Critical Thinking as Philosophical and Psychological Category
Author`s Contribution:
- Lesya Ukrainka Eastern European National University, Ukraine
Background and aim of study:
The notion “critical thinking” has been used in
scientific literature for about 50 years already. Critical
thinking development as educational innovation in
Ukraine was provoked at the end of the XX century.
Thus, in 1996 the Ukrainian scientist Tiaglo
emphasised the importance and significance of critical
thinking development in conditions of informative
society. Nowadays it is evident that education should
be focused on prospect in order to form pupils' skills to
get orientated quickly in increasing flow of
information, analyse and systematise it, as well as to
apply it correctly in the teaching process. All this
requires from modern pupils the ability to think
critically with the aim to search for a grounded
conclusion or optimal solution.
The aim of the study is to reveal the essence of the
notion “critical thinking” as philosophical and
psychological category.
Research methods:
The methods of theoretical analysis and generalisation
of literature sources has allowed revealing objectively
the given notion, whose methodological basis is
considered to be groundwork of representatives of
philosophy and psychology.
Results:
The notion “thinking” was first introduced by
philosophers Aristotle, Democritus, Epicurus,
Parmenides, Plato, Socrates. Parmenides considered
thinking as a way of cognition that leads to the verity.
Socrates became a founder of a heuristic method of
teaching, which presupposes that a pupil has to
“cognise themselves”, and a teacher has only to direct
them to the search. In Plato’s opinion, it is necessary to
start fostering interest to cognition in pre-school and
primary school age, developing independent way of
thinking. Aristotle also followed the idea of an
independent way of thinking and development of pupils’
cognitive activity. The philosophers researched critical
thinking quite perfunctory, but their ideas in the course of
time were actively developed by the modern
researchers.
Pompton argues that the modern psychology interprets
critical thinking as such that favours formation of a
person’s ability to realise their own viewpoint in this or
that issue, skills to find new ideas, analyse their own
viewpoint in this or that issue, skills to find new ideas,
analyse events and assess them critically.
Сhaplak described critical thinking as thinking that
presupposes the formed skills to estimate events; make
a conscious choice; give arguments; formulate appropriate
questions; distinguish between facts and opinions; look for
new solutions to problems; determine criteria for analysis;
find proofs to support hypotheses; build logical
connections. Rubinstein considered that people, who think
critically, check deliberately their own hypotheses.
Khalpern stated that critical thinking is the use of cognitive
techniques or strategies which increase the probability to
gain the desired final result. Paul, a leading American
specialist in theory and practice of teaching critical
thinking, argued that critical thinking is “an organised,
rational, self-focused thinking which follows skilfully
the aim of thinking in a specific sphere of a person’s
knowledge or interests.
As we can see, the role of critical thinking is not to
provide realisation of the personal viewpoint at all
(there are very rare cases when it is not realised), but to
choose the right idea by reconstructing one’s own way
of thinking. Namely this was meant by Lipmann;
defining critical thinking as such that corrects itself (is
self-improved).
Conclusion:
Thus, the analysis of scientific literature allows making
a conclusion that critical thinking has been considered
by researchers in two directions: as a way of revealing
thinking (mind quality) and in a broader sense as a
personality’s quality. Analysing various approaches to
defining critical thinking and understanding its essence
we are not aimed at comparison of its interpretation by
different scientists, but see the necessity of its
development and specification with due regard to
socioeconomic situation developed in our country and
tasks put forward for education in conditions of New
Ukrainian school.
Keywords:
Copyright:
DOI and UDC:
DOI: 10.26697/ijes.2019.2.32; UDC: 159.955-021.412.1::140.8+159.9:165.172
Information about the authors:
Kashubiak Iryna Oleksandrivna – Assistant of
Departments of Theory and Teaching Methodology of
Natural and Mathematical Disciplines of Primary
Education, Lesya Ukrainka Eastern European National
University, Lutsk, Ukraine.