Sum Ergo Cogito _ I Am Therefore I Think (paraphrase of Descartes)

Sum Ergo Cogito _ I Am Therefore I Think (paraphrase of Descartes)

Why is it important to be a critical thinker?

• Accelerating change• Intensifying complexity• Escalating interdependence• Increasing danger

The overview

THE STANDARDS must be applied to

THE ELEMENTSAs we learn to develop

INTELLECTUAL TRAITS

The StandardsAll thinking must be assessed for quality using universal intellectual standards

• Clarity• Accuracy• Precision• Relevance

• Depth• Breadth• Logic

The ElementsAll thinking can be analyzed by identifying its eight elements

• We think for a Purpose, Goal, Objectives

• Within a Point of View• Based on Assumptions• Leading to Implications &

Consequences

• We use Information (data, evidence, facts, & experiences

• To make Inferences & Judgements

• Based on Concepts & Theories• To answer a question or solve

a problem

NICK - You Challenge my Assumptions

• He dances, skis, swims, bikes, loves, and makes us laugh

An Example – Genetically Modified Foods

• Purpose – to investigate the health risks of GM foods.

• Point of View - That the sale of GM foods should be banned until the long-term impacts on humans and animals can be determined.

• Assumptions – There are environmental hazards, human health risks and economic concerns with GMF.

• Implication & Consequences – GMF could affect our immune systems, result in mono-crops, increase the level of allerginecity

• Evidence, Data – Council of Canadians, Sierra Club of Canada, Cornell University, Iowa State University, Greenpeace)

• Inferences & Interpretations – The growth of GM crops should be halted until all of the risks have been identified and dealt with.

Concepts & Theories - That corporations are more interested in profits than the long-term effects of GMFs.

Question – What are the human, health, economic, and ecological ramifications of GMFs?

The TraitsThe ultimate goal of critical thinking is to foster the development of intellectual traits and dispositions

• Fair-mindedness• Intellectual

humility• Intellectual

courage• Intellectual

autonomy

• Intellectual empathy

• Intellectual perseverance

• Intellectual integrity

• Confidence in reason

Traits

• Fair-mindedness- looking at other viewpoints (Monsanto)

• Intellectual Humility - What don’t I know about GMFs.

• Intellectual Integrity - I need to hold myself to the same standards of evidence and proof as I do Monsanto.

Two Barriers to Critical Thinking

1. Egocentric Thinking • the tendency to view everything in

the world in relation to oneself, to be self-centered.

• To see the world in self-serving terms

Barriers cont’d

2. Sociocentric Thinking• Tendency to view everything in the

world in relationship to one’s group, to be group-centered.

• Because most people are egocentric, they form groups that are centered on themselves

Two primary tendencies of egocentric and sociocentric thought

• Seeking to get what the individual (or the group) wants without regard to the rights and needs of others

• Rationalizing the beliefs and behaviours of the individual (or the group) irrespective of whether those beliefs and behaviours are rational.

The overview

THE STANDARDS must be applied to

THE ELEMENTSAs we learn to develop

INTELLECTUAL TRAITS