SOC 1101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Critical Thinking, Infant Mortality, Standardized Test

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Sociology
• Course: SOC 1101
• Professor: Joseph Sawan

Document Summary

Complex critical thinking skills are part of the three core skill sets that all sociologists must ac-quire. To be a critical thinker does not mean to find fault with something or someone, to be harsh, or to be judgemental. Critical thinking refers to thinking that is purposeful, deliberate, and self- regulatory, and that arrives at reasoned judgements based on well-defined criteria and evidence. To arrive at these reasoned judgements, individuals must be able to interpret, analyze, evaluate, make inferences, and explain things fully. A critical thinker must be able to identify value judgements, seek out information, and hold a commitment to fairness. Critical thinking is important because it enables individuals to avoid conventional misunderstandings, misleading notions, and literalism and encourages them to challenge convention understandings of often complex issues. In one sense, critical thinking is the same for all times and places and is not specific to one discipline.