What are Independent and
Critical Thinking?
By Sharon Presley, Ph.D., Executive Director, RIT
The Oxford Unabridged Dictionary
offers many definitions of independent, including "not depending on the
authority of others" and "not dependent on others for forming
an opinion." Making up your own mind, in other words. But what does
that really mean? Does it mean forming an opinion without input from others?
No, of course not, otherwise we "reinvent the wheel" every time we
make a decision. We all need relevant information and data on which to base our
opinions. It's the way that we seek information and how we apply it that makes
us dependent or independent thinkers. If we uncritically accept whatever values
or ideas we've been taught by parents, teachers or church, never questioning
these ideas or asking ourselves if these ideas really make sense, then we are
dependent thinkers (even if the ideas are true!).
If we reject what our parents, teachers or church have taught us simply because
they say something is right, does that make us independent thinkers? No, that's
just what psychologists call "anti-conformity" rather than
non-conformity. Making up your own mind is an action, not a reaction.
Independent thinking means making sense of the world based on your own
observations and experiences rather than just depending on the word of
others. It means trusting your own ability to make judgments, even if they
contradict what others say. It means acting in accordance with these judgments,
even if you sometimes make mistakes. An independent thinkers knows it's
psychologically better to make your own mistakes than someone else's.
Independent thinking is not necessarily rational or critical. Sometimes you
make mistakes; sometimes it's difficult to know if your beliefs are your own or
simply uncritically borrowed. No one ever said independent thinking is easy.
Critical thinking is a tool that you as an independent thinker can use. It can
help you decide whether your old beliefs are sensible.
It can help you examine new ideas or help you solve problems in reasonable
ways.
What is Critical Thinking?
There are many reasonable definitions of "critical thinking" but I like
the one offered by Wade and Tavris because it emphasizes the positive side
to critical thinking. Too often people think that being critical means just
tearing some argument down: "Critical thinking," they write, "is the ability and willingness to assess claims and make
objective judgments on the basis of well-supported reasons. It is
the ability to look for flaws in arguments and resist claims that have no
supporting evidence. Critical thinking, however, is not merely negative
thinking. It also fosters the ability to be creative and constructive - to
generate possible explanations for findings, think of implications, and apply
new knowledge to a broad range of social and personal problems. You can't
really separate critical thinking from creative thinking, for it's only when
you question what is that you can begin to imagine what can be."
Nor is being an independent thinker and a critical thinker merely being
"open-minded." As Wade and Tavris point out, "Sometimes people
justify mental laziness by proudly telling you that they are 'open-minded.'
'It's good to be open-minded, replies philosopher Jacob Needleman, 'but not
so open that your brains fall out.'"
Wade writes that sometimes her students think that being open-minded means that
every opinion is just as good as every other opinion. "What comes across
to students," she says," is that they shouldn't defend their own
beliefs too passionately or criticize someone else's beliefs too
strongly." When they complain 'it's just my opinion', she replies "Well,
is it a good opinion or a bad opinion? Is it well-supported by evidence or
reasons? The goal is to teach students how to take a position and defend it
strongly and with passion, and yet fair-mindedly."
Commitment and
Fair-mindedness
A theory that complements Wade's
idea of fair-mindedness, as well as the notion of critical thinking, is one
offered by developmental psychologist William Perry. He suggests that, as we
mature to adulthood, we go through different stages in our thinking about
beliefs. As young teens, many of us see the world from an authoritarian
perspective. There's only one right answer and it's the teacher or authority
figure's job to give us "the" answer. [Sadly, many adults never get
out of this stage!]
Then, as we mature, we begin to see things in a more relative perspective,
recognizing that different people have different points of view. At this
point, we can take several paths - we can slip into complete relativism,
believing like those students of Wade's, that any opinion is as good as any
other; or we can slip into nihilism, giving up any belief; or, if we keep
growing, we move forward to the final stage. Here, we recognize the need to make a commitment to personal beliefs that we
have arrived at by careful thinking and a need to take responsibility for these
beliefs. But at this stage, we also accept and respect the idea that others may
hold contradictory values to which they are equally committed. In other words,
we see the need defend our values and to be fair-minded.