Three golden rules for successful critical thinking

Be rational: if you are not prepared to challenge your view about a subject, you should not be studying at university. You should be reared to follow your reason, wherever it takes you.

Be open-minded:one of the great opportunities of studying at university in a foreign country is to broaden your perspective. As Socrates himself said,” I’m a citizen not of Athens, but of the world’ follow the logic to get the truth.

Be radical:do not be afraid to adopt controversial positions if you believe them to be right. Just because a view is unpopular, or is different to what the majority think, does not make it wrong. What makes it wrong is if it the lacks evidence. After all, the ideas of Darwin and Einstein were once ridiculed.

Activation

Read the following passage and highlight any assertion which you feel can be challenged. In each case, explain why.

Students from countries which can broadly be said to have a ‘Confucian system’ (particularly China, Japan and South Korea) have difficulty with critical thinking because of the academic cultures found in these countries. I have taught many people from this part of the world, and they always seem to have difficulties. Clearly, therefore, your mother tongue is also an important factor. In my opinion, French and German speakers also have significant problems in this respect. Recent research (e.g., Smith, 2001; Barton2004) indicates that it is not only overseas students who have problems with critical thinking, but British as well.This research is supported by www.criticalthinkingcourses.com.

1 Examine your essay and highlight any unimportant or weak arguments.

2. Consider whether you yourself have any particular bias (e.g., political, national, cultural) which may influence either your reading or writing.

3. If you decide you have, consider how you can reduce this bias, or at least minimize it.

How can we read more efficiently?

‘Reading is thinking with someone else’s head instead of one’s own.’

Arthur Schopenhauer

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