Good critical thinkers' characteristics:

• clarity in stating the question or concern,
• orderliness in working with complexity,
• diligence in seeking relevant information,
• reasonableness in selecting and applying criteria,
• care in focusing attention on the concern at hand,
• persistence when difficulties are encountered,
• precision to the degree permitted by the subject and circumstances.

• muddle headed about what he or she is doing,
• disorganized and overly simplistic,
• spotty about getting the facts,
• apt to apply unreasonable criteria,
• easily distracted,
• ready to give up at the least hint of difficulty,
• intent on a solution that is more detailed than is practical or,
• being satisfied with an overly generalized and uselessly vague response.

• "I hate talk shows where people just state their opinions and never give any reasons."
• "Figuring out what people really mean by what they say is important to me."
• "I always do better in jobs where I'm expected to think things out for myself."
• "I hold off making decisions until I've thought through my options."
• "I prefer to read the material myself."
• "I try to see the merit in another's opinion, even if I reject it later."
• "Even if a problem is tougher than I expected, Ill keep working on it."
• "Making intelligent decisions is more important than winning arguments."

• "I supervisors who say exactly what to do and exactly how to do it."
• "No matter how complex the problem, there will always be a simple solution."
• "I don't waste time looking things up."
• "I hate when teachers discuss problems instead of just giving the answers."
• "If my belief is truly sincere, evidence to the contrary is irrelevant."
• "Selling an idea is like selling cars, you say whatever works."

Critical Thinking Supports other Types of Thinking

Creative or innovative thinking leads to new insights, novel approaches, fresh perspectives, whole new ways of understanding and conceiving of things. The products of creative thought include some obvious things like music, poetry, dance, dramatic literature, inventions, and technical innovations. But there are some not so obvious examples as well, such as ways of putting a question that expand the horizons of possible solutions, or ways of conceiving of relationships challenging presuppositions and leading one to see the world in imaginative and different ways.

Kinetic, purposive thinking instantly coordinates movement and intention as, for example, when an athlete dribbles a ball down the field during a match.

Meditative thinking leads to a sense of inner peace or profound insights about human existence.

Conditioned, thinking is needed by soldiers in battle.

There are probably other kinds of good thinking as well. Different kinds of good thinking are optimal in different circumstances or for different purposes.

Liberal Education

Liberal education is about learning to learn, to think for yourself, on your own and in collaboration with others. Liberal education leads us away from naive acceptance of authority, above self-defeating relativism, and beyond ambiguous contextualism. It culminates in principled reflective judgment. Learning critical thinking, cultivating the critical spirit, is not just a means to this end, it is part of the goal itself. People who are poor critical thinkers, who lack the dispositions and skills described, cannot be said to be liberally educated, regardless of the academic degrees they may hold.

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Peter A. Facione Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Santa Clara University (edited)

Logic Faults