When i was busy being a Society Man
I Use to use a Phrase in one of my talks in fact it is Public Talk number 3 or 10 "Serving with Jah Unified Organization"
the phrase is "Critical Thinking"
i used to tell congo after congo and circuit after circuit that the meaning of "Critical thinking" is to "Criticize the Org"
and i told that to 1000's and not one fellow bro elder, ms , pub - no one came up to me after the meeting and said:
YOu know james i couldn't but notice you made use of the phrase "Critical thinking" and the meaning you attached to it you may want to ck your ref on the meaning"
nope no one told me that- never said a thing, cause sad to say just the mere 2 words "Critcial" and "Thinking"
automatically trigger for the avg the progamming that wt has implanted after years of meetings
never be critical of the org --
and no independant thinking is good - too much like what got adam and eve in trouble
so just those 2 words together in a public talk 0 in the minds of so many jw esp those who never went to college or did much reading outside of wt material would have no idea what real Critical Thinking really is.
So for all you lurkers we welcome you here but please allow yourself to become a true "Critical thinker" according to the real meaning of the phrase.
So Enjoy and expand your mind:
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A great many people think they arc thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices.
William James
The word critical comes from the Greek word kritikos, which means to question, makes sense of, be able to analyze
. Thinking is the cognitive activity involved in making sense of the world around us. Critical thinking, therefore, is defined as thinking about and evaluating our thoughts, feelings, and behavior so that we can clarify and improve them (adapted from Chaffee, 1988, p. 29).
Critical thinking is a process
THE 3 part Critical THINKING PROCESS
Affective Components-the emotional foundation that either enables or limits critical thinking.
a Valuing truth above self-interest. Critical thinkers hold themselves and
those they agree with to the same intellectual standards to which they hold their opponents.
b Accepting change. Critical thinkers remain open to the need for adjustment and adaptation throughout the life cycle. Because critical thinkers fully trust the processes of reasoned inquiry, they are willing to use these skills to examine even their most deeply held values and beliefs, and to modify these beliefs when evidence and experience contradict them.
c Emphathizing. Critical thinkers appreciate and try to understand others, thoughts,feeling, and behaviors. Noncritical thinkers view everything and everyone in relation to the self.
d. Welcoming divergent views. Critical thinkers value examining issues from every angle and know that it is especially important to explore and understand positions with which they disagree.
e. Recognizing personal biases. Critical thinkers use their highest intellectual skills to detect personal biases and self-deceptive reasoning so they can design realistic plans for self-correction.
Cognitive Components: the thought processes actually involved in critical thinking.
a Thinking independently. Critical thinking is independent thinking. Critical thinkers do nor passively accept the beliefs of others and are slot easily manipulated.
b Defining problems accurately. A critical thinker identifies the issues in clear and concrete terms, to prevent confusion and lay the foundation for gathering relevant information.
c Analyzing data far value and content. By carefully evaluating the nature of evidence and the credibility of the source, critical thinkers recognize illegitimate appeals to emotion, unsupported assumptions, and faulty logic. This enables them to discount some of information that lack a record of honesty, contradict themselves on key questions, or have a vested interest in selling a product or idea.
d Employing a variety of thinking processes in problem solving. Among these thinking processes are inductive logic-reasoning that moves from the specific to the general; deductive logic-reasoning that moves from the general to the specific; dialogical thinking-thinking that involves an extended verbal exchange between differing points of view or frames of reference; and
dialectical thinking-thinking that tests the strengths and weaknesses of opposing points of view.
e Synthesizing. Critical thinkers recognize that comprehension and understanding result from combining various elements into meaningful patterns
f Resisting overgeneralization. Overgeneralization is the temptation to apply a fact or experience to situations that are only superficially similar.
g Employing metacognition. Metacognition, also known as reflective or recursive thinking, involves reviewing and analyzing your own mental processes- thinking about your own thinking
Behavioral Components-the actions necessary for critical thinking.
a Delaying judgment until adequate data is available. - A critical thinker does not make snap judgments.
b Employing precise terms. Precise terms help critical thinkers identify issues clearly and concretely so they can be objectively defined and empirically tested.
c Gathering data. Collecting up-to-date, relevant information on all sides of an issue is a priority before making decisions.
d Distinguishing fact from opinion. Facts are statements that can be proven true. 0pinions are statements that express how a person feels about an issue or what someone thinks is true.
e. Encouraging critical dialogue. Critical thinkcrs are active q questioners who challenge existing facts and opinions and welcome questions in return. Socratic questioning is an important type of critical dialogue in which the questioner deeply probes the meaning, justification, or logical strength of a claim, position, or line of reasoning.
f. Listening actively. Critical thinkers fully engage their thinking skills when
listening to another.
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g Modifying judgments in light of new information.
Critical thinkers are willing to abandon or modify their judgements if later evidence or experience contradicts them
h Applying knowledge to new situations. When critical thinkers master a
new skill or experience an insight, they transfer this information to new contexts, Noncritical thinkers can often provide correct answers, repeat definitions, and carry out calculations, yet he unable to transfer their knowledge to new situations because of a basic lack of understanding.
enjoy