
Critical Thinking
Description
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Discover which of the "six stages" of thinking you're in and learn how to think with clarity, relevance, logic, accuracy, depth, significance, precision, breadth, and fairness. Master strategic thinking skills you can use everywhere and learn how to critically assess what experts tell you. Packed with new examples and exercises, this guide won't just help you think more effectively: it will help you use those skills to empower yourself, discover new opportunities, avoid disastrous mistakes, and grow your wealth. Above all, it will help you gain the confidence and clarity you need to pursue and achieve your most important goals in life - whatever they are!
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Persons
Dr. Linda Elder is an educational psychologist who has taught both psychology and critical thinking at the college level. She is the President of the Foundation for Critical Thinking and the Executive Director of the Center for Critical Thinking. She has a special interest in the relation of thought and emotion, as well as the cognitive and affective. She has developed an original theory of the stages of critical thinking development. Elder has coauthored four books on critical thinking, as well as all 23 titles found in the Thinker's Guide Library.
Content
- Critical Thinking
- Contents
- Dedication
- Acknowledgment
- Preface
- Chapter 1 Thinking in a World of Accelerating Change and Intensifying Danger
- The Nature of the Post-Industrial World Order
- A Complex World of Accelerating Change
- A Threatening World
- Change, Danger, and Complexity: Intelwoven
- The Challenge of Becoming Critical Thinkers
- Chapter 1 Summary
- Recommended Reading
- Chapter 2 Becoming a Critic of Your Thinking
- How Skilled Is Your Thinking (Right Now)?
- The Hard, Cruel World
- Become a Critic of Your Own Thinking
- Chapter 2 Summary
- Conclusion
- Chapter 3 Becoming a Fairminded Thinker
- Weak Versus Strong Sense Critical Thinking
- What Does Fairmindedness Require?
- Intellectual Humility: Having Knowledge of Ignorance
- Intellectual Courage: Being Willing to Challenge Beliefs
- Intellectual Empathy: Entertaining Opposing Views
- Intellectual Integrity: Holding Ourselves to the Same Standards to Which We Hold Others
- Intellectual Perseverance: Working Through Complexity and Frustration
- Confidence in Reason: Recognizing That Good Reasoning Has Proven Its Worth
- Intellectual Autonomy: Being an Independent Thinker
- Recognizing the Interdependence of Intellectual Virtues
- Conclusion
- Natural Versus Critical Thinking
- Chapter 3 Summary
- Chapter 4 Self-Understanding
- Monitoring the Egocentrism in Your Thought and Life
- Making a Commitment to Fairmindedness
- Recognizing the Mind's Three Distinctive Functions
- Understanding That You Have a Special Relationship to Your Mind
- Chapter 4 Summary
- Chapter 5 The First Four Stages of Development: What Level Thinker Are you?
- Stage 1: The Unreflective Thinker-Are You an Unreflective Thinker?
- Stage 2: The Challenged Thinker-Are You Ready to Accept the Challenge?
- Stage 3: The Beginning Thinker-Are You Willing to Begin?
- Stage 4: The Practicing Thinker-Good Thinking Can Be Practiced Like Basketball, Tennis, or Ballet
- Chapter 5 Summary
- Chapter 6 The Parts of Thinking
- Reasoning Is Everywhere in Human Life
- Does Reasoning Have Parts?
- Beginning to Think About Your Own Reasoning
- The Elements of Thought: A First Look
- An Everyday Example: Jack and Jill
- The Elements of Thought in Relationship
- The Relationship Between the Elements
- Thinking to Some Purpose
- Thinking with Concepts
- Thinking with Information
- Distinguishing Between Inert Information, Activated Ignorance, and Activated Knowledge
- Some Key Questions to Ask When Pursuing Information
- Distinguishing Between Inferences and Assumptions
- Understanding Implications
- Thinking Within and Across Points of View
- Using Critical Thinking to Take Charge of How We See Things
- The Point of View of the Critical Thinker
- Conclusion
- Chapter 6 Summary
- Chapter 7 The Standards for Thinking
- Taking a Deeper Look at Universal Intellectual Standards
- Clarifying a Problem You Face at Work
- In Search of Relevant Facts
- Bringing Together the Elements of Reasoning and the Intellectual Standards
- Question at Issue or Problem to Be Solved
- Point of View or Frame of Reference
- Information, Data, Experiences
- Concepts, Theories, Ideas
- Assumptions
- Implications and Consequences
- Inferences
- Using Intellectual Standards to Assess Your Thinking: Brief Guidelines
- Chapter 7 Summary
- Chapter 8 Design Your Life
- Fate or Freedom: Which Do You Choose?
- The Very Idea of Freedom
- Recognizing the Dual Logic of Experience
- Social Forces, the Mass Media, and Our Experience
- Reading Backward
- Implications for the Design of Your Life
- Chapter 8 Summary
- Chapter 9 The Art of Making Intelligent Decisions
- Thinking Globally About Your Life
- Evaluating Patterns in Decision-Making
- Big" Decisions
- The Logic of Decision-Making
- Dimensions of Decision-Making
- The Early Decisions
- Adolescent Decisions
- Early Adult Decisions
- Conclusion
- Chapter 9 Summary
- Chapter 10 Taking Charge of Your Irrational Tendencies
- Egocentric Thinking
- Successful" Egocentrism
- Unsuccessful" Egocentrism
- Rational Thinking
- Two Egocentric Functions
- Pathological Tendencies of the Human Mind
- The Challenge of Rationality
- Chapter 10 Summary
- Chapter 11 Monitoring Your Sociocentric Tendencies
- The Nature of Sociocentrism
- Sociocentric Thinking as Pathology
- Social Stratification
- Sociocentric Thinking Is Unconscious and Potentially Dangerous
- Sociocentric Use of Language in Groups
- Disclosing Sociocentric Thinking Through Conceptual Analysis
- Revealing Ideology at Work Through Conceptual Analysis
- The Mass Media Foster Sociocentric Thinking
- Freedom from Sociocentric Thought: The Beginnings of Genuine Conscience
- Conclusion
- Chapter 11 Summary
- Chapter 12 Developing as an Ethical Reasoner
- Why People Are Confused About Ethics
- The Fundamentals of Ethical Reasoning
- Ethical Concepts and Principles
- The Universal Nature of Ethical Principles
- Distinguishing Ethics from Other Domains of Thinking
- Ethics and Religion
- Ethics and Social Conventions
- Ethics and the Law
- Ethics and Sexual Taboos
- Understanding Our Native Selfishness
- Chapter 12 Summary
- Chapter 13 Analyzing and Evaluating Thinking in Corporate and Organizational Life
- Critical Thinking and Incremental Improvement
- An Obstacle to Critical Thinking Within Organizations: The Covert Struggle for Power
- Another Obstacle: Group Definitions of Reality
- A Third Obstacle: The Problem of Bureaucracy
- The Problem of Misleading Success
- Competition, Sound Thinking, and Success
- Assessing Irrational Thinking in Organizational Life
- The Power of Sound Thinking
- Some Personal Implications
- Conclusion
- Chapter 13 Summary
- Chapter 14 Strategic Thinking: Part One
- Understanding and Using Strategic Thinking
- Components of Strategic Thinking
- The Beginnings of Strategic Thinking
- Key Idea #1: Thoughts, Feelings, and Desires Are Interdependent
- A Caveat: Powerful Emotions That Seem Disconnected from Thought
- Key Idea #2: There Is a Logic to This, and You Can Figure It Out
- Key Idea #3: For Thinking to Be of High Quality, We Must Routinely Assess It
- Chapter 14 Summary
- Chapter 15 Strategic Thinking: Part Two
- Key Idea #4: Our Native Egocentrism Is a Default Mechanism
- Strategic Idea
- Key Idea #5: We Must Become Sensitive to the Egocentrism of Those Around Us
- Key Idea #6: The Mind Tends to Generalize Beyond the Original Experience
- Key Idea #7: Egocenhic Thinking Appears to the Mind as Rational
- Key Idea #8: The Egocentric Mind Is Automatic in Nature
- Key Idea #9: We Often Pursue Power Through Dominating or Submissive Behavior
- Key Idea #10: Humans Are Naturally Sociocentric Animals
- Key Idea #11: Developing Rationality Requires Work
- Conclusion
- Chapter 15 Summary
- A Glossary of Critical Thinking Terms and Concepts
- References
- About the Authors
- Index
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