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Dr. Richard Paul (1937–2015) — the founder and iconic force behind the Foundation for Critical Thinking — passed away on August 30, 2015 after a lengthy battle with Parkinson’s. Photo credit: Foundation for Critical Thinking
The Passing of a Critical Thinking Giant: Richard Paul (1937–2015)
by Greg Hart
Since skeptics talk a lot about critical thinking it is important to note that the world of critical thinking lost a significant champion on August 30th 2015. After a lengthy battle with Parkinson’s disease Dr. Richard Paul passed away. Richard was the founder and iconic force behind the Foundation for Critical Thinking , headquartered in Sonoma County, California.
This is going to sound like a strange way to begin a tribute, but in the 15 years that I knew him, Richard never taught me a thing. And yet I learned so much. In fact, it would be difficult to adequately describe the profound effect he and his work have had on my life. This notion about the differences between teaching and learning is one of the things that I took from my work with Richard and the Foundation. It is not a minor contrast in mindset or approach—it affects everything. Learning is active, participative and rewards questioning. Perhaps most importantly, learning is how humans construct knowledge of the world. He saw the teacher as a coach to support learning and not an oracle of information to be pleased with predetermined correct answers. As he used to say, “If the coach is sweating, there is a problem.” It is the learner who should be doing the work. Many classrooms are unfortunately full of sweating teachers. So are conferences and other “learning” events.
Dr. Paul saw critical thinking as a way of understanding thinking in general, applying standards to thinking, and where needed improving thinking. No one sets out to think poorly, of course, and yet we do. Critical thinking is an antidote to this problem. His conception of critical thinking was the most complete that I have encountered. Richard did not conceive of critical thinking as simply a tool for solving particular problems, but as a way of understanding and working on all of life with a purpose. That purpose was to make life better for the living. He felt that in order to achieve this purpose, critical thinking could not be divorced from ethics. In other words, it couldn’t just a be a set of tools that you practiced so that you could manipulate particular outcomes, but a way of thinking and living that leads to better lives for all of us. He called this “strong sense critical thinking”—it is strategic thinking in service of a life and not just in service of some tactical consideration.
Dr. Paul’s most enduring and important contribution will be the development of a model that allows for the systematic development of critical thinking skills. This is a keystone requirement for improving thinking on a population-wide basis. I have known many decent thinkers and some great ones, but two things were always troubling. What standards do we use to determine how good the thinking really is and, even if it turns out to be great, how do we teach others to adopt these habits? The model that he built contains three interlocking components:
- The Elements of Thought—the parts of thinking that are present in all thinking.
- The Intellectual Standards—the measurement criteria for the quality of thinking.
- The Intellectual Traits—capacities that a thinker has and should develop.
Richard along with his wife of 20 years and chief collaborator, Dr. Linda Elder, authored many publications providing detailed support for the model, including a series of mini-guides that highlight particular issues in the model, along with barriers to the adoption of critical thinking. He didn’t invent the components of the model, but as Steve Jobs once said, “Creativity is just connecting things.” Jobs had a gift for seeing what was fundamental, for seeing the things that transcended the specifics or novelty of situations.
Through their foundation, Richard and Linda offered an annual international conference in and around Sonoma and the Bay Area (that conference will continue). I was fortunate to give presentations at several of them. The conferences are very participative and require the practice of the model from the beginning of the event to the end. There are few conventional lectures, but I saw Dr. Paul give several excellent keynotes over the years. My favorite perhaps was the “Top Ten Ways to Impair Student Learning”—sadly, all ten were (and are!) in constant circulation in the public and private schools of North America and serve as a painful contrast to a critical thinking approach.
Richard was one of those people who loved what he did, so in that sense he never worked a day in his life. He also lived the ideals, practiced the model with discipline and conviction, while creating the space for others to do so as well. He modeled his program with patient listening, relevant and important questions, and a subtle but incisive and twinkling sense of humor. He wanted to help build more critical societies. According to the foundation’s obituary:
Paul established the first Center for Critical Thinking worldwide in 1980 at Sonoma State University in Northern CA and established the Foundation for Critical Thinking in 1991, to support the work of the Center. The work of the Foundation for Critical Thinking is widely used in education, at all levels of instruction, where critical thinking is to be found. It is also advanced in the current Army Field Manual for all military leadership education in critical thinking. Due largely to Paul’s work and the theoretical foundations of critical thinking he developed over a lifetime, Paul revolutionized the way in which critical thinking is conceptualized in academia and in intellectual communities across the world. Paul wrote eight books and more than 200 articles on critical thinking, including his early seminal work on critical thinking published in 1992 entitled: Critical Thinking: What Every Person Needs to Survive in a Rapidly Changing World . Throughout his life, Paul wrote books for every grade level and developed extensive teaching tactics and strategies that advance critical thinking in instruction.
About the Author
Greg Hart spends his time designing the invisible but powerful influences on behavior. He has a formal background in ergonomics and kinesiology. He can tell you exactly why sitting is one of the most dangerous things you could ever do. His work and research in ergonomics is fed by a fascination with the relationship between explicit and subconscious behaviour and how the effects are felt in the world — from offices to helicopters to muddy trenches and into Urban Ergonomics (how citizens interact with the built and natural environment of their cities and towns). He has published and presented on the impact of human nature on design, strategy and process. Greg is a lifelong student and advocate of critical thinking — he leads workshops and helps organizations embed the principles in the work they do. He lives in Calgary, Alberta.
This article was published on October 14, 2015.
One response to “The Passing of a Critical Thinking Giant: Richard Paul (1937–2015)”
What are the “Top Ten Ways to Impair Student Learning”? I can’t find any reference to it on the web, not even at the Centre for Critical Thinking.
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Critical thinking
What every person needs to survive in a rapidly changing world, by richard paul and linda elder.
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Ideas to Action (i2a)
- Paul-Elder Critical Thinking Framework
Critical thinking is that mode of thinking – about any subject, content, or problem — in which the thinker improves the quality of his or her thinking by skillfully taking charge of the structures inherent in thinking and imposing intellectual standards upon them. (Paul and Elder, 2001). The Paul-Elder framework has three components:
- The elements of thought (reasoning)
- The intellectual standards that should be applied to the elements of reasoning
- The intellectual traits associated with a cultivated critical thinker that result from the consistent and disciplined application of the intellectual standards to the elements of thought
According to Paul and Elder (1997), there are two essential dimensions of thinking that students need to master in order to learn how to upgrade their thinking. They need to be able to identify the "parts" of their thinking, and they need to be able to assess their use of these parts of thinking.
Elements of Thought (reasoning)
The "parts" or elements of thinking are as follows:
- All reasoning has a purpose
- All reasoning is an attempt to figure something out, to settle some question, to solve some problem
- All reasoning is based on assumptions
- All reasoning is done from some point of view
- All reasoning is based on data, information and evidence
- All reasoning is expressed through, and shaped by, concepts and ideas
- All reasoning contains inferences or interpretations by which we draw conclusions and give meaning to data
- All reasoning leads somewhere or has implications and consequences
Universal Intellectual Standards
The intellectual standards that are to these elements are used to determine the quality of reasoning. Good critical thinking requires having a command of these standards. According to Paul and Elder (1997 ,2006), the ultimate goal is for the standards of reasoning to become infused in all thinking so as to become the guide to better and better reasoning. The intellectual standards include:
Intellectual Traits
Consistent application of the standards of thinking to the elements of thinking result in the development of intellectual traits of:
- Intellectual Humility
- Intellectual Courage
- Intellectual Empathy
- Intellectual Autonomy
- Intellectual Integrity
- Intellectual Perseverance
- Confidence in Reason
- Fair-mindedness
Characteristics of a Well-Cultivated Critical Thinker
Habitual utilization of the intellectual traits produce a well-cultivated critical thinker who is able to:
- Raise vital questions and problems, formulating them clearly and precisely
- Gather and assess relevant information, using abstract ideas to interpret it effectively
- Come to well-reasoned conclusions and solutions, testing them against relevant criteria and standards;
- Think open-mindedly within alternative systems of thought, recognizing and assessing, as need be, their assumptions, implications, and practical consequences; and
- Communicate effectively with others in figuring out solutions to complex problems
Paul, R. and Elder, L. (2010). The Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking Concepts and Tools. Dillon Beach: Foundation for Critical Thinking Press.
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The Thinker's Guide to Intellectual Standards
The words that name them and the criteria that define them, linda elder and richard paul, also available.
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Critical Thinking: Concepts and Tools by Richard Paul & Linda Elder The Miniature Guide to The Foundation for Critical Thinking www.criticalthinking.org 707-878-9100 [email protected]
For more information, see: The Miniature Guide to The Foundation for Critical Thinking www.criticalthinking.org 707-878-9100 [email protected] Visual Map of Paul-Elder Critical Thinking Model: https://louisville.edu/ideastoaction/about/criticalthinking/framework
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A Brief History of the Idea of Critical Thinking
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COMMENTS
Dr. Richard Paul. Dr. Richard Paul was Director of Research and Professional Development at the Center for Critical Thinking, and was Chair of the National Council for Excellence in Critical Thinking. His body of work, including eight books and over 200 articles, established him as an internationally-recognized authority on critical thinking.
Critical thinking is the analysis of available facts, evidence, observations, and arguments in order to form a judgement by the application of rational, skeptical, and unbiased analyses and evaluation. [1] In modern times, the use of the phrase critical thinking can be traced to John Dewey, who used the phrase reflective thinking. [2] The application of critical thinking includes self-directed ...
Richard W. Paul is a leading scholar in critical thinking. Since the early 1980's Paul has worked to advance the concept of fair-minded critical thinking through is work at the Center and Foundation for Critical Thinking, both of which he founded. Dr. Paul has received four degrees and has given lectures on critical thinking at many
Since skeptics talk a lot about critical thinking it is important to note that the world of critical thinking lost a significant champion on August 30th 2015. After a lengthy battle with Parkinson's disease Dr. Richard Paul passed away. Richard was the founder and iconic force behind the Foundation for Critical Thinking, headquartered in ...
A Brief Definition: Critical thinking is the art of analyzing and evaluating thinking with a view to improving it. A well-cultivated critical thinker: communicates effectively with others in figuring out solutions to complex problems. Critical thinking is, in short, self-directed, self-disciplined, self-monitored, and self-corrective thinking.
Richard Paul changed the face and the practice of critical thinking for hundreds of thousands of educators, professionals, and reflective persons across the world. In this paper I describe Paul's goals and, briefly, some of his achievements in articulating his robust approach to critical thinking. I focus primarily on its direct orientation to practicality; its comprehensiveness, its ...
The late Richard Paul was arguably the most well-known and influential person in the history of the critical thinking movement. This reflection on and tribute to his work focuses on Paul's genius in applying his knowledge of important works in the history of philosophy to the development of a robust conception of critical thinking, one that has wide appeal, not only to philosophers, but to ...
Tomales, CA. The Foundation for Critical Thinking is saddened to announce the death of our Founder, Dr. Richard William Paul, who died quietly in his sleep on August 30, 2015. Paul suffered from Parkinson's Disease. Richard W. Paul was a philosopher and an international authority on critical thinking. Since the early 1980's Paul has worked to
The memorial service for Dr. Paul was held in Tomales, California on September 3, 2015. Richard William Paul. Obituary. September 1, 2015. Tomales, CA. The Foundation for Critical Thinking is saddened to announce the death of our Founder, Dr. Richard William Paul, who died quietly in his sleep on August 30, 2015.
Key words: Richard Paul, critical thinking, practicality I first met Richard Paul in the year 1982. He was using my book Reasons and Arguments in his undergraduate course, and he invited me to present at the Second International Conference on Critical Thinking and Educational Reform. He was just then beginning to articulate his conception of
Later in the same year, she developed an original stage theory of critical thinking development, which was later expanded along with Richard Paul in 1995. [ 5 ] [ 6 ] She has written, with coauthor Richard Paul, 23 thinker's guides to critical thinking and four books, which provided her the early success.
Beginning in his PhD program, and over a period of years in the 1960s, Richard Paul thoughtfully examined and deliberately critiqued existing theories of logic and reasoning. He took what was a very narrow conception of reasoning and broadened it to more accurately represent human thinking when people reason. He captured the idea of universal intellectual standards by exploring standards ...
This powerful book introduces core critical thinking concepts and principles as an empowering problem-solving framework for every profession, course of study, and indeed every area of life. The Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking Concepts and Tools distills the groundbreaking work of Richard Paul and Linda Elder, targeting how to deconstruct thinking through the elements of reasoning and how ...
Critical thinking: what every person needs to survive in a rapidly changing world. 1990, Center for Critical Thinking and Moral Critique, Sonoma State University. in English. 0944583040 9780944583043. aaaa. Preview Only. Libraries near you: WorldCat. 1.
"Through their elegant and readable style, Dr. Linda Elder and Dr. Richard Paul, preeminent leaders in the Critical Thinking Community, show us how to objectively and honestly navigate the 'terrain' of critical thinking . . . to better employ the essential skills and art of critical thinking to enhance our self awareness, and our
Richard Paul. Richard Paul is director of the Center for Critical Thinking and Moral Critique, Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, California. ... Richard Paul is director of the Center for Critical Thinking and Moral Critique, Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, California. Search for more papers by this author. First published: Spring ...
thinking. But critical thinking, as Richard Paul had presented it, could be presented so it appealed to almost everyone in academe. To be against critical thinking would be akin to opposing something like "teaching children the ABCs." We traditional philosophers, who had been arguing for much the same things
The Paul-Elder framework has three components: According to Paul and Elder (1997), there are two essential dimensions of thinking that students need to master in order to learn how to upgrade their thinking. They need to be able to identify the "parts" of their thinking, and they need to be able to assess their use of these parts of thinking.
Keywords: critical thinking, Richard Paul, critical thinking studies, Philosophy, critical societies, egocentricity, sociocentricity I. Introduction Richard Paul died in the fall of 2015. It is safe to say that during his life Paul contributed more to the development of the explicit concept and theory of critical thinking
Dr. Richard Paul was a leading proponent of critical thinking and, through his work and legacy, remains a distinguished thinker in the field. He founded the Center for Critical Thinking at Sonoma State University in 1980, followed by the Foundation for Critical Thinking. He developed concepts, principles, and theory essential to a robust and ...
Critical thinking is an intellectually disciplined process of actively and skilfully conceptualising, applying, analysing and evaluating information gathered from or generated by observation, experience, reflection, reasoning or communication, as a guide to belief and action.
ConCepts and tools. By Dr. Richard Paul and Dr. Linda Elder. The Foundation for Critical Thinking. www.criticalthinking.org 707-878-9100 [email protected]. Why A Critical Thinking Mini-Guide? This miniature guide focuses on of the essence of critical thinking concepts and tools distilled into pocket size.
The intellectual roots of critical thinking are as ancient as its etymology, traceable, ultimately, to the teaching practice and vision of Socrates 2,500 years ago who discovered by a method of probing questioning that people could not rationally justify their confident claims to knowledge. Confused meanings, inadequate evidence, or self ...