The Parts Of Thinking Done by: Ghadah Kamal 201000412 May AlJaafar 200800378

Outline Reasoning is everywhere in human life Does reasoning have parts ? Beginning think about our own reasoning The elements of thought The elements of thought in relationship The relationship between the elements Thinking to some purpose Thinking with concepts Thinking with information Some key questions to ask when pursuing information Distinguishing between inferences and assumptions Understanding implications Thinking within and across points of view The point of view of the critical thinker Conclusion

Reasoning is everywhere in human life Reasoning occurs whenever the mind draws conclusions on the basis of reasons. Whenever we think, we reason.

Does reasoning have parts ? The elements or parts of reasoning are those essential dimensions of reasoning that are present whenever and wherever reasoning occurs independent of whether we are reasoning well or poorly.

These parts of reasoning are always present in human thinking : Whenever we think, we think for a purpose, within a point view, based on assumptions. Leading to implications and consequences. Using data, fact and experiences to make inferences and judgments based on concepts and theories to answer a question or solve a problem.

Beginning think about our own reasoning and the elements of thought Whenever you are reasoning you are trying to accomplish some purpose within a point view using concepts or ideas. You are focused on some issue or question or problem using information to come to conclusion based on assumptions, all of which have implications.

The elements of thought in relationship To express the interrelationship : Select an important conclusion that you have reasoned to. Identify the circumstances in which you made that decision. State the likely implications of your decision.

The relationship between the elements It is important to recognize an intimate overlap among all of the elements by virtue of their interrelationship.

Thinking to some purpose To understand someone’s thinking including one’s own, we must understand the functions it serves, what is it about, the direction it is moving, and the ends that make sense of it.

Thinking with concepts Concepts are like the air we breathe. They are everywhere. Humans approach virtually everything in our experience as something that can be decoded. If you want to develop as a thinker, you must come to terms with this human power of mind.

Thinking with information Finding trustworthy sources of information and refining one’s experience critically are important goals of critical thinkers.

Some key questions to ask when pursuing information to what extent could I test the truth of this claim by direct experience? How does the person who advances this claim support it? Is there a definite system or procedure for assessing claims of this sort?

Distinguishing between inferences and assumptions Inference: an inference is a step of the mind. An intellectual act by which one concludes that something is true in light of something else’s being true or seeming to be true. Assumption: an assumption is something we take for granted or presuppose.

Understanding implications In any situation there are three kinds of implications may be involved: possible ones, probable ones and necessary ones. A consequence is what in fact occurs in some situation.

Thinking within and across points of view a point in time (16th, 18th, 19th century) A culture ( western, eastern, Japanese, Turkish ) A gender (male, female) A religion (Muslim, Jewish)

The points of view of the critical thinker They have a “can do” vision of their own learning. They see themselves as lifelong learners.

Conclusion The first step to learning critical thinking is to learn the most basic elements of thinking.