Guide to Critical Thinking

Philosophy and Logical Reasoning
Since children’s natural learning state is a philosophical attitude, by the time we start elemen-
tary school, we already have a few years of philosophical thinking under our belt. Unfortu-
nately, the philosophical attitude is not always sustained beyond this point. Over time, we 
stop clarifying ideas because we might get discouraged from asking or we just get tired or 
complacent. We then begin to accept everything that we are told or shown by those around 
us, including what we watch on television or learn through social media. Once we stop filter-
ing what we accept by means of questions, as we did when we were very small children, we 
become vulnerable to manipulation and deceit.
When we stop using questions to rationally discern among alternatives or to make judgments 
concerning disputed social problems, we begin to rely entirely on emotions or on past experi-
ence as the basis for our decisions and judgments. As discussed earlier in the chapter, although 
christinagasner/iStock/Thinkstock
Children’s inquisitive nature personifies the act 
of being philosophical. Asking questions to clarify 
ideas or seek the truth is fundamental to engaging 
in philosophy.
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Summary and Resources
emotions are valid and worthwhile, they can also be unreliable or lead us to make rash deci-
sions. This may be somewhat inconsequential if we are simply buying something on impulse 
at the mall. But if we make judgments based purely on fear or anger, then emotions have much 
more dire consequences, perhaps causing us to mistreat or discriminate against others.
Past experience can also be misleading. Consider Jay, a university student, who has done 
very well in his first four university courses. He has found the courses relatively easy and 
not very demanding, so he assumes that all university courses are easy. He is then surprised 
when he discovers that Introduction to Physics is a challenging course, when he should have 
rationally recognized that undertaking a university education is a challenging task. Asking 
himself questions about the past courses—subject matter, professor, and so on—may help 
Jay adjust his expectations.
Let us review two important points that we have discussed so far. First, philosophy is an 
activity of clarifying ideas. Second, the goal of philosophy is to seek truth about all phenom-
ena in our experience. Logic provides us with an effective method for undertaking the task 
of philosophy and discovering truths. This view has thus remained mainstream in Western 
philosophy. When we think philosophically with regard to our mundane practical purposes, 
logic offers us the tools to break the habit of relying on our emotions, feelings, or our past 
experiences exclusively for making our decisions. Arriving at this recognition alone in your 
own case will be part and parcel of your journey, with this book as your guide.