Critical Thinking is "the careful, deliberate
determination of whether we should accept, reject, or suspend judgment about a claim, and
the degree of confidence with which we accept or reject it."
From Critical Thinking by Moore and
Parker.
Strategies for Critical Reading
Ask yourself the following questions:
- What is the issue?"
- What conclusion does the author reach about the issue?"
- What are the author's reasons for believing as he does?"
- Be alert to bad reasoning (i.e. pity, fear, misuse of statistics etc.) that can fool
you.
- Has the author used facts or opinions?
- Facts can be proven.
- Opinions cannot be proven and may or may not be based on sound reasoning.
- Has the author used neutral words or emotional words?
- Critical readers look beyond the language to see if the reasons are clear.
Characteristics of Critical Thinkers
- They are honest with themselves
- They resist manipulation
- They overcome confusion
- They ask questions
- They base judgments on evidence
- They look for connections between subjects
- They are intellectually independent
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