Critical Thinking and Subject Specificity: Clarification and Needed Research

TLDR

Critical thinking’s subject specificity is considered practically and theoretically important, yet its definition remains unclear and discussions are often contradictory. The paper clarifies subject specificity by distinguishing domain, epistemological, and conceptual versions and proposes research avenues to address their vagueness. The author finds that while domain and epistemological versions offer useful insights, all three suffer from excessive vagueness regarding their core concepts.

Abstract

The claim that critical thinking is subject specific appears, to be of practical importance and theoretical interest. Its meaning is unclear, however, and discussions of its are often confusing and at cross purposes. In an attempt to clarify the topic, Ennis offers a number of distinctions, including a distinction among three versions of subject specificity: domain, epistemological, and conceptual subject specificity. He holds that the first two versions contain valuable insights, but that all three suffer from excessive vagueness of their basic concept (domain, field, and subject, respectively). If the proposed clarification and critique are appropriate, then a number of avenues of research—at both practical and theoretical levels—need to be pursued, some of which are outlined in this essay