Why Critical Thinking?

The Problem:
Everyone thinks; it is our nature to do so. But much of our thinking, left to itself, is biased,
distorted, partial, uninformed or down-right prejudiced. Yet the quality of our life and that of what
we produce, make, or build depends precisely on the quality of our thought. Shoddy thinking is
costly, both in money and in quality of life. Excellence in thought, however, must be systematically
cultivated.

A Definition:
Critical thinking is the art of analysing and evaluating thinking with a view to improving it.

The Result:
A well cultivated critical thinker:
 raises vital questions and problems, formulating them clearly and precisely;
 gathers and assesses relevant information, using abstract ideas to interpret it effectively;
 comes to well-reasoned conclusions and solutions, testing them against relevant criteria
standards;
 thinks open-mindedly within alternative systems of thought, recognizing and assessing, as
need be, their assumptions, implications, and practical consequences; and
 communicates effectively with others in figuring out solutions to complex problems.

Critical thinking is self-directed, self-disciplined, self-monitored, and self-corrective thinking. It

requires rigorous standards of excellence and mindful command of their use. It entails effective
communication and problem solving abilities and a commitment to overcome our native
egocentrism and socio- centrism.
The Elements of Thought

Purpose Concepts
goal, theories,
objective definitions, axioms
laws, principles
Question at issue , , models
problem, issue
Assumptions
Information presupposition,
data, facts, taking for granted
observations,
experiences Implications and Consequences

Interpretation and Inference Point of View

conclusions, frame of reference,
solutions perspective,
orientation

Critical Reading toward Critical Writing

Critical writing depends on critical reading. Most of the essays you write will involve reflection
on written texts the thinking and research that have already been done on your subject. In order to
write your own analysis of this subject, you will need to do careful critical reading of sources and
to use them critically to make your own argument. The judgments and interpretations you make
of the texts you read are the first steps towards formulating your own approach.
Critical Reading: What Is It?

To read critically is to make judgments about how a text is argued. This is a highly reflective skill
requiring you to "stand back" and gain some distance from the text you are reading. (You might
have to read a text through once to get a basic grasp of content before you launch into an intensive
critical reading.) THE KEY IS THIS:
 don't read looking only or primarily for information
 do read looking for ways of thinking about the subject matter

When you are reading, highlighting, or taking notes, avoid extracting and compiling lists of
evidence, lists of facts and examples. Avoid approaching a text by asking "What information can
I get out of it?" Rather ask "How does this text work? How is it argued? How is the evidence (the
facts, examples, etc.) used and interpreted? How does the text reach its conclusions?

How Do I Read Looking For Ways Of Thinking?

1. First determine the central claims or purpose of the text (its thesis). A critical reading attempts
to identify and assess how these central claims are developed or argued.

2. Begin to make some judgments about context. What audience is the text written for? Who is it
in dialogue with? (This will probably be other scholars or authors with differing viewpoints.) In
what historical context is it written? All these matters of context can contribute to your assessment
of what is going on in a text.

3: Distinguish the kinds of reasoning the text employs. What concepts are defined and used? Does
the text appeal to a theory or theories? Is any specific methodology laid out? If there is an appeal
to a particular concept, theory, or method, how is that concept, theory, or method then used to
organize and interpret the data? You might also examine how the text is organized: how has the
author analyzed (broken down) the material? Be aware that different disciplines (i.e. history,
sociology, philosophy, biology) will have different ways of arguing
4. Examine the evidence (the supporting facts, examples, etc) the text employs. Supporting
evidence is indispensable to an argument. Having worked through Steps 1 -3, you are now in a
position to grasp how the evidence is used to develop the argument and its controlling claims and
concepts. Steps 1-3 allow you to see evidence in its context. Consider the kinds of evidence that
are used. What counts as evidence in this argument? Is the evidence statistical literary historical?
etc. From what sources is the evidence taken? Are these sources primary or secondary?

5. Critical reading may involve evaluation. Your reading of a text is already critical if it accounts
for and makes a series of judgments about how a text is argued. However, some essays may also
require you to assess the strengths and weaknesses of an argument. If the argument is strong, why?
Could it be better or differently supported? Are there gaps, leaps, or inconsistencies in the
argument? Is the method of analysis problematic? Could the evidence be interpreted differently?
Are the conclusions warranted by the evidence presented? What are the unargued assumptions?
Are they problematic? What might an opposing argument be?

Some Practical Tips:

1. Critical reading occurs after some preliminary processes of reading. Begin by skimming
research materials, especially introductions and conclusions, in order to strategically choose where
to focus your critical efforts

2. When highlighting a text or taking notes from it, teach yourself to highlight argument: those
places in a text where an author explains her analytical moves, the concepts she uses, how she uses
them, how she arrives at conclusions. Don't let yourself foreground and isolate facts and examples,
no matter how interesting they may be. First, look for the large patterns that give purpose, order,
and meaning to those examples. The opening sentences of paragraphs can be important to this task.

3. When you begin to think about how you might use a portion of a text in the argument you are
forging in your own paper, try to remain aware of how this portion fits into the whole argument
from which it is taken. Paying attention to context is a fundamental critical move.
4. When you quote directly from a source, use the quotation critically. This means that you should
not substitute the quotation for your own articulation of a point. Rather, introduce the quotation by
laying out the judgments you are making about it, and the reasons why you are using it. O ften a
quotation is followed by some further analysis.

5. Critical reading skills are also critical listening skills. In your lectures, listen not only for
information but also for ways of thinking. Your instructor will often explicate and model ways of
thinking appropriate to a discipline.

Prepared by Deborah Knott, Director of the New College Writing Centre

Visit our many flies offering advice about university writing at www.advice.writing.toronto.cu