Skilled Thinker Essay

According to Paul and Elder (2013), there are three types of thinkers: the uncritical persons (or the intellectually unskilled thinkers); skilled manipulators (or weak-sense critical thinkers); and fairminded critical persons (strong-sense critical thinkers) (pp. 299-301).

An uncritical or intellectually unskilled thinker is conditioned in his beliefs. He hasn’t examined or analyzed what he believes or why he believes it; rather his beliefs are a result of things he has experienced passively, and have been influenced by stereotypes and prejudices. He is irrationally motivated by things that serve him well personally, such as vanity, arrogance and entitlement. He is often defensive in his behavior when his beliefs are questioned or confronted.
They pursue their self-interests without considering the negative impact on others. They have much in common with the intellectually unskilled thinkers, but they are generally more educated, more intelligent, better speakers and are more instinctively insightful. They look to influence the thoughts and beliefs of others by manipulating and controlling the information provided them and the way it is provided. Other names for skilled manipulators are “spin master, con artist, sophist, propagandist, indoctrinator, demagogue, and often, politician” (Paul & Elder, 2013, p.
This type of thinker rejects the manipulation and controlling of others, and combines “critical thought, fairmindedness, self-insight, and a genuine desire to serve the public good” (Paul & Elder, 2013, p. 301). They are interested in all points of view, and actively seek a better, more principled and ethical world. Fairminded people have worked on becoming that way, developing their thinking with a desire to self-improve and to influence others for good. They want manipulative thinkers exposed, and to educate others on how to identify and guard against skilled