ABSTRACT
EverybookorpaperIhaveeverread,andeverypersonIhaveever asked,claimsthatthepurposeofcriticalthinkingis,inonewayor another,toimprovepeople'sreasoningabilityabouteverydayproblems andissues.Thisaim,indeed,wouldappeartobestraightforwardenough andgiventhecomplexworldwelivein,feweducationalgoalscouldbe morelaudable.Butassimpleandstraightforwardasthisgoalistostate, thereisanimportantconfusionoverwhatitmeans.Inparticular,the basicnotionsof"reasoningability"and"everydayproblems"admitof morethanoneinterpretation.Andhowoneinterpretsthesenotions determinesinlargemeasurethetypeofinstructiononedesignstopromotecriticalthinking.I,forone,continuetobesurprisedathowmuch morethestandardapproachestocriticalthinkingseemdesignedtofit theready-madesolutionsthanthesolutionsaremadetofittheproblem.
