Introduction
13
Critical thinking as dispositions (the “skills-plus-dispositions” view)
It has long been recognized that the ability to think critically is different from
the attitude or
disposition
to do so (Ennis 1985; Facione 1990), and this too
needs to be considered in any attempt to define critical thinking. Dispositions
have been described as “at least half the battle of good thinking, and arguably
more” (Perkins, Jay, and Tishman 1992, 9).
Dispositions are sometimes defined as a “cast or habit of the mind” or “frame
of mind” that is necessary for exercising critical thinking. Dispositions are not
arguments or judgments, but
affective
states. They include critical thinking
attitudes
and a sense of
psychological readiness
of the human being to be criti-
cal. They are equivalent to what Passmore once called a “critical spirit” (1967,
25) and have been defined as a constellation of attitudes, intellectual virtues,
and habits of mind (Facione et al. 1995). Correspondingly, we may distinguish
between critical thinking in a “weak” sense and in a “strong” sense (Paul 1993).
The former consists of the skills and dispositions already discussed; the latter
consists of the
examined life
in which skills and dispositions have been incor-
porated as part of one’s deep-seated personality and moral sense—in short,
one’s
character.
A taxonomy of critical thinking dispositions
Critical thinking dispositions might be broadly categorized as falling under
dispositions arising in relation to the
self
, in relation to
others
, and in relation
to the
world
. Again, it might be debated which category a disposition belongs
to (and some might belong to more than one), but it is fairly clear that there are
at least four dispositional orientations (see table 0.2):
Table 0.2
Critical thinking dispositions
Dispositions arising in
relation to self
Dispositions
arising in relation
to others
Dispositions
arising in
relation to world
Other
Desire to be well-informed
Willingness to seek or be
guided by reason
Tentativeness
Tolerance of ambiguity
Intellectual humility
Intellectual courage
Integrity
Empathy
Perseverance
Holding ethical standards
Respect for
alternative
viewpoints
Open-mindedness
Fair-mindedness
Appreciation of
individual
differences
Skepticism
Interest
Inquisitiveness
Seeing both sides
of an issue
Mindfulness
Critical
spiritedness
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