CRITICAL
THOUGHT


What is“Critical Thinking” or “Critical Thought”?



According to
logisticians:


“The goal of critical thinking is to learn about
the world and avoid being fooled in the process-to find truth and avoid error.”
(Critical Thinking, Possin k, 2002
p2)


This is accomplished by the understanding of
arguments, context, and grammar in philosophy. It is the hope that by reason and
logic, we can truly come to an understanding of the empirical universe, and
while on this cognitive journey, to hopefully better understand ourselves.  Emotion is important in critical
thinking, because it shapes our perception of what we are attending to, or as
Possin states: “Critical thinking without emotion is inert; emotion without
critical thinking is dangerous” (Critical Thinking, Possin k, 2002
p5)


In Critical Theory: The
right and the good, by Christina Lafont we get another perspective on what
critical thinking, or thought, is. Lafont breaks down critical thought into two
distinct categories: Practical and Theoretical.  Practical is the process and study of
  political philosophy, Theoretical is the attempt to unify the social sciences
  into a single comprehensive epistemic superiority of critical thought. (Critical Theory: The
right and the good, Lafont c, p104)


“From the beginning, psychoanalysis in the
Frankfurt School was conceived in terms of a reinterpretation of Freud and Marx.
Its consideration in the School was clearly due to Horkheimer, who encouraged
his researchers to direct their attention to the subject. It was Fromm,
  nevertheless, who best produced an advancement of the discipline; his central
  aim was to provide, through a synthesis of Marxism and psychoanalysis, ‘the
  missing link between ideological superstructure and socio-economic base’ (Jay
  1966, p. 92).” (The
Frankfurt School and Critical Theory:
http://www.iep.utm.edu/frankfur)


The idea of Practical Critical Thought is that
philosophers should not try to cognitively shape politics themselves, but try to
let the public create the political philosophy themselves. That personal
understanding is outweighed by the public understanding of what is right, and
what is good. This utilitarian understanding of morality is the crucial critical
thought for its own society. (Critical
Theory: The right and the good,
Lafont c, p105)


Theoretical Critical thought is the
psychoanalysis of philosophy. It is the epistemic evaluation of how the social
sciences are all interrelated, and how the philosopher must approach the
cognitive understanding and methods of how the public reached their decisions.
It is the process of understanding, not forming practical critical thought. (The Frankfurt School and Critical
Theory:
http://www.iep.utm.edu/frankfur/)


Much like the concept of yin and yang, the whole
philosopher must integrate the practical and theoretical aspects of Critical
thought. This balance is the real true goal of Critical thought. To tell reality
from falseness on one level, and to study how we achieved our ideas and thoughts
about reality on the other.  


REFERENCES:


Critical
Thinking,
Possin k, 2002


The
Frankfurt School and Critical Theory:
  http://www.iep.utm.edu/frankfur/


Critical
Theory: The right and the good, Lafont c,
2008

.