Critical Thinking and the Christian Perspective

Critical Thinking and the Christian Perspective:

                A Response to Baird and Soden

        by Wendy Dutton, Thomas Hart and Rebecca Patten

                        Patten College

      In   their   article,   "Cartesian   Values   and   the   Critical

Thinking Movement,"   Faculty Dialogue (Winter 1993), Dr.   Forrest

Baird   and Dr. Dale Soden critique the critical thinking movement

by   suggesting that it is based on Descartes's paradigm.   Unlike

educators   who find the advocacy of critical thinking a worrisome

thing   because   it   redefines the   role   of   the   educator   as   a

questioner   who   models thinking rather than as   a   lecturer   who

prescribes knowledge, they raise questions about whether critical

thinking is a viable enterprise for faculty who hope to integrate

faith   and   learning   in the classroom.   As Christian   educators,

however, we find this to be a disturbing proposition.   Certainly,

there is plenty of room for reexamination of critical thinking as

a   discipline, but we believe critical thinking must be a part of

every Christian classroom if we are to maintain our integrity.

    Baird and Soden state that in the critical thinking movement

"there   appear   to   be   underlying   values   that   are   too   often

unstated"   (p.   77).   They go further   to   clearly   state   their

position:   "these   values   are   problematic   for   the   Christian

scholar and teacher,"   (77) arguing that the movement is based on

the   "Cartesian   approach   to epistemology"   and   "therefore   the

methods reflect the weaknesses associated with Descartes."   (77)

The authors proceed to do three things:

      1)     They examine the Cartesian paradigm, its history   and

basic characteristics;

      2)     They maintain that the critical thinking movement   is

based on this paradigm;

      3)     Finally, they raise questions about whether   critical

thinking   should   be   taught   in         the... [continues]

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