Critical Thinking

An Introduction

Presented By: Kamal Talwar

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

CRITICAL THINKING
Through this presentation you will learn:
● What is thinking?
● Types of thinking?
● What is Critical Thinking?
● Critical Thinking Standards?
● Benefits of Critical Thinking
● Barriers to Critical Thinking
● Characteristic of Critical
Thinker 2
Do You Agree?

“GIVE place here to some further consideration of

thought. You will never become great until your own
thoughts make you great, and therefore it is of the first
importance that you should THINK.”

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1. What is thinking?

Why is the sky blue?

Is time travel possible?
Why doesn’t she like me?
Why doesn’t he like me?

As you start asking questions and seek

answers, you are in fact THINKING.

In other words:- Thinking is purposeful, organised process

that we use to make sense of the world.
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2. Types of thinking?
❖ Analysing
❖ Evaluating
❖ Reasoning
Problem solving
Decision Making

Critical Creative
Thinking Thinking

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2.1 Lets think!!!
This is an old quiz (hope you remember the ans) developed by Anderson
Consulting Worldwide. Answer each question in order.

➢ How do you put a giraffe into a refrigerator?

➢ How do you put an elephant into a refrigerator?
➢ The Lion King is hosting an animal conference. All the
animals attend ... except one. Which animal does not
attend?
➢ There is a river you must cross but it is used by crocodiles,
and you do not have a boat. How do you manage it?

The correct answers are given in

the last slide 6
3. What is Critical Thinking?
Example of not thinking critically

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3.1 What is Critical Thinking?
Gather and
assess
Information
in a

logical
balanced
and
information

argument
way to
reach
conclusions

justified by reasoned argument based on available evidence

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3.2 What is Critical Thinking?
Critical thinking is general term given to a wide range of
cognitive and intellectual skills needed to:

➢ Effectively identify, analyze and evaluate arguments.

➢ Discover and overcome personal prejudices and biases.
➢ Formulate and present convincing reasons in support of
conclusions.
➢ Make reasonable, intelligent decisions about what to
believe and what to do.
Note: Critical thinking is a skill so fortunately for us we can
enhance it through practice.
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3.3 What is Critical Thinking?

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4. Critical Thinking Standards?
Universal intellectual standards are standards which must be
applied to thinking. To think critically requires having command
of these standards
❏ CLARITY
❏ ACCURACY
❏ PRECISION
❏ RELEVANCE
❏ DEPTH
❏ BREADTH
❏ LOGIC
❏ FAIRNESS
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4.1 Clarity
❏ Could you elaborate further on that point?
❏ Could you express that point in another way?
❏ Could you give me an illustration?

Clarity is the gateway standard. If a statement is unclear, we cannot

determine whether it is accurate or relevant. In fact, we cannot tell
anything about it because we don't yet know what it is saying.
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4.2 Accuracy
❏ Is that really true?
THIS DOG ❏ How could we check that?
WEIGHS ❏ How could we find out if that is true?
MORE THAN
300
POUNDS!!!

A statement can be clear but not accurate

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4.3 Precision
❏ Could you give more details?
❏ Could you be more specific?

Jack is Let it go
Thats true overweight man!!
but how much
overweight 20
pounds or 500
pounds

A statement can be both clear and accurate, but not precise.

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4.4 Relevance
❏ How is that connected to the question?
❏ How does that bear on the issue?
I have given good
effort in studies
all semester so I
should get A+
The "effort" does
not measure the
quality of your
learning dear!

A statement can be clear, accurate and precise, but not

relevant to the question at issue.

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4.5 Depth
❏ How does your answer address the complexities in
the question?
❏ How are you taking into account the problems in the
question?
❏ Is that dealing with the most significant factors?
NOBODY
TELLS US
WHY!!!

A statement can be clear, accurate, precise and relevant, but

superficial.

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4.6 Breadth
❏ Do we need to consider another point of view?
❏ Is there another way to look at this question?
❏ What would this look like from the point of view
of . . .?
You got zero marks for
Was “participation”, coz you
studying didn’t participate in the
all night!! class discussion at all.

A line of reasoning may be clear, accurate, precise, relevant

and deep, but still ignore another side of the argument.

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4.7 Logic
❏ Does this really make sense?
❏ How does this follow from what I said before?
❏ Does this contradict a previous statement?
Superman can see through
anything!!
Superman can see through
walls!!
Superman can see through
you!!

When the combination of thoughts are mutually supporting and

make sense in combination, the thinking is "logical."

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4.8 Fairness
❏ Do I have a vested interest in this issue?
❏ Am I sympathetically representing the viewpoints
of others?
❏ Am I open minded?

We do not naturally consider the rights and needs of others on

the same plane with their own rights and needs, but to be a
good thinker you should apply “Fairness” in your thinking.
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5. Benefits of Critical Thinking
At Work

As more and more employers are looking for employees not

with specialized academic skills but with good thinking and
communications skills, who can
❏ Learn quickly and solve problems.
❏ Shows creativity.
❏ Gathers and analyze the issue meaningfully.

This has become vital skill for any professional

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5.1 Benefits of Critical Thinking
Daily life

❏ Helps us avoid making foolish decision.

❏ Helps us become a good citizen capable of making good
decisions on important social, political and economic
issues.
❏ Helps us in developing good thinking skill capable of
examining our own assumptions and dogmas.

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6. Barriers to Critical Thinking
You might ask,

➢ If the critical thinking is so important, then why is

uncritical thinking so common?

➢ Why is that so many people including the highly

educated and intellectual people find it difficult
to think critically?

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6.1 Barriers to Critical Thinking
5 most powerful barriers to critical thinking.
Self centered thinking
Egocentrism ❏ Self interest thinking The problem
❏ Thinking self as centre of attention is not the
problem. The
Group centered thinking
problem is
Sociocentrism ❏ Group interest thinking
your attitude
❏ To assume that own group is more
towards the
superior or righteous.
Unwarranted problem.
A belief that something is true
Assumptions without proper evidence or
justification.
Wishful Believing something is true because
Thinking one wishes it to be true.

Relativism Thinking that truth is just a matter of

opinion.

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7. Characteristic of Critical Thinker

Critical Thinker….

➢ Are honest with themselves.

➢ Regard problems and controversial issues as exciting

challenges.

➢ Strive for understanding, keep curiosity alive remain

patient with complexity.

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7. Characteristic of Critical Thinker
Critical Thinker….

➢ Base judgments on evidence rather than personal

preferences.

➢ Are interested in other people's ideas and so are

willing to read and listen attentively.

➢ Practice fair mindedness, and seek a balance view.

➢ Practice restraint, controlling their feelings rather

than being controlled by them.
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Any Questions?

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 THANKS

Wednesday, June 17, 2015 27

Famous Quotes
“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think
critically. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education”

-Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think.”

-Albert Einstein

“Five percent of the people think; ten percent of the people think they think;
and the other eighty-five percent would rather die than think.”

― Thomas A. Edison
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Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Answers for quiz in slide 6
❏ How do you put a giraffe into your refrigerator?

Open the refrigerator, put in the giraffe, and close the door.

This question tests whether you tend to do simple things in an overly complicated way.

❏ How do you put an elephant into your refrigerator?

Did you say, Open the refrigerator, put in the elephant, and close the refrigerator?
Wrong answer.

Correct answer: Open the refrigerator, take out the giraffe, put in the elephant and
close the door.

This tests your ability to think through the repercussions of your previous actions.
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Answers for quiz in slide 6
❏ The Lion King is hosting an animal conference. All the animals attend -
except one. Which animal does not attend?

Correct Answer: The elephant. The elephant is in the refrigerator. You just
put him in there. This tests your memory. Okay, even if you did not answer
the first three questions correctly, you still have one more chance to show
your true abilities.

❏ There is a river you must cross but it is used by crocodiles, and you do not
have a boat. How do you manage it?

Correct Answer: You jump into the river and swim across. Have you not
been listening? All the crocodiles are attending the animal conference.

This tests whether you learn quickly from your mistakes.

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