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CFCC's Critical Thinking Definition: Critical Thinking is the deliberate process of questioning, evaluating, and responding to problems, scenarios, and arguments in order to reach sound solutions, decisions, and positions. |
Extended Definitions
Deliberate: Critical Thinkers must willingly and consistently try to use and improve their reasoning skills. Critical Thinkers regularly assess their own reasoning strategies and choices in order to reach more sound solutions, decisions, and positions in the future. This element of Critical Thinking involves reflection and metacognition.
Questioning: Critical Thinkers ask questions throughout the reasoning process. These questions may deal directly with the nature of the problem, scenario, or argument being examined. Questions will also be asked about potential solutions, decisions, and positions, especially their predicted consequences. Critical Thinkers will also question their own reasoning strategies in an effort to acknowledge possible biases and improve their reasoning choices for the future.
Evaluating: Critical Thinkers evaluate the essential components of problems, scenarios, and arguments. This involves using analysis, synthesis, and evaluation strategies as traditionally conceived in Bloom’s Taxonomy, as well as more discipline-specific techniques.
Responding: Critical Thinkers respond thoughtfully to problems, scenarios, and arguments by articulating sound solutions, decisions, and positions. They can explain their reasoning processes, defend their conclusions, and fairly evaluate the quality of their thinking. Critical Thinkers also encourage others to question and evaluate their conclusions so as to improve the quality of their reasoning.
Problems, Scenarios, and Arguments: These categories encompass the variety of circumstances Critical Thinkers encounter in learning contexts. In Mathematics courses, for example, Critical Thinkers encounter specific problems and generate sound solutions. In Allied Health courses, Critical Thinkers encounter hypothetical scenarios and respond with sound decisions. In an English Composition course, Critical Thinkers encounter arguments and respond with their own sound positions.
Solutions, Decisions, and Positions: Critical Thinkers reach sound solutions, decisions, and positions through applying appropriate reasoning methods to the problems, scenarios, and arguments they encounter. They are able to explain and justify their reasoning processes as well as their conclusions, and can forecast the consequences and implications of their reasoning. Critical Thinkers fairly compare their conclusions to alternatives and seek constructive critiques of their conclusions as well as their reasoning processes.