Critical Thinking Intellectual Standards

Could you elaborate?

Understandable, the
Clarity meaning can be grasped
Could you give me an example?
Could you illustrate what you mean?

How could we check on that?

Free from errors and
Accuracy distortion; true
How could we find out if that is true?
How could we verify or test that?

Could you be more specific?

Exact to the necessary
Precision level of detail
Could you give me more details?
Could you be more exact?

How does that relate to the problem?

Relating to the matter at
Relevance hand
Dow does that bear on the question?
How does that help us with the issue?

Containing complexities What factors make this a difficult problem?

Depth and multiple What are some of the complexities of this question?
interrelationships What are some of the difficulties we need to deal with?

Do we need to look at this from another perspective?

Encompassing multiple
Breadth viewpoints
Do we need to consider another point of view?
Do we need to look at this in other ways?

The parts make sense Does all this make sense together?
Logic together, no Does your first paragraph fit with your last?
contradictions Does what you say follow from the evidence?

Is this the most important problem to consider?

Focusing on the
Significance important, not trivial
Is this the central idea to focus on?
Which of these facts are most important?

Do I have any vested interested in this issue?

Justifiable, not self-
Fairness serving or one-sided
Am I sympathetically representing the viewpoints of
others?

The Foundation for Critical Thinking, Dr. Linda Elder and Dr. Richard Paul