false. Logical propositions and statements of fact are common instances. Examples:

These are all assertions because they can be either true or false and they can be witnessed by observers

Assessments are evaluations, judgments, or opinions about the world. They are claims made by the speaker, but unlike assertions they cannot be verified by witnesses. The second set of three statements listed above qualify as assessments by this definition. Many people do not distinguish between assertions and assessments, a confusion that leads to misunderstanding.

SQ3R Reading Method - the SQ3R acronym coined by F. P. Robinson in 1946 in a book titled Effective Study stands for

The SQ3R reading method is thought to enhance understanding and retention of material.

Survey

This step helps you gather the information necessary to focus on a given chapter and formulate questions for self. It is not necessary to have answers to your questions at this step of the process, as the answers come later in the process. The step should take no more than 5 - 10 minutes

Read the title This helps your brain begin to focus on the topic of the chapter.

Read the introduction and/or summary This orients you to how this chapter fits the author's purposes. It also provides you with an overview of the author's statement of the most important points.

Read each boldface heading and subheading This helps you create a framework for the chapter in your mind before you begin to read. This framework provides a structure for the thoughts and details to come.

Review any graphics Charts, maps, diagrams, pictures, and other visual aids are there to make a point. Publishers will not include these items in the book unless they are deemed to significantly add to the text.

Review any reading aids in the chapter This includes italics, chapter objectives, definitions and study questions at the end of the chapter. These aids are there to help you sort, comprehend and remember. Use them to your advantage.

Question

This step and the next two, read and recite, are repeated over and over as you read the chapter.
Turn boldface headings into one or more questions and write down your question on the left third of a piece of paper.	As you read this section, you will be looking for the answer to your questions. For example, if you are reading a book to help you improve your study skills and the heading is "use a regular study area," the questions you might ask are "why should I have a regular study area" and "where should my regular study area be located?"
Why do I need to take time to do this step?	When your mind is actively searching for answers to questions, it becomes engaged in the learning process. This will help you remember and understand the information.

Read

Reading the section fills in the information around the mental structures you have been building by surveying the chapter and developing questions about the section.
Read one section as a time	As you read the section, look for the answers to your questions and jot them down, in your own words, on the right two-thirds of your piece of paper.
Add more questions, if necessary	A single question is probably adequate for a section that is only a few paragraphs; however, for longer sections, you may find that you need to add a question or two.
Don't get bogged down with the details	Well-written textbooks often provide examples to further explain the main ideas. As you read the section, try to separate the details from the main ideas. Use the details to help you understand the main ideas but don't expect yourself to memorize every detail provided in the cha

Recite

Reciting material as you go retrains your mind to concentrate and learn as it reads.
When do you recite?	At the end of each section of the chapter.
How do you recite?	Look at the question(s) you wrote down before you read the section. Cover your answers with a piece of paper and see if you can answer the questions from memory.
What if you can't recall the answers to your questons?	Reread the section or the part of the section that has to do with that question.
When you can answer your question(s) about this section, go back to step two, "question." Develop and write down your question(s) for this section, read the section and then recite again. Proceed through the chapter repeating these three steps.

Review

The review step helps you refine our mental organization of the material in the chapter and begin to build memory. We learn through repetition. This step provides another opportunity for repetition of the material and therefore will enhance our recall of the information.
How do you review?	Once you've finished reading the entire chapter using the survey, question, read and recite steps, go back over all your questions. Cover the answers to the questions you've developed and written down and see if you can still recite them.
What if some of the answers have been forgotten?	Reread that section of the chapter to refresh your memory, recite the answer after you've written it down and then continue your review process.

Checking for Syllogism Validity Versus Non -Validity