CRITICAL THINKING AND

ANALYSIS
Session 1

Dr Biplab Bhattacharjee
Assistant Professor
Welcome to the course!!!
Good morning to you all
Welcome to the course on “Critical Thinking and Analysis”
Text and reference books for this course

• Cottrell, S. (2017). Critical thinking skills (3rd ed.). London, UK:

Palgrave Macmillan UK.
Evaluation component for this course
Assessment Task Weightage Nature Week of
Assessment

A1. In-class Quiz 15% Individual 7/8

A2. Poster presentation 15% Individual 14

A3. Student Debate 20% Individual 11

A4. End-Term Exam 50% Individual At the end of

the course
Case : Why critical thinking is important in
your professional life
• Consider yourself working as a marketing professional in a company for 5
years, and you aspire to become a supervisor and you need to impress the
higher management. Now suddenly you got a chance, in a meeting, you
boss asks you and your colleague (who is also competing for the same
position) that what should we do to improve the sales: Option 1: Invest in
traditional marketing; Option 2: Invest more in social media channels. You
go back and next morning immediately send an email that traditional
marketing should be given importance. Your colleague does not answer
same day. She takes 2 days time and then she send a report with data,
facts, and trends exhibiting how social media should be preferred option.
Whom do you think would get the “Supervisor” position, You or Your
Colleague?
[Anyone can unmute and answer]
Critical Thinking
• What comes to the mind when you hear the word Critical Thinking?

The word “Critical”

Do you assume that thinking “critical” must be negative or becoming
critical of something that you have, read, heard or watched
 Key concepts to understand
𝐶𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 ≠ 𝐶𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑧𝑖𝑛𝑔

𝐶𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 ≠ 𝑅𝑒𝑗𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑝𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎 𝑐𝑙𝑎𝑖𝑚

𝐶𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 ≠ 𝐹𝑢𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝐸𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝐴𝐿𝐿 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑙𝑎𝑖𝑚 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑖𝑡𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑒

𝐶𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔
≠ 𝐿𝑜𝑔𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑔𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑡𝑜 𝑑𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑒 𝑜𝑟 𝑛𝑜𝑡

Note: Criticism in “Critical Thinking” refers to an analysis of positive features as well as

negative ones. It is important to identify strengths and satisfactory aspects rather than
just weaknesses, to evaluate what works as well as what does not.
Misunderstanding what is criticism

Too Critical Not at all Critical

Multiple definitions
• “The careful application of reason in determining a claim is true”…Moore
and Parker
• “Judicious reasoning about what to believe , and therefore what to do”…
Tittle

• Critical Thinking requires

• 1. Careful, intentional thinking (also known as judiciousness)
• 2. Use of reason or logic
• 3. Judgement about beliefs
• 4. Application to real world
Claim 1 in times of Columbus: Black and
White Argument
• Ship selling east of Europe would eventually fall in space because the
earth is flat
What do critical thinkers do?
• Critical Thinking allows you to explain why you disagree
• What parts of claim or argument you find wrong and troubling
• By putting alternative in arguments you and other strengthen the position
of your argument
• You need to critically evaluate the claims made by you, others, your friends
and your professors
• Sometimes you will be asked to explain your position
• Critical Thinking helps us to understand difficult economic, political, social,
and ethical problems
• When we are asked to think critically: We are asked to take a position or
acceptability of something
• We are expected to have a reasoned judgement why we agree or diagree
People make decisions based on

• Pure Emotions
• Intuition
• Faith
• Common Sense

𝐶𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 ≠ 𝑇ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑤 𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑠𝑒 𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑒𝑠

𝐶𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔
= 𝑃𝑢𝑡 𝑎 𝑚𝑖𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑐𝑜𝑝𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑜𝑛 𝑖𝑛 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑠𝑒 𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑒𝑠
Reasoning
• Critical thinking is associated with reasoning or with our capacity for
rational thought. The word 'rational' means 'using reasons' to solve
problems.
• Reasoning starts with ourselves. It includes:
• having reasons for what we believe and do, and being aware of what these are;
• critically evaluating our own beliefs and actions;
• being able to present to others the reasons for our beliefs and actions
• Critical analysis of other people’s reasons can involve:
• Identifying their reasons and conclusions
• Analysing how they select, combine and order reasons to construct a line of
reasoning
• Evaluating whether their reasons support the conclusions they draw
• Evaluating whether their reasons are well founded, based on good evidence
• Identifying flaws in their reasoning
Why do we need to take a position
• You are put in a class where your group has been given a project which has
50 percent of your grades. Four members are there in the group. One
group member says in the first meeting “I have done this group project and
it’s a pain. Nobody likes working with other people and we just stand
fighting. Too difficult to split up the project. No one is happy with other
part. So last time, we are did the whole project, and we voted the best one,
which we finally submitted to the class professor”.

• Is this a good argument? Do you agree with all his claims? Does his claims
necessary lead to a conclusion on how to handle a project? Should you go
along what he says or is there a better way you can propose?
[Anyone can unmute and speak]
Inherited opinions
• Inherited opinion: Believing someone since someone told you so
• Many of us have inherited opinion on several political, social and
other topics which have been inherited to us by our families and
communities
• How many of us can provide reason or evidence for this belief if asked
to do so
• Critical thinking helps us offer reasons, actions, and evaluate reasons
of others
Scepticism and Trust
Claim 1: I have seen a UFO
Claim 2: I am healed by touch of a priest
Scepticism and Trust in Critical Thinking: Case of Two Investors,
Alex and JIM
Over-estimating our own reasoning abilities
Winning an argument does not necessarily mean that you have the
best case.
It may simply mean that your opponents didn't recognise a poor
argument, or chose to yield the point for their own reasons, such as to
avoid conflict.
Barriers to Critical Thinking
• Lack of methods, strategies or practice
• Reluctance to critique experts
• In academic contexts, the implications of a theory can challenge
deeply held beliefs and long-held assumptions
• Insufficient focus and attention to details
• Thank you !!!