Justification In Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is a rational response to questions that cannot be answered definitively and for which all the relevant information may not be available. It is defined here as an investigation whose purpose is to explore a situation, phenomenon, question, or problem to arrive at a hypothesis or conclusion about it that integrates all available information and that can therefore be convincingly justified. In critical thinking, all assumptions are open to question, divergent views are aggressively sought, and the inquiry is not biased in favour of a particular outcome. The outcomes of a critical inquiry are twofold: a conclusion (or hypothesis) and the justification offered in support of it. These outcomes are usually set forth in the form of an argument, defined as "the sequence of interlinked claims and reasons that, between them, establish the content and force of the position for which a particular speaker is arguing" (Toulmin, Rieke, and Janik 1979).

Critical thinking is general term given to a wide range of cognitive skills needed to effectively interpret, analyse and evaluate arguments and truth claims, to formulate logical arguments and to make reasonable and sound decisions. It is essential in college education as college students are expected not merely to absorb information and acquire knowledge but to question, examine and evaluate the ideas and information presented to them (Francis N. Evangelista, 2007, Critical Thinking: A college Student’s Introduction to