-- His Holiness the Dalai Lama, in "On the Path to Enlightenment: Heart
Advice from the Great Tibetan Masters", from Shambhala Publications and
Snow Lion Publications.
+~
+Critical Thinking as Defined by the National Council for Excellence in
+Critical Thinking, 1987
+
+ Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and
+skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or
+evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation,
+experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and
+action. In its exemplary form, it is based on universal intellectual values
+that transcend subject matter divisions: clarity, accuracy, precision,
+consistency, relevance, sound evidence, good reasons, depth, breadth, and
+fairness.
+ It entails the examination of those structures or elements of thought
+implicit in all reasoning: purpose, problem, or question-at-issue;
+assumptions; concepts; empirical grounding; reasoning leading to conclusions;
+implications and consequences; objections from alternative viewpoints; and
+frame of reference. Critical thinking — in being responsive to variable
+subject matter, issues, and purposes — is incorporated in a family of
+interwoven modes of thinking, among them: scientific thinking, mathematical
+thinking, historical thinking, anthropological thinking, economic thinking,
+moral thinking, and philosophical thinking.
+ Critical thinking can be seen as having two components: 1) a set of
+information and belief generating and processing skills, and 2) the habit,
+based on intellectual commitment, of using those skills to guide behavior. It
+is thus to be contrasted with: 1) the mere acquisition and retention of
+information alone, because it involves a particular way in which information
+is sought and treated; 2) the mere possession of a set of skills, because it
+involves the continual use of them; and 3) the mere use of those skills ("as
+an exercise") without acceptance of their results.
+ Critical thinking varies according to the motivation underlying it. When
+grounded in selfish motives, it is often manifested in the skillful
+manipulation of ideas in service of one’s own, or one's groups’, vested
+interest. As such it is typically intellectually flawed, however
+pragmatically successful it might be. When grounded in fairmindedness and
+intellectual integrity, it is typically of a higher order intellectually,
+though subject to the charge of "idealism" by those habituated to its selfish
+use.
+ Critical thinking of any kind is never universal in any individual; everyone
+is subject to episodes of undisciplined or irrational thought. Its quality is
+therefore typically a matter of degree and dependent on, among other things,
+the quality and depth of experience in a given domain of thinking or with
+respect to a particular class of questions. No one is a critical thinker
+through-and-through, but only to such-and-such a degree, with such-and-such
+insights and blind spots, subject to such-and-such tendencies towards self-
+delusion. For this reason, the development of critical thinking skills and
+dispositions is a life-long endeavor.
+ -- from a statement by Michael Scriven & Richard Paul, presented at the 8th
+ Annual International Conference on Critical Thinking and Education
+ Reform, Summer 1987.
+~
+Critical thinking is self-guided, self-disciplined thinking which attempts to
+reason at the highest level of quality in a fair-minded way. People who think
+critically consistently attempt to live rationally, reasonably, empathically.
+They are keenly aware of the inherently flawed nature of human thinking when
+left unchecked. They strive to diminish the power of their egocentric and
+sociocentric tendencies. They use the intellectual tools that critical
+thinking offers--concepts and principles that enable them to analyze,
+assess, and improve thinking. They work diligently to develop the
+intellectual virtues of intellectual integrity, intellectual humility,
+intellectual civility, intellectual empathy, intellectual sense of justice and
+confidence in reason. They realize that no matter how skilled they are as
+thinkers, they can always improve their reasoning abilities and they will at
+times fall prey to mistakes in reasoning, human irrationality, prejudices,
+biases, distortions, uncritically accepted social rules and taboos, self-
+interest, and vested interest. They strive to improve the world in whatever
+ways they can and contribute to a more rational, civilized society. At the
+same time, they recognize the complexities often inherent in doing so. They
+avoid thinking simplistically about complicated issues and strive to
+appropriately consider the rights and needs of relevant others. They
+recognize the complexities in developing as thinkers, and commit themselves to
+life-long practice toward self-improvement. They embody the Socratic
+principle: The unexamined life is not worth living, because they realize that
+many unexamined lives together result in an uncritical, unjust, dangerous
+world.
+ -- Linda Elder, September, 2007
+
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