CHAPTER 5: Critical Thinking
What is Critical Thinking?
It is a type of thinking that analyses & evaluates arguments in an objective way. It is a type of thinking that searches for the truth. It is a type of thinking that is used to make intelligent decisions about what to believe and what not to believe.
(Pic shows Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, one of the best known critical thinkers of all time, who is also the creator of the mystery novel character of Sherlock Holmes.)
Critical Thinking is good for Creativity When a person is a critical thinker, he has a questioning attitude. He has good analytical skills. He can distinguish between what is good & what is not.
Critical Thinking is good for Creativity (contd.) Critical Thinking is a collection of skills we use every day that are necessary for our full intellectual & personal development. Critical Thinking involves providing logical support for our beliefs & opinions. All of that helps us in our pursuit for creativity.
Differences between Critical Thinkers & Non-Critical Thinkers Non-Critical Thinkers see things in black & white. not good at going beyond “Yes” & “No” answers. don’t like to see linkages & cannot understand complexities. reject unpopular views & opinions.
Differences between Critical Thinkers & Non-Critical Thinkers Critical Thinkers see things in various colors & perspectives. are capable of explaining their answers. are able to link things & understand complexities. welcome unpopular views & opinions. ask many questions.
Differences between Critical Thinkers & Non-Critical Thinkers (contd.) Critical Thinkers keep an open mind. study all the facts and evidence before judging. approach issues in a systematic & organized manner.
(Pic shows Ibn Sina, a.k.a. Avicenne, Muslim medical scientist & doctor.)
Critical Reading: Making
important distinctions when reading Distinction between the Person & the Idea Distinction between Taste & Judgment Distinction between Fact & Interpretation
Critical Reading: Making
important distinctions when reading Distinction between Literal & Ironic Statements Distinction between an Idea’s Validity & its Expressive Quality Distinction between Language & Reality
Strategy for Critical Reading SKIM: Go over what you need to read quickly to get the main ideas. REFLECT: Examine your views separately from the author’s. READ: Read the whole work & underline or highlight important ideas.
Strategy for Critical Reading
(contd.) EVALUATE: Make a preliminary judgment & ask questions about unclear points. EXPRESS YOUR JUDGMENT: Fully judge what you have read, explaining clearly where you disagree with the author.
Reading in the Life, Medical, and Physical Sciences
Be prepared to spend more time studying if you are a student of the above fields. Scientific information is usually presented sequentially, so make sure you understand earlier lessons first. Understand applications of theories, ideas, & principles. Learn scientific notation systems, such as writing using signs & symbols. (Pic shows Ibn Al-Bitar, author of
13th century “Dictionary of Medicine & Food.”)
Reading in the Life, Medical, and Physical Sciences (cont’d) Translate formulas into words. Learn scientific terminology smartly, by for example studying prefixes, suffixes and roots of terms. Use sketching while studying. Be prepared for lab sessions.
(Pic shows Jabir Ibn Hayyan, pioneer Muslim chemist.)
Reading in the Social Sciences and History Courses in the above disciplines are highly factual, with lots of principles, rules, dates and facts to learn. Students in the above fields are required to read extensively. Maps, graphs and charts are commonly used, so students should be comfortable with them.
Reading in the Social Sciences and History (contd.)
ď Ż These fields are research-oriented, so students are expected to be familiar with the relevant research studies in their area of specialization. ď Ż These fields also emphasize theories and their theorists, which students are expected to be familiar with.
Reading in the Humanities and Liberal Arts ď Ż Courses in literature and the arts focus on the search for reasons, values and interpretation of human interest and experience. ď Ż Most humanities and arts courses require a lot of reading and writing.
Reading in the Humanities and Liberal Arts
(contd.)
ď Ż In the above fields, there is often no right or wrong answer, but students may be asked to defend their answers. ď Ż To analyze and interpret art and literature, a student must activate his/her feelings and imagination, as well as use their critical reasoning skills. ď Ż Often students need to identify themes, symbolism, motives and character traits.
Critical Listening We need to think, evaluate & question what we listen to on a daily basis, whether it is: what our friends are saying to us, a talk given by somebody, a debate between two persons, a speech given by a personality, a radio or TV program.
Barriers to Critical Listening When listening, avoid the following barriers to listening: Avoid closed mindedness. Avoid selective listening. Avoid judging the speaker instead of the message.
Strategy for Critical Listening Set aside preconceptions. Don’t let your perception of the speaker interfere with the message. Focus on the message. Identify key assertions & supporting information. Evaluate the message. Make a preliminary judgment & ask questions about unclear points. Express your judgment. Judge & include explanation for points raised by the speaker with which you don’t agree.
Critical Surfing People nowadays use the Internet to communicate with others, for example through social media. Many users use the Internet to entertain themselves, especially in the domains of video games and video clips of the performing arts. They also surf the Internet to get information, for example through websites and blogs.
Critically Evaluating Websites and Blogs Determine whether the source of the information is reliable. If the source of information is a person, find out his/her name and credentials. If the source of information is an organization, find out whether the information provided is credible. Ask yourself if the information given is adequate? Apply critical thinking when reading opinions, editorials, and reactions to events.
Critical Viewing There are various types of visual communication that need to be critically viewed by us. These include: Statistical Graphs. Advertisements. Drama.
Critical Viewing of Statistical Graphs These are numbers or statistics represented by pictures, drawings, graphics, including figurative graphs, pie-charts, and barcharts, among others.
Critical Viewing of Statistical Graphs To critically view Statistical Graphs, we should be concerned with: The accuracy of the data. The creativity of the design.
Advertisements These can be in the static form (still advertisements) or the dynamic form (moving advertisements). Advertisements on radio & TV are commonly called “commercials”.
Critical Viewing of Advertisements Many advertisements contain inaccurate information. The primary aim of advertisements is to urge you to try a product by buying it because it is supposedly good for you. Many people are easily influenced by advertisements. Viewing ads critically means asking some questions. Also, an analysis of the words, sounds, & visuals needs to be made.
Questions to ask as you critically view Advertisements Is the advertisement about a product or a service? What is the name/brand of the product or service? Describe the picture(s) or graphics. What kind of information is given? Criticize the picture, graphics, & information. Do you like the general design of the advertisement? If not, why? Will the results advertised happen to you if you buy the product? Do I need the product being advertised?
Examples of Criticism of Pictures/Graphics Picture is too large or too small. Picture/Graphics are unclear. Picture/Graphics contain inappropriate material. Picture/Graphics are irrelevant to the advertisement.
Examples of Criticism of Information Information may be missing vital points or details. Information may be too much (wordy). Information may be unsubstantiated (having no proof or evidence).
Examples of Criticism of Design Design is too simple. Design may be oldfashioned or conservative. Design is uninteresting. There are too few or too many colors.
Critical Viewing of Drama There are various types of drama like:
movies, sitcoms, mini-series, episodic drama, soap opera.
When viewing drama, questions need to be asked.
Questions to ask while/after watching TV drama Is the plot logical or not? Is the setting conducive to the plot or not? Is the drama just for entertainment, or are there lessons to be learned? Are some elements uncalled for or irrelevant to the plot?
Too many technical terms. Frequent obscene scenes. Too much violence.
Questions to ask while/after watching TV drama ď Ż Does the film-maker have an agenda (such as certain prejudices) presented in the drama, & is this agenda suitable or not, relevant or not, timely or not? ď Ż Does the drama have anti-Islam rhetoric or un-Islamic elements?
End of Chapter 5. It is cool to be a Critical Thinker. Look at the two creative drawings on the left and try to critically analyze them.