Critical Thinking; The Analysis and Criticism of Some Definitions

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Associate professor in Dept. of philosophy, Tarbiat Modares University

2 M.A. of Philosophy (Logic) Tarbiat Modares University.

Abstract

“Critical thinking” is a way of thinking and also is a title for an area of
knowledge stemmed from Dewey in the philosophy of education. In
this article, after analyzing and criticizing some of the most notable
definitions of critical thinking, we will show that most thinkers
believe that critical thinking, as a general area of knowledge, is
possible. Finally, arguing for the plausibility of the approaches that
focus on critical thinking as a process, and the idea that the
“differences” between views are not “oppositions”, we conclude that
Richard Paul’s view is the most comprehensive position. And the
suggestion (made implicitly) is that critical thinking is not just a
pedagogical matter, and demands some philosophical discussions.

Keywords

References

[1] Bowell, T. Kemp, G (2010). Critical Thinking; A Concise Guide. Routledge.
[2] Brookfield, Stephen D (1987). Developing Critical Thinking. Milton Keynes, SRHE and Open University Press.
[3] Dewey, John (1910. How We Think. Boston, Mass, D. C. Health and Co.
[4] Elder, L. Richard W. Paul: A Biographical Sketch, published in criticalthinking.org.
[5] Ennis, R (1996). Critical Thinking. Prentice-Hall.
[6] Fisher, Alec (2001). Critical Thinking: An Introduction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
[7] Flavell, J. H (1979). Metacognition and cognitive monitoring: A new area of cognitive-developmental inquiry, American Psychologist.
[8] Glaser, E (1941). An Experiment in the Development of Critical Thinking. Teacher’s College, Columbia University.
[9] Jill, L (1998). Thinking Clearly; A Guide to Critical Reasoning. New York, Norton & Company, Inc.
[10] Moon, J (2008). Critical Thinking; An Exploration of Theory and Practice. Routledge.
[11] Paul, R. Elder, L (2009). The Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking Concepts and Tools. The Foundation for Critical Thinking.
[12] Paul, R and Elder, L (2009). A Glossary of Critical Thinking Terms and Concepts. Foundation for Critical Thinking Press.
[13] Siegel, Harvey (1990). Educating Reason: Rationality, Critical Thinking and Education. London, Routledge.
Philosophy and Kalam
Volume 47, Issue 2 - Serial Number 2
October 2014
Pages 183-202

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