The Foundation and Principles of Critical Thinking

Abstract

This article explains the currently dominant paradigm of criticalthinking, which is considered universally applicable, in terms ofapplying various skills, techniques, standards, and procedures.However, it also contends that emphasizing the technical aspectsdoes not make it critical thinking, for that depends mainly upon itsown metaphysics – a view that is never discussed. I contend thatthe metaphysical premise is more important than the skills andtechniques, as it is intimately related to the technical dimensionsof critical thinking. I argue that without a true and realistic metaphysicalfoundation, critical thinking cannot produce good results.