A Brief History of Critical Thinking

A Brief History of Critical Thinking

The following site is an excellent preemptory to the concept of critical thinking. It provides a history of the school of critical thinking from Socrates. What are some of the cited dimensions of critical thinking?

http://www.work911.com/cgi-bin/links/jump.cgi?ID=6772


This site links the beginnings of critical thinking to Socrates.
The following site by James T. Streib believes that the critical thinking we use today began with John Dewey http://www2.ic.edu/jtstreib/crithink.htm

Here is an excellent site with resources for Critical Thinking
http://www.coping.org/adultlink/think.htm

Consider several definitions from: http://www.accd.edu/sac/history/keller/ACCDitg/SSCT.htm
Critical thinkers: distinguish between fact and opinion; ask questions; make detailed observations; uncover assumptions and define their terms; and make assertions based on sound logic and solid evidence.
Ellis, D. Becoming a Master Student, 1997

Critical thinking is best understood as the ability of thinkers to take charge of their own thinking. This requires that they develop sound criteria and standards for analyzing and assessing their own thinking and routinely use those criteria and standards to improve its quality.
Elder , L. and Paul, R. "Critical thinking: why we must transform our teaching." Journal of Developmental Education, Fall 1994.

Critical Thinking & Problem Solving Skills
General resources for the lower elementary grades K-12 as well as college: http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/critical.htm

Could critical thinking be an outcome of social growth? Is it dependent on biology?