PLS2601
UNIT 1:
Critical reasoning involves the ability to actively and skilfully conceptualise, analyse, question
and evaluate ideas and beliefs.
Critical reasoning is the opposite of dogma
Dogma is unquestioned information – information that is embraced without the
intervention of active thought or criticism
To reason critically is to question the ideas and beliefs of others and oneself and to challenge
dogma and authority
To think for ourselves involves a critical attitude of reflecting upon how we think and act
To think critically is to question the world and thus to engage critically with the possibilities
and alternatives which the world offers
Critical reasoning involves 3 important components of reasoning :
o Critical reasoning is thinking for yourself
o Critical reasoning is informed reasoning
o Critical reasoning is critical self- reflection
The complexity of information technology,
the perplexity of human interactions,
the diversity of the societies in South Africa and globally,
and the demands of the workplace require people to who can think critically and who can
make informed decisions
If we follow the authority and instructions of other people or groups of people blindly, then
we enslave ourselves and we are vulnerable to indoctrination, exploitation and oppression
To think for yourself is empowering and liberating on the sense that it helps you make your
voice heard
To make your voice heard means that you can challenge repressive systems and oppressive
governments by questioning critically preconceived ideas, societal beliefs and political
ideologies such as racism, sexism, gender discrimination …
Thinking for yourself entails becoming aware of how societal values, beliefs, preconceived
ideas and cultural attitudes influence your perception of others and yourself
And how theses preconceived ideas and attitude fashion your understanding of the world
We should be suspicious of the claims of authorities, rather than following their instructions
blindly
We should learn how to think independently, and critically question information and
knowledge claims
Introduction to critical reasoning (prescribed book):
The history of the quest for wisdom and critical self-reflection goes back as far as the
o Ancient Ifa oral philosophy associated with Orunmila. The prophet of the Ifa religion
and the father of African philosophy
, o The pre-socratic philosophers such as Thales, Anaximander, Pythagoras and
Heraclitus
o The ancient Indian philosophers such as Mahavira and Buddha
o The ancient Chinese philosophers such as Lao Tzu and Confucius
o And the Greek philosophers such as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle
Orunmila expressed the path to wisdom in 2 maxims “know thyself” and “as above so
below”
Buddha believed the path to wisdom and truth to be “insight into the causes of error results
in the enlightenment of the self”
Confucius taught that the root of wisdom lies in sincerity of though, which is attained
through a critical investigation of things
Socrates never put his philosophical teachings into writing, but taught orally. His
philosophical method consisted of a dialogue with the arguer. He would critically question
the basis of the arguer’s knowledge and in the process of critical inquiry, he would reveal the
assumptions and preconceived ideas on which the arguer’s knowledge claims were based
He drank the fatal cup of hemlock not because he thought that the sentence was justified,
but because he was prepared to die for his belief in the pursuit of truth and wisdom through
critical enquiry
For him “the unexamined life was not worth living”
Ludwig Wittgenstein a leading analytical philosopher of the 20th century, emphasises that
the goal of philosophy is not knowledge, but understanding (wisdom)
According to him it is not enough to convince someone of the truth, it is enough to state it
One must find the path form error to truth
What he means is that , on your journeys to wisdom, we must first find the path leading us
out of the fog- out of our fallacious reasoning, our misconceptions, prejudices and
preconceived ideas
The path form error to truth – is the path out of the fog to the pathway of critical reasoning
The ultimate goal of critical reasoning is to know how to apply knowledge and skills wisely
We need to understand that knowledge and skills are empty without wisdom
Being able to apply knowledge wisely required a philosophical attitude characterised by
thinking critically and constantly being in a state of critical self- reflection
Critical reasoning is active, reflective and informed thinking
that involves the ability to deliberately and skilfully
question, analyse, interpret and evaluate ideas and beliefs
in the light of reasons, or evidence, which support them.
By defining critical reasoning as active and reflective thinking, we are saying that critical
reasoning is essentially an active process and a reflective activity which involves us raising
critical questions ourselves and thinking statements and ideas through for ourselves, rather
, than passively receiving information from someone else and gullibly accepting the ideas an
beliefs of other people
Defining critical reasoning as informed thinking, in contrast with the kind of thinking which is
based on personal beliefs, ideas and perceptions that are not supported by evidence and
well-substantiated reasons. An important feature of critical reasoning is to reflect critically
on the implications of our beliefs and to give reasons or evidence in support of our beliefs
and claims. The ability to reason critically in an informed way.
The ability to reason critically requires certain reasoning skills, these being the ability to:
o Recognise problems
o Question assumptions
o Values and motives
o Analyse arguments
o Clarify and interpret data and ideas
o Evaluate arguments
o Judge the acceptability and soundness of claims
The similarity between critical reasoning and formal logic is that both deal with
argumentation and argument analysis.
Differences between critical reasoning and formal logic
Formal logic: Critical reasoning:
Examines the formal structure of Explores the nature and function of
arguments in logical language and it arguments in natural language and is
employs precise rules of testing the concerned with the art of
validity of arguments argumentation rather than the
Generally ignores the meaning of formal theory of reasoning
statements in natural language It reflects on the quality, character
and soundness of arguments
Critical reasoning takes into account the following:
o That statements have meaning as statements and as courses of actions
o That statements have an emotive side because arguments expressed in natural
language are seldom impersonal and value- free. Values, attitudes, feelings,
assumptions and preconceived ideas are embedded in natural language and these
can easily influence our reasoning
o The quality of argumentation.
This includes the meaning and acceptability of arguments
Being aware how prejudice can influence our reasoning
How to use observation skills
How to be aware of different points of view
How to evaluate arguments
How to be culturally sensitive
How to be aware of preconceived ideas
And problem solving and decision making
Third competency our definition speaks about is the ability to know how to apply the critical
reasoning skills you have acquired wisely and responsibly
As a critical thinker you need to reflect critically on your own biases, beliefs and prejudicial
attitudes before you can adopt a critical attitude towards the ideas and beliefs of other
people
UNIT 1:
Critical reasoning involves the ability to actively and skilfully conceptualise, analyse, question
and evaluate ideas and beliefs.
Critical reasoning is the opposite of dogma
Dogma is unquestioned information – information that is embraced without the
intervention of active thought or criticism
To reason critically is to question the ideas and beliefs of others and oneself and to challenge
dogma and authority
To think for ourselves involves a critical attitude of reflecting upon how we think and act
To think critically is to question the world and thus to engage critically with the possibilities
and alternatives which the world offers
Critical reasoning involves 3 important components of reasoning :
o Critical reasoning is thinking for yourself
o Critical reasoning is informed reasoning
o Critical reasoning is critical self- reflection
The complexity of information technology,
the perplexity of human interactions,
the diversity of the societies in South Africa and globally,
and the demands of the workplace require people to who can think critically and who can
make informed decisions
If we follow the authority and instructions of other people or groups of people blindly, then
we enslave ourselves and we are vulnerable to indoctrination, exploitation and oppression
To think for yourself is empowering and liberating on the sense that it helps you make your
voice heard
To make your voice heard means that you can challenge repressive systems and oppressive
governments by questioning critically preconceived ideas, societal beliefs and political
ideologies such as racism, sexism, gender discrimination …
Thinking for yourself entails becoming aware of how societal values, beliefs, preconceived
ideas and cultural attitudes influence your perception of others and yourself
And how theses preconceived ideas and attitude fashion your understanding of the world
We should be suspicious of the claims of authorities, rather than following their instructions
blindly
We should learn how to think independently, and critically question information and
knowledge claims
Introduction to critical reasoning (prescribed book):
The history of the quest for wisdom and critical self-reflection goes back as far as the
o Ancient Ifa oral philosophy associated with Orunmila. The prophet of the Ifa religion
and the father of African philosophy
, o The pre-socratic philosophers such as Thales, Anaximander, Pythagoras and
Heraclitus
o The ancient Indian philosophers such as Mahavira and Buddha
o The ancient Chinese philosophers such as Lao Tzu and Confucius
o And the Greek philosophers such as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle
Orunmila expressed the path to wisdom in 2 maxims “know thyself” and “as above so
below”
Buddha believed the path to wisdom and truth to be “insight into the causes of error results
in the enlightenment of the self”
Confucius taught that the root of wisdom lies in sincerity of though, which is attained
through a critical investigation of things
Socrates never put his philosophical teachings into writing, but taught orally. His
philosophical method consisted of a dialogue with the arguer. He would critically question
the basis of the arguer’s knowledge and in the process of critical inquiry, he would reveal the
assumptions and preconceived ideas on which the arguer’s knowledge claims were based
He drank the fatal cup of hemlock not because he thought that the sentence was justified,
but because he was prepared to die for his belief in the pursuit of truth and wisdom through
critical enquiry
For him “the unexamined life was not worth living”
Ludwig Wittgenstein a leading analytical philosopher of the 20th century, emphasises that
the goal of philosophy is not knowledge, but understanding (wisdom)
According to him it is not enough to convince someone of the truth, it is enough to state it
One must find the path form error to truth
What he means is that , on your journeys to wisdom, we must first find the path leading us
out of the fog- out of our fallacious reasoning, our misconceptions, prejudices and
preconceived ideas
The path form error to truth – is the path out of the fog to the pathway of critical reasoning
The ultimate goal of critical reasoning is to know how to apply knowledge and skills wisely
We need to understand that knowledge and skills are empty without wisdom
Being able to apply knowledge wisely required a philosophical attitude characterised by
thinking critically and constantly being in a state of critical self- reflection
Critical reasoning is active, reflective and informed thinking
that involves the ability to deliberately and skilfully
question, analyse, interpret and evaluate ideas and beliefs
in the light of reasons, or evidence, which support them.
By defining critical reasoning as active and reflective thinking, we are saying that critical
reasoning is essentially an active process and a reflective activity which involves us raising
critical questions ourselves and thinking statements and ideas through for ourselves, rather
, than passively receiving information from someone else and gullibly accepting the ideas an
beliefs of other people
Defining critical reasoning as informed thinking, in contrast with the kind of thinking which is
based on personal beliefs, ideas and perceptions that are not supported by evidence and
well-substantiated reasons. An important feature of critical reasoning is to reflect critically
on the implications of our beliefs and to give reasons or evidence in support of our beliefs
and claims. The ability to reason critically in an informed way.
The ability to reason critically requires certain reasoning skills, these being the ability to:
o Recognise problems
o Question assumptions
o Values and motives
o Analyse arguments
o Clarify and interpret data and ideas
o Evaluate arguments
o Judge the acceptability and soundness of claims
The similarity between critical reasoning and formal logic is that both deal with
argumentation and argument analysis.
Differences between critical reasoning and formal logic
Formal logic: Critical reasoning:
Examines the formal structure of Explores the nature and function of
arguments in logical language and it arguments in natural language and is
employs precise rules of testing the concerned with the art of
validity of arguments argumentation rather than the
Generally ignores the meaning of formal theory of reasoning
statements in natural language It reflects on the quality, character
and soundness of arguments
Critical reasoning takes into account the following:
o That statements have meaning as statements and as courses of actions
o That statements have an emotive side because arguments expressed in natural
language are seldom impersonal and value- free. Values, attitudes, feelings,
assumptions and preconceived ideas are embedded in natural language and these
can easily influence our reasoning
o The quality of argumentation.
This includes the meaning and acceptability of arguments
Being aware how prejudice can influence our reasoning
How to use observation skills
How to be aware of different points of view
How to evaluate arguments
How to be culturally sensitive
How to be aware of preconceived ideas
And problem solving and decision making
Third competency our definition speaks about is the ability to know how to apply the critical
reasoning skills you have acquired wisely and responsibly
As a critical thinker you need to reflect critically on your own biases, beliefs and prejudicial
attitudes before you can adopt a critical attitude towards the ideas and beliefs of other
people
