How to Write Critical Thinking Papers
For a critical thinking paper to have authority, it must demonstrate a systematic procedure through which a conclusion was derived. Therefore, to arrive at an authoritative conclusion, you need to understand the purpose of writing a critical thinking paper.
The purpose of writing a critical thinking paper is to arrive at the truth through following systematic processes. You need to keep in mind the point of view of your audience in order to present your paper effectively.
The experiences or exposure we have been through play a critical role in influencing our opinions. Therefore, we must make sure that this does not reflect in the critical thinking papers that we write.
After understanding the purpose of critical thinking writing, follow the steps below to come up with an acceptable conclusion.
Understand the claim. The claim can be either descriptive or prescriptive. Descriptive claims state the status of events while the prescriptive state how events should be.
Evaluate if the claim is objective or subjective. Is the claim centralized to one person or is the view held by many across a wide audience?
Is the claim absolute or relative? Absolute implies that there is a specific status of events and they do not vary by any chance. On the other hand, relative implies there is a certain status of events but it is bound to vary based on some factors.
Establish whether the claim is true or false. If the claim is true it agrees with the reality while if it is false it contradicts what is known as reality.
Methods of reasoning
The following are methods of deductive reasoning;
- Transitivity
- Modes tollens (denial)
- Modes ponens (affirming)
- Valid disjunctive syllogism
Based on the requirements of your study, or they claim you are investigating; choose the most suitable method for writing your critical thinking assignment.