This paper outlines the four developmental stages of critical thinking as described by Paul and Elder: the Unreflective Thinker, the Challenged Thinker, the Beginning Thinker, and the Practicing Thinker. It explains how individuals progress from unawareness of their own reasoning flaws toward deliberate, disciplined thought. The paper also examines two contrasting intellectual pitfalls—dogmatic absolutism and subjective relativism—showing how each can obstruct the development of reasoned judgment. A personal example drawn from the author's high school experience illustrates how exposure to critical discourse can catalyze growth as a thinker.
According to Paul and Elder (2013), there are four distinct stages in the development of a person who engages in critical thinking. Each stage reflects a different level of self-awareness and intellectual discipline.
This is a stage in which the person is not aware of any problems within his thinking process. The individual might be of average intelligence and living a normal life, but may not know that he is making "assumptions, forming concepts, drawing inferences," and he is probably not aware that his reasons and purposes are "clearly formulated" (Paul, et al., 2013). In this phase, the individual makes decisions that are simplistic and does not "seriously question the thinking" that should go into every decision (Paul, 65).
This is the point at which the individual begins to realize there is a problem with his comprehension of issues in his life — and he recognizes he needs clarity. What needs to happen in this stage is that the challenged thinker must dig deep and try to describe the problem at hand; not just face the problem, but describe it. How best to describe it? Brainstorming is an appropriate strategy because it helps develop "a clear and accurate description" of the problem (Stratton, 1999).
This is the time at which the person is "drawing realizations" and "developing willpower" and coming to terms with the truth — he really is an undisciplined thinker (Paul, 70). An example of this coming to terms would be like the alcoholic who says, "I am an alcoholic and only I can do something about it" (Paul, 70). The Beginning Thinker is, in effect, opening the door to understanding by beginning to ask good questions. He is also starting to notice that his assumptions are not always accurate, and that he has previously held biased and selfish beliefs.
As the title suggests, this stage brings to mind the fact that a person needs to practice the art of thinking carefully about important things. At this point the individual still does not know what system will work best for him, but it is high time to "experiment with a variety of plans" directed toward being consistent about deeper thinking (Paul, 76). There should be a starting point for learning how to practice thinking, and he will not know what works best in terms of developing deeper reflection, but practice is vital.
A good time to practice for the Practicing Thinker: those idle moments between appointments, before going to work, or while waiting in a doctor's office. Picking up a magazine, reading an article, and critically evaluating what is being presented is one straightforward way to begin building the habit of deliberate reflection.
The person who adopts a dogmatic absolutism strategy is likely to believe that every question has just one correct answer, and there is no departing from that locked-in viewpoint. This can be a trap for the person trying to become a more critical thinker. Searching for that one correct answer and sticking to it no matter what counterarguments exist is being dogmatic — and thus dogmatic absolutism is on display in that person's thought process.
A person practicing subjective relativism, on the other hand, argues that every question can have a different answer depending on the subjective judgment of the individual. In other words, it is all a matter of opinion, and another person's opinion may be right for them while one holds a different opinion of one's own. Like the Bob Dylan song "One Too Many Mornings": "You're right from your side, I'm right from mine… we're both just one too many mornings and a thousand miles behind." The trap with subjective relativism is that a person can become wishy-washy instead of critically thinking about an issue or a problem.
What gets lost when a person believes everything is merely a matter of opinion is reasoned judgment. And reasoned judgment is the stepping stone for becoming a critical thinker. Neither dogmatic absolutism nor subjective relativism supports the kind of open, disciplined inquiry that critical thinking requires.
"Personal anecdote illustrating critical thinking growth"
You’re 77% through this paper. Sign up to read the remaining 1 section.
Sign Up Now — Instant Access Already a member? Log inAlways verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.