Wednesday, May 24, 2023

Standards of Critical Thinking: Questions

 

Standards of Critical Thinking
Richard Paul, Linda Elder 

Clarity

Questions that focus on clarity include

Could you elaborate on that point?

Could you express that point in another way?

Could you give me an illustration?

Could you give me an example?

Let me state in my own words what I think you just said. Am I clear

about your meaning?


Accuracy

Questions focusing on making thinking more accurate include:

Is that really true?

How could we check to see if that is accurate?

How could we find out if that




Precision

Questions focusing on making thinking more precise include

Could you give me more details?

Could you be more specific?


Relevance

Questions focusing on relevance include

How is this idea connected to the question?

How does that bear on the issue?

How does this idea relate to this other idea?

How does your question relate to the issue we are dealing


Depth

Questions focusing on depth of thought include

How does your answer address the complexities in the question?

How are you taking into account the problems in the question?

How are you dealing with the most significant factors



Breadth

Questions focusing on making thinking broader include

Do we need to consider another point of view?

Is there another way to look at this question?

What would this look like from a conservative standpoint?

What would this look like from the point of



Logicalness

Questions that focus on making thinking more logical include

Does all of this fit together logically?

Does this really make sense?

Does that follow from what you said?

How does that follow from the evidence?

Before, you implied this, and now you are saying that. I don’t see how

both can be true.



Significance

Questions that focus on making thinking more significant include

What is the most significant information we need to address this

issue?

How is that fact important in context?

Which of these questions is the most significant?

Which of these ideas or concepts is the most important


What is the most important thing I could do in my life?

What are the most important things I should try to accomplish this

week, this month, this year?

How can I help my children become kind, caring, contributing members

of society?

How can I best relate to my spouse so that she understands the deep

love I feel for her?

How can I keep my mind focused on the things that matter most to

me (rather than the unimportant trivial details

Fairness

Questions that focus on ensuring that thinking is fair include

Is my thinking justified given the evidence?

Am I taking into account the weight of the evidence that others might

advance in the situation?

Are these assumptions justified?

Is my purpose fair given the implications of my behavior?

Is the manner in which I am addressing the problem fair—or is my

vested interest keeping me from considering the problem from alternative

viewpoints?

Am I using concepts justifiably, or am I using them unfairly in order

to manipulate someone (and selfishly get what I want)?


For example, we often make broad sweeping

generalizations such as

Liberals are soft on crime.

Elderly people aren’t interested in sex.

Young men are only interested in sex.

Jocks are cool.

Blondes are dumb.

Cheerleaders are airheads.

Intellectuals are nerds.




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