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remembering to apply those skills with strong positive critical thinking habits of mind. Chapter 4 uses
interpretation and analysis to clarify ideas, and
Chapter 5 uses those same skills to map the flow of
reasoning evident in arguments and decisions.
Chapter 6 applies evaluation to individual claims.
Chapters 7 and 8 apply evaluation to arguments, fallacies, and inductive and deductive reasoning.
Chapters 9 and 10 focus on using the skill of selfregulation to monitor and, if needed, to correct our
natural decision making processes. Chapters 11, 12,
and 13 address inference and explanation by exploring the benefits, uses, strengths, and weaknesses of
the three most powerful forms of argument making:
comparative (“this is like that”) reasoning, ideological (“top down”) reasoning, and empirical (“bottom
up”) reasoning.
Chapter 03
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We defined critical thinking and inquired into its value for
ourselves individually and for society in Chapter 1. Then
in Chapter 2, we analyzed critical thinking skills, exploring the six core skills and their subskills. This chapter
analyzed the “willing” part of “willing and able” to think,
describing the seven positive habits of mind that dispose us toward engaging problems and making decisions using our critical thinking skills. For each of these
seven habits, there is an opposite habit of mind that disposes us to be averse toward using critical thinking. We
can fortify our critical thinking habits of mind by valuing
critical thinking, taking stock of our current disposition,
looking for opportunities to translate the habits into
practice, and being persistent in our efforts to engage
problems using our critical thinking skills.
Our plan from here forward is to use each chapter
to emphasize different critical thinking skills, always
KEY TERMS
truth-seeking means that a person has intellectual integrity and a
courageous desire to actively strive for the best possible knowledge
in any given situation. A truth-seeker asks probing questions and
follows reasons and evidence wherever they lead, even if the results
go against his or her cherished beliefs. 30
open-minded means that a person is tolerant of divergent views and sensitive to the possibility of his or her own possible biases. An open-minded
person respects the right of others to have different opinions. 30
analytical means that a person is habitually alert to potential problems
and vigilant in anticipating consequences and trying to foresee shortterm and long-term outcomes of events, decisions, and actions. 30
CHAPTER REVIEW
systematic means that a person consistently endeavors to take an
organized and thorough approach to identifying and resolving problems.
A systematic person is orderly, focused, persistent, and diligent in his or
her approach to problem solving, learning, and inquiry. 30
confident in reasoning means that a person is trustful of his or her
own reasoning skills to yield good judgments. A person’s or a
group’s confidence in their own critical thinking may or may not be
warranted, which is another matter. 30
inquisitive means that a person habitually strives to be well-informed,
wants to know how things work, and seeks to learn new things about a
wide range of topics, even if the immediate utility of knowing those
things is not directly evident. An inquisitive person has a strong sense of
intellectual curiosity. 30
judicious means that a person approaches problems with a sense
that some are ill-structured and some can have more than one
plausible solution. A judicious person has the cognitive maturity to
realize that many questions and issues are not black and white
and that, at times, judgments must be made in contexts of
uncertainty. 30
FIND IT ON THE THINKSPOT
• Dramatic reenactment is not
real life, but then neither are
so-called “reality” shows. However
www.thethinkspot.com
dramatic reenactments can be
very valuable because they often
highlight ideas and decision making in tense situations in which uncertainties and risks abound. The clips from Apollo 13 and Philadelphia
certainly do that. The transcript of Leslie Stahl’s interview with Victor
the
THINK SPOT
Crawford is dramatic for what it
reveals. Access all three of these
clips at www.TheThinkSpot.com.
• When I reference a video clip in the
exercises, as with the “truthiness”
clip from Comedy Central’s The
Colbert Report, you can also find it
at www.TheThinkSpot.com.
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Exercises
REFLECTIVE LOG
Mark Twain is reported to have said, “I have never let my schooling
interfere with my education.”viii Connect that sentiment with the information on page 34 in the box, “The Experts Worried that School Might Be
Harmful!”. What is your reasoned opinion on the matter? If you were
critical of schooling, what would you recommend be done to improve
it? What evidence do you have that your suggestions would actually
work in the real world? Now ask someone who is 10 years younger
than you what Mark Twain meant. Note the response in your log. Then
ask someone who is at least 20 years older than you what Twain’s saying might mean. Log the response. Compare the three opinions: yours,
the younger person’s, and the older person’s. End this notation in your
log by reflecting these final questions: Should K-12 schooling be
designed to prevent students from learning to think critically for themselves? Why or why not?
GROUP EXERCISE: WHAT WOULD IT BE LIKE?
THE COLBERT REPORT
the
THINK SPOT
Stephen Colbert, a master of humor and
irony, offers “truthiness” as his word of the day.
How does “truthiness,” as Mr. Colbert defines it, relate to “truthseeking”? Go to www.TheThinkSpot.com to view the clip.
www.thethinkspot.com
APOLLO 13 QUESTION
The second or third time through, focus on trying to identify evidence
of the critical thinking skills and habits of mind. Listen to what the characters say and watch their body language. Discuss the scene in detail,
and then prepare a brief description of the scene, like the description
that begins this chapter. Your description should
highlight those critical thinking skills and habits the
of mind you noticed the characters displaying www.thethinkspot.com
either individually or as a group.
THINK SPOT
CHAPTER REVIEW
Group or Individual Exercise: The scene in Apollo 13 when the engineers are put in a room and given a task is a memorable dramatization
of a critical thinking challenge. Their task is to engineer something that
will reduce the toxicity of the air in the spacecraft (a) as quickly as possible because time is running out, (b) using only the things the astronauts have at their disposal, and (c) using methods that the astronauts
can repeat so that they can build the device themselves. Go to
www.TheThinkSpot.com, and watch the scene two or three times.
The “Willing” in “Willing and Able” to Think Critically
you have the power to say no to his requests, what are your plans with
regard to his requests?
Scenario #2. You have a part-time job in a department store as a
clerk. Your old manager used to let your group solve a lot of its own
problems, like who is going to cover a shift if someone can’t work on
a given day. But now you have a new manager. This person makes
scheduling decisions arbitrarily, and is disorganized, and this means
that your group always seems to be rushing to meet deadlines. She
also habitually does not think about the consequences of her actions.
What is it like to work for this supervisor? Given that you have the right
to complain to management about your new supervisor, is that an
option you will pursue? What other plans might you make to help you
cope with the approach taken by this new supervisor?
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Our habitual attitudes affect our behavior and the way that we interact
with one another. People who are habitually intellectually dishonest,
intolerant, or indifferent act differently in household and workplace settings than those who have opposite, positive habits. This exercise
invites you to draw on your experience to describe what it would be
like to interact regularly with a person with negative critical thinking
habits of mind.
Scenario #1. You have a brother, close to your age, who is habitually intellectually dishonest, intolerant, and imprudent in making decisions. He has been like this since junior high school, and he recently
enrolled at your college. Now he wants to share your apartment, borrow your car, and get you to help him with his academic assignments.
What is it like to have this person as your family member? Given that