Critical Thinking

and Logic

by Douglas WilsonPrinted in PHS #3, 1993.

Source: http://www.criticalthinking.org/aboutCT/define_critical_thinking.cfm

Douglas Wilson is a founder of Logos School in Moscow,

Idaho one of the few American day

schools founded on classical learning

principles.

Have you ever seen the bumper sticker that reads

This

bumper sticker provides

an example of what modern educators call

"critical thinking."

A logical answer to the bumper sticker

(for those of us to talk back to bumper

stickers) would be,

"Says who?"

The person trained in logic questions the

bumper sticker because he sees a logical problem with

the position presented on the bumper sticker.

This questioner has been trained

to recognize such problems,

correct them, and arrive at the right

answer.

The Difference Between

Critical Thinking and

Logic

Those who seek to inculcate

"critical thinking skills" give all authority to the

questioner .

He examines, probes, questions, and so forth, before he settles upon

"whatever works for him." The one with the questions

has all the authority -- a totally subjective

authority.

Logical analysis presupposes

that there is such a thing as

absolute unchanging truth,

and that this truth has authority over us.

We are not allowed to tinker with the truth.

Instead of teaching skepticism -- the belief that

there are no unchanging answers

--this approach teaches that we are looking for validly

derived answers.

What to Do about Critical Thinking

Nevertheless, appearances can

be deceiving.

The rhetoric of "critical thinking skills"

allows educators to make intelligent-sounding

noises while wandering in a

circle.

Don't be fooled by it.

It is nothing more than sophisticated and

witty chatter on the edge of the

void.

So should we simply

avoid anything and

everything labeled "critical

thinking"?

Again, labels may bedeceiving

Although the "critical thinking skills" movement

as a whole teaches skepticism and unbelief,

not every product merely labeled

"critical thinking" is bad

What you want

to avoid are:

•Materials that encourage the student to challenge

biblical authorities.

•Materials that encourage general confusion

and skepticism

•Materials that dwell at length on a particular view of the

future

•Materials that introduce "closed" dilemmas

•Materials that stress "there are no right answers"

Logic 101

Christian parents, of course, want to teach

their children to think..

How do we do

this?

The parent instructing his children in logical analysis should start by learning certain basics of logic himself.

Let’s take a look at a few of these.

Truth and Validity.

One of the most important starting points when studying logic is the

difference between truth and validity. A valid argument is one that is structurally sound -- the conclusion must be true if the

premises are true. The premises may not be true, but if they were,

the conclusion would follow necessarily.

Look at this

example:

All dogs are

brown

This animal is a dog.

Therefore this animal is brown.

This is not true (all dogs are not brown).

Even if it were true, the conclusion

would necessarily be true.

Truth answers the question, "Is it so?"

Validity answers the question,

"Does it follow?"

Fallacies of Form Another important distinction

to be made is the difference between

fallacies of formand fallacies of distraction.

A fallacy of form occurs when there is a structural

problem in one's argument -- it would never

be valid no matter what the nouns in the

argument were. Look at this invalid argument:

All cats have four legs.

This animal has four legs.

Therefore, this animal is a cat.

Even though the premises are true

(cats do have four legs and this animal

does have four legs), this is a fallacy of form.

The argument is structurally unsound.

Fallacies of Distraction A fallacy of distraction

occurs when one is trapped and

seeks, by various and sundry

means, to change the subject.

Instead of saying,

“You've got me there,”

he says,

"Look! A comet!”

One example of a fallacy of distraction is the abusive ad

hominem:

"That can't be right because you're a jerk."

The man is attacked instead of his argument.

Another example is that of tuquoque:

"Oh yeah? Well, you've done it too!"

But of course just because someone else has committed

the fallacy does not rescue your argument.

The possibilities for real-life applications

are enormous.

Deuteronomy tells us that we are to instruct

our children when we rise, when we walk along the way, when we read letters to the

editor, and so forth.

Our society has graciously provided us

with abundant fallacious grist for our children's logical mill

I recall watching the news one time when my son suddenly pointed at the screen and gave the name of the fallacy.

With any rigorous training at all, it is not long before your

children will begin to see fallacies everywhere.

Be warned: unbelievers aren't the only ones who

make errors in logic. Logical contradictions will often

surface in sermons, Christian books, etc.

Christians will often say things that are true, but still invalid. Are we obligated to defend such errors, just because good people make them? By no means! Truth is still true, no matter how many invalid arguments are enlisted on its side, but how much better to rid it of the invalid millstones that are so often tied around its neck

It is no real help to a child to teach him to applaud when he hears something with which he agrees. Even critical thinking professors do that! We should teach him to always ask these two questions:

(1) Is the conclusion true,

and

(2) Was the argument sound?

If the argument was not sound, can he think of an argument that

is?

We want to inculcate both love of truth and trust in God's Word -- which is self-consistent, logical, and true. This is what Solomon was talking about when he said, "Wisdom is supreme; therefore

get wisdom" (Proverbs 4:7).

After all, we are not Christians

because "it works for us."

OBSERVATION

The Star Trek series portray an optimistic technological future,

but one filled with constant conflicts as the crew travels on their odyssey through space.

The show sometimes diminishes the role of human reason and

the possibility of objective knowledge.

The Voyager series includes

a first officer who is a Native

American.

He is a spirit guide that utilizes a combination of science and

mysticism to help manage crisis situations. Ironically, the

greatest threat is not being lost in some distant quadrant of space, but it is the loss of a

personal inner stability.

After sharing highlights from the Star Trek

programs, teachers can discuss how the television

series reflects different perspectives on truth, knowledge, ethics and

intellectual trends.

Students might notice that human reason is less important and there is greater emphasis

on relativism. What is the basic definition of the term?

Barzun (2000) relates it means flexible, adaptable; a sliding scale that gives a different

reading in similar situations.

Relativism appears to make a few distinctions between moral codes, cultures and religions.

They each reside in a certain time and place in history that should be

respected and tolerated.

Yet, Barzun argues that a civilized society often utilizes

relative standards for applying the law to individual criminal

cases.

He maintains that the anti-relativists who embrace moral absolutes cannot effectively answer the question whose

absolute are we to adopt and impose?

The brief example reveals that popular culture can offer numerous instructional

opportunities to help students refine their thinking skills

through reading and reflective dialog.

Evaluating Critical Thinking Skills

Contemporary testing methods often fail to provide teachers

with information on how students arrive at their

responses to test items.

Quantitative and qualitative assessment procedures can be

useful but it is vital that the assessment must be sensitive

enough to identify changes that have occurred in students thinking

skills.

Critical thinking assessment instruments can include commercially designed tests, teacher made tests, checklists, open-ended questions,

problem-solving scenarios or simulations.

For instance, check lists can be used to evaluate a variety of

student work such as gathering information on student online

comments or portfolios.

Check lists are useful tools to document evidence of student problem solving and decision making skills (Sormunen &

Chalupa, 1994).

Teachers can integrate critical thinking into their classes by presenting information from a diversity of perspectives that involve both the cognitive and

affective learning domains.

The author has found that students really enjoy reading nonfiction short stories about individuals and their

personal learning adventures.

Teachers can share interesting and informative stories that offer insights

into concepts such as perseverance in problem

solving.

Short stories can be included in lectures and handouts that

stress descriptive information on critical thinking.

The following chart is an effective way to help students

understand the multidimensional aspects of

critical thinking.

Essential Critical Thinking Skills

(Wool folk, 1990, p.278)

Defining and Clarifying the Problem

-Identify central issues or problems. -Compare similarities and differences. -Determine which information is relevant. -Formulate appropriate questions.

Judge Information Related to the Problem

-Distinguish between fact, opinion and reasoned judgment. -Check consistency. -Identify unstated assumptions. -Recognize stereotypes and clichés. -Recognize bias, emotional factors, propaganda and semantic slanting. -Recognize different value systems and ideologies.

Solving Problems/Drawing Conclusions

-Recognize the adequacy of data. -Predict probable consequences.

Online Instructional Strategies

The affective and psychological dimensions of

distance education are important aspects of the

teaching and learning process.

Distant educators face the dilemma of how to foster critical thinking with students who vary

in their need for academic guidance.

Often, this problem is portrayed as teacher-directed versus self-directed

learning models.

In reality, the online teacher will have to adapt his/her teaching style to meet the needs of their

students.

Berge (1999) relates that interaction in education involves

a continuum from teacher-centered to student-centered

approaches.

Distant educators are challenged by using a text-driven form of education.

Today’s online classes rely heavily on printed materials and

teacher created lectures and handouts.

Kirby & Goodpaster (2002) note language works intimately with

all aspects of our thinking, sensing, feeling, remembering, creating, organizing, reasoning, evaluating, deciding persuading,

and acting.

As we become more aware of the strengths and weaknesses of language, and as we increase and refine our own

language, we will think better

Conclusion

A major adult education goal is helping students become self-directed learners who learn to

monitor and improve their thinking skills.

Distance educators need to integrate meaningful

instructional activities into their classes that promote

internalization of critical thinking skills and knowledge.

It is one of the unique challenges of teaching online but it is essential to fostering classes and degree programs

that prepare students for leadership roles in our society.

Thank you…