Raymond-Seniuk C, Profetto-McGrath J. Can one learn to think critically? - a philosophical exploration.
Open Nurs J 2011;
5:45-51. [PMID:
21760871 PMCID:
PMC3134988 DOI:
10.2174/1874434601105010045]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2011] [Revised: 05/18/2011] [Accepted: 05/19/2011] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Within nursing, critical thinking is a required skill that educators strive to foster in their students' development for use in complex healthcare settings. Hence the numerous studies published measuring critical thinking as a terminal outcome of education. However, an important comparison between different philosophical underpinnings such as person, truth and the nature of nursing, and how one defines and utilizes critical thinking in practice, has been absent from discussions about critical thinking and learning. When one views critical thinking with varying philosophical lenses, important questions are raised and discussion is expanded. These questions illuminate different perspectives of critical thinking and attempt to explore whether critical thinking can be learned in nursing. The implications of taking a single philosophical viewpoint and a pluralistic approach to understanding critical thinking and learning are explored.
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