The purpose of this Help page is to supplement the information provided in your Critical Thinking textbook. It is an additional resource when you are completing course quizzes.
Stage 1: Unreflective Thinker
Stage 2: Challenged Thinker
Stage 3: Beginning Thinker
Stage 4: Practicing Thinker
Three Basic Functions of the Human Mind
We change undesirable feelings and desires by changing the thinking that leads to them.
Thinking, Feeling, and Wanting are always interwoven.
Your thinking controls every part of your life. But do you control your thinking?
All course content represents distinctive modes of thinking
Activated Knowledge
Activated knowledge is what results when we actively use information that is true, and when we understand it insightfully, leads us by implication to more and more knowledge. If we think through the information to fully grasp the knowledge, then our view of the information is transformed, and we gain even further knowledge. A shallow reading of information, without "digesting" it for use, may not become activated. Information memorized for tests will not likely become activated knowledge.
All courses have underlying critical thinking concepts
Course content is not random bits of information. Consider psychology courses, for example.
- the psychologist's goals and purposes.
- the questions or problems that are the primary focus of the psychologist.
- the psychologist's specific selection of psychological topics he/she considers relevant to his/her questions.
- the psychologist's interpretation of the topics and the significance of those events.
- the theoretical concepts the psychologist is using the interpret the topics.
- the underlying assumptions that help define the psychologist's perspective.
- the implications of studying the psychological topics from a given perspective.
- the psychological point of view that shapes the psychological reasoning throughout.