Reading, Writing, Thinking [antikvár]

PrefaceReading and writing, like all communication skills, require the special powers of the humán mind, and yet we are usually unaware of the mentái activities that make these skills possible. Generally, the humán mind works spontaneously: We think without stop-ping to think about how we are thinking. For instance, we compare and contrast people, places, and events; we analyze causes and effects; we clarify our definitions of certain words, explaining what we mean when we use them in particular contexts. And we use these patterns of thinking without consciously saying to ourselves: Fm comparing and contrasting, or Fm analyzing cause and effect, or I'm explaining what I mean when I use a certain word. We simply do these things naturally and automatically.However, when we choose to do so, we can focus on our own thinking activities and become more conscious of how our minds operate. Although other creatures perform many remarkable feats, only humans have this power of self-reflection. As far as we know, fish swim without thinking about how or why they are swimming, and birds fly and sing without thinking about flying or singing. But humán beings are especially endowed not only with the power to think but alsó with the power to turn the light of their thinking on themselves. In other words, we can think about thinking.There has been much talk recently about the importance of critical thinking. The word "critical" in the term "critical thinking" is ambiguous because it has several dif-ferent meanings. In everyday speech, this word suggests disapproval: A critical person is one who finds fault or points out errors or failures. The word "critical" can alsó suggest a crisis situation, as when we talk about a critical problem. To complicate matters still more, the word "critical" in the phrase "critical thinking" is related to the word "criti-cism"another word with multiple meanings. Although in its narrowest sense "criticism," like the word "critical," suggests faultfinding, it has a broader meaning: "Criticism"or a particular "critique"involves the exploration and analysis of an issue or idea in order to promote understanding. The goal of criticism and critical thinking, then, is a deep level of understanding rather than destructive fault-finding.As we begin to understand how our minds work and become aware of our thinking patterns and activities, our critical thinking skills improve. And when critical thinking skills improve, so do the reading and writing skills that depend on them. By understanding the nature of thinking, we are better able to analyze and comprehend what we read; similarly, when we write, if we are conscious of our mentái activities, we are more likely to monitor our thinking patterns and writing strategies, thus bringing them under conscious control and using them more effectively.To establish the groundwork for critical thinking, this text, Reading, Writing, and Thinking: Critical Connections, begins with Part I, "Foundations: Thinking about Thinking." In this section we examine how our minds work as we try to make sense of the world around us and of our experiences in it. Three topics are considered: ideas, feelings, and languageall of which relate to the thinking process. Because somé famiiiarity with the topics introduced in this section is essential for critical thinking in generál, this material will be useful in many of your courses. However, the need for critical thinking does not end at the classroom door. Thus, it's not surprising to find many students report