Critical
Thinking is "the careful, deliberate
determination of whether we should accept, reject, or
suspend judgment about a claim, and the degree of
confidence with which we accept or reject it."
From Critical Thinking by Moore
and Parker.
Strategies
for Critical Reading
Ask yourself the following
questions:
What is the issue?"
What conclusion does the
author reach about the issue?"
What are the author's reasons
for believing as he does?"
Be alert to bad
reasoning (i.e. pity, fear, misuse of statistics
etc.) that can fool you.
Has the author used facts or
opinions?
Facts can be proven.
Opinions cannot be
proven and may or may not be based on sound
reasoning.
Has the author used neutral
words or emotional words?
Critical readers look
beyond the language to see if the reasons are
clear.
