The Five Intellectual Standard Of Critical Thinking

Research suggests that the intellectual standards of critical thinking are clarity, accuracy, precision, relevance, depth, breadth, logic and fairness (Paul, Elder, Gunther, Chartrand, Emery, Hall, Maketa, Ishikawa, 2012 pg. 97). The first intellectual standard of critical thinking is clarity. Clarity is making sure information is clear and concise (Paul et. al., 2012, pg. 99). For instance, if someone does not understand the information given at work to complete a task, one might ask for further elaboration to gain clarity. Clarity if information is imperative, especially if the task is not relevant to the matter at hand. This is to ensure that employees learn the skills needed to help them function successfully on the job.

In addition, the

Relevance is ensuring that your reasoning is in accordance with the subject or issues discussed. In other words, making sure the information given is connected to the topic presented. Noticeably, a statement can be clear, accurate and precise, but lack relevance to the issues (Paul et. al., 2012, pg. 103). For example, most employees think the amount of effort they put into work should be used in their performance evaluation. However, the effort put fourth does not always meet the quality of the employer’s expectation. The fifth intellectual standard of critical thinking is depth, which requires a person to ensure that their reasoning skills address all areas of the topic at hand. This type of thinking requires a deeper perception on the subject in order to avoid potential problems later (Paul et. al., 2012, pg.

al., 2012, pg. 107). From a personal standpoint, this is how many people prioritize task in life. Lastly, there is fairness. Fairness is taking an objective point of view that is un-bias in opinion because of personal interest (Paul et. al., 2012, pg. 108). In other words, agree to disagree in the difference of opinions, but respect each other’s point of view, even if you have a stake in the matter. People are mostly concern with themselves, which it is in human nature to do so. However, the ability to apply this standard of intellectual thinking to access or own reasoning actively involves being fair in the decision making process and have mutual respect for others perspective, which is key. Research concludes, “A critical thinker considers the elements of reasoning with sensitivity to universal intellectual standards” as displayed in table 7.1 and figure 7.1 (Paul et. al., 2012, pg.