Up dated: August 14, 2005
THE STUDY OF CRITICAL THINKING
The failure to
consider language explicitly has been a cause of much that is bad in philosophy.
Bertrand Russell
It is a natural characteristic of man not only to use language but more often to abuse it causing us to have false beliefs and beliefs that CANNOT BE VERIFIED to be true or false.
We are a
world of diverse believers: Republicans, Democrats, Communists, Conservatives,
Liberals, Protestants, Catholics, Muslims, Sunnis, Kurds, Shiites, Hindus,
Indians, mathematicians, scientists, theists, atheists, agnostics, whatever, such that
beliefs we hold are contradicted by someone else's beliefs.
Unfortunately, our schooling institutions do little to educate our students about this gross
failure to understand the significance and the causes of this fact.
I suspect, however, that most
of us do not consciously want to continue to believe false beliefs or be victims of
beliefs that can't be verified to be true or false..
If
we don't have an understanding of the weaknesses, as well as the strengths of language,
if we remain unable to recognize when the language is not falsifiable, i.e., is
incapable of being shown to be true or false, we will be severely limited in our ability to become clear,
critical, and analytical thinkers.
Few people realize that language is only a tool which we use to gain some control over our lives and
environment -- discursive or physical.. Just as we
can cause damage misusing a hammer as a tool, we can, even more so, disabusing language.
It is
imperative that we learn how to examine clearly, critically, and analytically
the language of beliefs whether that language is about best friends, world
affairs, our experiences of the world, or the professions we so laboriously
studied or pursued. To do so is to develop our
intellectual abilities to the point whereupon we will be able better to judge
and evaluate the epistemic and truth values of language.
In the process of studying what we incorrectly, i.e., colloquially, call "Critical Thinking," it is imperative that we
recognize when language
unintentionally, deliberately, or practically, or for selfish purposes, is being abused. When I
speak of the term, 'Critical Thinking,' as colloquial, I mean to say that
we neglect to clarify that the term, 'critical,' refers to many different
characteristics of mental activity.
The term, 'critical' more accurately refers to qualities or attitudes of
the mind, many of which though present are not activated.
A
critical thinker, at one time or another, but not always is curious,
questioning, speculative, creative, inquisitive, reflective, thoughtful,
open-minded to evidence (i.e., verifiable or falsifiable claims), perceptive,
persistent, observing, resistant to gullibility and accepting absolutes,
interested in objective and rational discussion, prone to unambiguous
definitions, sometimes analytical, and more.
Not all these attributes are applied to our uses of language simultaneously. This accounts, partly, for the many different concepts of "critical
thinking.” Moreover when one is
thinking logically, i.e., validly, and soundly, one is thinking
clearly, critically, and analytically.
It is not the case, however, that when a person is thinking
"critically" in one aspect of the term that he is necessarily capable
of thinking "critically" in all other aspects of the term.
Some minds are so accepting they cannot be considered to possess all the
attributes listed above. For instance, often a person is prone to pose a question
to which he believes he already knows the answer. Or, he may be curious
without possessing the initiative or mental ability to satisfy his curiosity.
Most
often a novice in such a study, has difficulty understanding the subject because
he is unable to distinguish between language and the subject matter that the
language is about.
He
concentrates on defending his beliefs instead of concentrating on the LANGUAGE
of his beliefs that are founded on so many unexamined assumptions.
We
must apply to them critical attitudes and clear and analytical techniques to
disabuse ourselves of careless or improper uses of language in expressing our
beliefs.
No matter what we may
THINK we are discussing in a study of clear, critical, and analytical thinking, as we use lifetime experiences, beliefs, facts, theories, concepts, opinions, deeply-felt convictions, etc., as examples, we must always be STUDIOUSLY aware that fundamentally we are talking about
OUR USES AND ABUSES OF LANGUAGE -- not deeply-held convictions, not opinions, etc.
We must first come to understand how we acquired our beliefs and then learn to distinguish between underlying, improper and proper uses of unexamined assumptions.
Crucial for success is a knowledge of certain concepts, principles, and verifiable
facts, of which most of us are unaware, a few of which are listed below.
They must be clearly understood and agreed upon before we can
hope to determine the truth values of our beliefs and the language through which
we express them.
1. Meanings occur only in the minds of intelligent and physical beings. However,
the meanings we attribute to the term, 'meaning,' are countless.
2. No word, object, or symbol has an inherent, i.e., innate, meaning.
3. Every declarative statement is preceded by an unspoken
"If" or see #5.
4. Truth and knowledge are based on assumptions; i.e., truth and knowledge
are
probable, not absolute -- according to available evidence.
5. An UNSPOKEN,
"According to available evidence" (sometimes spoken) either
precedes
or ends every legitimate claim to truth and knowledge.
6. Recognizing the
"level" of language is crucial to understanding the meanings
we attribute to the symbols we use.
SEE FILE 21: PERENNIAL QUESTIONS
Index 
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