DEMRI Glossary

Critical thinking is the objective analysis of all available, germane facts to form a judgment. The subject is complex, and there are several different definitions which generally include the rational, skeptical, unbiased analysis or evaluation of factual evidence.

critical listening: A mode of monitoring how we are listening so as to maximize our accurate understanding of what another person is saying. By understanding the logic of human communication — that everything spoken expresses point of view uses some ideas and not others has implications etc. — critical thinkers can listen so as to enter sympathetically and analytically into the perspective of others.

criterion (criteria pl): A standard rule or test by which something can be judged or measured. Human life thought and action are based on human values. The standards by which we determine whether those values are achieved in any situation represent criteria. Critical thinking depends upon making explicit the standards or criteria for rational or justifiable thinking and behavior. See evaluation.

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 To assert the opposite of; to be contrary to go against; a statement in opposition to another; a condition in which things tend to be contrary to each other; inconsistency; discrepancy; a person or thing containing or composed of contradictory elements. See personal contradiction social contradiction.

To think act or speak in agreement with what has already been thought done or expressed; to have intellectual or moral integrity. Human life and thought is filled with inconsistency hypocrisy and contradiction. We often say one thing and do another judge ourselves and our friends by one standard and our antagonists by another lean over backwards to justify what we want or negate what does not serve our interests.

conclude or conclusion: To decide by reasoning to infer to deduce; the last step in a reasoning process; a judgment decision or belief formed after investigation or reasoning. All beliefs decisions or actions are based on human thought but rarely as the result of conscious reasoning or deliberation.

An idea or thought especially a generalized idea of a thing or of a class of things. Humans think within concepts or ideas. We can never achieve command over our thoughts unless we learn how to achieve command over our concepts or ideas. Thus we must learn how to identify the concepts or ideas we are using contrast them with alternative concepts or ideas and clarify what we include and exclude by means of them.

Cognitive Development: Culture influences cognitive development by shaping children's thinking patterns, problem-solving skills, and knowledge acquisition. Cultural beliefs and practices can influence how children learn, reason, and make sense of the world around them. For instance, some cultures may value rote memorization, while others may emphasize critical thinking and problem-solving

To make easier to understand to free from confusion or ambiguity to remove obscurities. Clarity is a fundamental perfection of thought and clarification a fundamental aim in critical thinking. Students often do not see why it is important to write and speak clearly why it is important to say what you mean and mean what you say. The key to clarification is concrete specific examples. See accurate ambiguous logic of language vague.