Ethics and

Critical Thinking
G R O U P 3
WHAT IS CRITICAL THINKING?
The phrase critical thinking is used in this
context to refer to the challenge of making
individuals critics of their own thoughts.

A critical thinker is someone who has

acquired the disposition and the skills to be
his or her own critic. Often times, critical
thinking is associated with being critical of
other–be it a person, a situation, or a thing.
Being critical of others often
suggests a capacity on the other
part of the thinker to examine
closely an object at different
levels and varying perspectives,
but understanding critical thinking
in this manner is not enough.
A person is considered a critical thinker
if he or she uncovers many aspects of a
given problem. However, this
understanding of critical thinking, while
not incorrect, is inadequate. Critical
thinking is not confined to the ability to
analyze a given issue. It can be used as
a tool that can provide a better
understanding of the close connection
between acting and thinking.
In their book Critical Thinking: Tools for
Taking Charge of Your Professional and
Personal Life, Richard Paul and Linda Elder
(2014) defined critical thinking as “that mode
of thinking–about any subject, content, or
problem–in which the thinker improves the
quality of his or her thinking by skillfully
taking charge of the structures inherent in
thinking and imposing intellectual standards
upon them”.
In other words, it is not enough to simply display the range of
one’s understanding of a particular situation. Unless one commits
himself or herself to the practice of constantly improving the way
he or she thinks, one cannot yet consider himself or herself a
critical thinker. Thinking in the ordinary mode–such as when one
thinks of what to eat or what to include in a schedule for the next
day–is described by Paul and Elder as first-order thinking. It is the
kind of thinking that makes people aware of a particular object of
thought. Statements such as “Drug addiction is wrong” and
“Murder is against the law” are examples of first-order thinking.
The points of inquiry are not yet the thinker’s own thinking process
but the given features of drug addiction and murder.
However, the moment a person turns his or her
attention to how he or she is thinking instead of
simply what he or she is thinking, then he or she is
ready to engage in second-order thinking. To think
about the “how” and not just the “what” is to
engage in reflection, assessment, and
interpretation. Therefore, it I not enough to simply
state that “Drug addiction is wrong” or “Murder is
illegal”.
One must be able to
understand as well the thought
processes that lead to this
conclusion. The same thinking
process occurs when a person
wants to track down a missing
personal item such as a purse
or a pen. He or she mentally
re-traces this missing object
from memory:
The purpose of doing so is to enable and how interconnected
they are to each other. This happens too when a person
thinks critically–he or she tries to see a specific issue
according to its many dimensions, instead of focusing only on
a single aspect. For a moment, one takes his or her mind
away from the object of thought in the hope of finding a
new way of looking at the situation. Focusing on the way one
thinks allows a person to expand his or her grasp of what is
really at stake. Distancing oneself a bit from the situation
help create the necessary space that will enable and individual
to have better insights into the target issue.
 -In Egocentric view the
person is considered as an
Egocentrism and autonomous and discrete
Sociocentrism individual who has personal
likes and dislikes, thoughts
and beliefs etc.
-In Sociocentric view the
person is viewed as a part of
the whole social process.
A person facing a mirror sees an image of himself
or herself. Similarly, when one is thinking critically, he
or she is looking at the elements of his or her own
thoughts. While a person in front of a mirror sees
his or her own physical reflection, an individual
thinking encounters what is going on inside of his or
her own mind. Thus, when a person thinks critically,
he or she needs to see how his or her mind works in
terms of its abilities and incapabilities and how these
can be improved to help him or her decide more
effectively and act more appropriately in a given
situation.
An egocentric thinker neither recognizes
nor entertains the opinions of others
particularly those who contradict his or
her claim. He or she thinks his or her
opinion alone matters and all other opinions
fare less in comparison with his or hers.
The practice of critical thinking requires
overcoming egocentrism and sociocentrism.
Critical thinking begins as soon as an
individual realizes the errors in his or her
thought process. Like any other skill, a
person’s advancement or failure in critical
thinking highly depends on his or her
constant practice of this cognitive
process.
Critical Thinking
and Ethics
Aside from overcoming egocentric and
sociocentric thinking tendencies, it is also
crucial for aspiring critical thinkers to raise
vital questions relevant to the issue at hand.
Asking questions is an indispensable task in
critical thinking as well as in ethical
reasoning. Questions set the purpose of an
inquiry. Raising queries indicates one wants
to know more and does not content himself
or herself with the current information
about a case at its face value.
 Sometimes, a person also inquires about facts that appear
insufficient, doubtful, or outdated. Verification of facts deserves
urgent attention. When confronted with an ethical issue, most
Critical people deliver quick judgements without appropriate and
sufficient information validation. Oftentimes, these judgements
Thinking M
are based on biased prejudices that can lead to misunderstanding
and ethics of a problem and sometimes misunderstanding among the
Q
individuals involved. Such a situation can be avoided if people take
time to check facts or information before issuing any statement.
Not only can it spare people from unnecessary emotional stress,
it can also afford them better appreciation of the case at hand
and, consequently, better judgement.
Aside from information, facts also reveal
assumptions or perspectives which can
distort how particular issue is presented.
This is the reason why individuals who have
special interests in a given case are not
viewed as credible witnesses in court
proceedings.

A person’s perspective can also be gathered

from the assumptions he or she employs to
assert his or her statements. Assumptions
are untested claims that are simply taken to
be true without the process of validation.
People make assumptions when they cannot test the
available facts because they do not have the means or
simply want to avoid doing so. Those who constantly
use their assumptions in ethical judgements are
egocentric thinkers.They believe their opinion is enough
as a basis for determining what is right and wrong.
 A critical thinker must be able
to check the interference or
Characteristic of the conclusion-making process
Critical thinkers involved in a given ethical case
not to mention the implications
or consequences of a
particular moral conclusion.
 A critical thinker must likewise
pay attention to the theory or
Characteristic of concept underlying an action
Critical thinkers or a situation. In most cases,
people think of theory as the
opposite of or irrelevant to
action.
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