Critically thinking about critical thinking

Alec Fisher describes multiple approaches to critical thinking in his article “Critical Thinking: An Introduction.” However, most of these approaches or definitions of critical thinking have common ideas and fundamental skills associated with them. Fisher outlines these skills, and said skills are evident in the comic works of Rachel Maddow and John Stewart as well as Frank Rich’s editorial in the New York Times, “The Rage is Not About Healthcare.”

Rachel Maddow and Jon Stewart host comic news television shows, but as described in Alyssa Quart’s “The Sarcastic Times,” these comedy shows implement critical thinking. Quart attributes the popularity of such shows to not just the delivery of information — for in this new digital age, information is everywhere — but the commentary on information. The Rachel Maddow Show is a prime example of American philosopher and father of modern critical thinking John Dewey’s definition of critical thinking. Maddow doesn’t just present news, but her show involves careful consideration of the information and draws conclusions from it. Her skills are apparent as she identifies information and clarifies and interprets ideas, and then judges the credibility of such informational claims. These are some of the fundamental skills for critical thinking that Fisher discusses, and these same skills are also apparent in The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Stewart, also going to the Dewey definition, actively looks at beliefs and supposed forms of knowledge in the forms that support it. In other words, Stewart frequently pokes fun at silly things said on Fox News. This is critical thinking on Stewart’s part: he is taking certain, usually conservative, beliefs that are presented by a Republican news station that supports said belief, and then analyzes and draws conclusions from it. He clarifies and interprets ideas and, even more so than Maddow, judges the credibility of many of the claims and supposed facts said on Fox News. Fisher says that much of critical thinking is about evaluating truth and reality surrounding claims, and that is what Stewart’s show is all about.

Regarding the New York Times editorial, the critical thinking arises on behalf of Rich. It would be easy to assume and claim that the harsh epithets directed towards congressmen John Lewis and Barney Frank as well as the “take our country back!” chants by demonstrators were all said in anger about the healthcare bill. However, Rich critically looks at the situation and makes interpretations. He considers the fact that Lewis is an American Civil Rights leader and Frank is homosexual and determines that the abuse was not representative of a fear of healthcare, but of a fear of the US changing demographically. Rich looks at reports showing a rise in minorities, civil rights acts and movements and concludes that the backlash is people’s fear of bigger changes than the healthcare system. According to Fisher, this is critical thinking as Rich identifies assumptions (that comments were out of anger over the healthcare bill) and interprets the ideas, brings in other arguments and after evaluation, produces his own.