Intro to Critical Thinking

It seems odd to me that there are so many definitions out there for what I would simply call careful thinking. To me, critical thinking is simply put “carefully considering all points of a topic.” Yet Fischer, in his article, provides many different, slightly nuanced definitions from prominent theorists. I was most impressed by Edward Glaser's definition, which to me most exemplified the use of critical thought in defining the term. For one, it is the longest definition, and according to both Glaser and John Dewey's definitions: critical thinking is following an idea to “the further conclusions to which it tends.” The definition provided by Glaser is too long for my personal taste, but I think with critical thinking there is no such thing as over thinking. The further the conclusion, the better(as long as it is rational). 

 

Critical thinking encourages over-thinking, so that the pitfalls of under-thinking can be avoided as much as possible. I am a big fan of both the Daily Show and the Colbert Report, so I am disgustingly familiar with the Glen Beck-esque hate-mongering proliferated by Fox News and similar media. And I'm absolutely amazed by how strong of an emotional outrage part of the American public has had in reaction to Obama's health care proposals. Mostly because as the article in the NY Times makes clear: this red-hot anger is disproportionate to its proximate cause. The article goes on to cite examples of this irrational anger, which include people throwing bricks and eggs, and anonymous death threats sent by mail. I thought the article brought up a great point about how these red-hot haters so often like to compare Obama to Hitler, yet their own actions much more closely resemble the intolerant hatred of the Nazi party (More evidence of the sad state of critical thinking today). 

 

Figures like John Stewart and Rachel Maddow are so important today, because unlike many of the Fox News anchors, Stewart (and to a lesser extent Maddow) not only reports the news, but also parodies it. While initially parody may seem like a flippant, less critical method of thinking, as the Sarcastic Times points out “Parody is truly a tool to strike back at political PR.” Parody is like adding an additional layer of thought. Not only do you have to think about what is being said, but also what is not being said and what the motivations are for the statement. Parody requires the audience to spend more time critically thinking in order to understand the true statement lying underneath the surface.