CS COMP 149 - “How to Solve It”
What is It? - Critical Thinking - Fall-Spring
| Rubrics Groups Evaluations Score Sheets Portfolio Projects Presentations Role of English How to Solve It |
What is Critical Thinking and what can we do with it? Critic: (Greek origin): a krites is a discerner, judge or arbiter, someone with the ability to decide. To discern means to separate something which has worth from something which does not. A quote from William Graham Sumner on critical thinking: "The critical habit of thought, if usual in society, will pervade all its mores, (the fundamental values of a group or society) because it is a way of taking up the problems of life. Men educated in it cannot be stampeded by stump orators ... They (critical thinkers) are slow to believe. They can hold things as possible or probable in all degrees, without certainty and without pain. They can wait for evidence and weigh evidence, uninfluenced by the emphasis or confidence with which assertions are made on one side or the other. They can resist appeals to their dearest prejudices and all kinds of cajolery (flattery). Education in the critical faculty is the only education of which it can be truly said that it makes good citizens." (For example; How to properly assess election campaigns and their appeals to ignorance.) Critical Thinking is a process which is necessary for all educated persons--the process by which we develop and support our beliefs and evaluate the strength of arguments made by others in real-life situations. Reading, writing, speaking, and listening can all be done critically or uncritically. Critical thinking is crucial to becoming a good reader, an excellent writer and a truly educated person.The development of strong logical and critical thinking skills are important for success in all areas of academic as well as everyday life. True critical thinking is higher-order thinking, enabling you to, responsibly judge between political candidates, serve on a murder trial jury, evaluate society's need for nuclear power plants, and assess the consequences of global warming. Critical thinking enables an individual to be a responsible citizen who contributes to society, and is not simply a consumer of society's distractions. Critical thinking is focused, organized thinking about such things as the logical relationships among ideas, the soundness of evidence, and the differences between fact and opinion. Critical thinking includes holding a broad vs narrow perspective, removing one's personal views from answering arguments or questions & organized skepticism which requires proof & review of a claim. Critical thinking is about giving arguments to support or defend your position. Arguments are used to change an opinion or move an audience to action. Arguments are not simply to describe, explain or compare a subject. Arguments are part of the process of critical reasoning and thinking. Critical thinking also involves criticizing the beliefs and positions of others. In critical thinking this is seen as something positive. In everyday English, to "criticize" usually means to say something negative. This is not usually true in critical thinking. Evaluation, when used to give feedback, is criticism and it may be positive or negative. Critical thinking helps improve learners' abilities to distinguish 'good' from 'bad' arguments.
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First Semester Second Semester Critical Thinking: Goals Introduction What is it? Abstract Reasoning Arguments & Claims Principles Modeling & Questions Common Concepts References *Vocabulary *Carlin Oxymorons *6 Basic Mistakes *Baloney Detection *Irrationalities,Fallacies *7 Rules Thinking Skills *Knowledge for Business *The Plan *Dangerous Ideas |