environmental science chapter 9 critical thinking

Critical Thinking

• First Online: 21 December 2019

Cite this chapter

• Jennifer Pontius 3 &
• Alan McIntosh 4  

Part of the book series: Springer Textbooks in Earth Sciences, Geography and Environment ((STEGE))

1077 Accesses

1 Altmetric

Environmental problems are often complex, requiring critical thinking to identify and evaluate various courses of action difficult problems. Objectively analyzing facts, evaluating evidence rationally, skillfully assessing and reconstructing your own thinking, and making logical, reasoned judgments are some of the attributes of a critical thinker. Personal characteristics of a critical thinker include curiosity, skepticism, and self-awareness of personal or cognitive bias. Asking the right questions and challenging your own suppositions can pay dividends when you take on complicated environmental problems.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

• Available as PDF
• Read on any device
• Instant download
• Own it forever
• Available as EPUB and PDF
• Compact, lightweight edition
• Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
• Free shipping worldwide - see info
• Durable hardcover edition

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Additional Information

The Conversation article on why critical thinking needs to spread beyond science http://theconversation.com/thinking-critically-on-critical-thinking-why-scientists-skills-need-to-spread-15005

New Science article on applying critical thinking in life, not just science. https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22830513-600-critical-thinking-is-needed-throughout-life-not-just-in-science/

The Foundation for Critical Thinking: Introduction to critical thinking. http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/college-and-university-students/799

The Foundation for Critical Thinking: Becoming a critic of your own thinking. http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/becoming-a-critic-of-your-thinking/478

Valuable intellectual traits. http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/valuable-intellectual-traits/528

Duron, R., Limbach, B. and W. Waugh. 2016. Critical thinking framework for any discipline. Intern. J. Teaching Learning Higher Ed. 17.2:160–166.

Google Scholar  

Dwyer, C.P., Hogan, M.J. and I. Stewart. 2014. An integrated critical thinking framework for the 21st century. Thinking Skills and Creativity 12: 43-52.

Article   Google Scholar  

Gabennesch, R. 2006. “Critical thinking: What is it good for?” (In fact, what is it?). Skeptical Inquirer 30(2): March–April.

Cohen, M. 2015. Critical Thinking Skills for Dummies. Wiley. ISBN 978-1-118-92472-3.

Martin, R.M. 1997. Scientific Thinking. Broadview Press. ISBN 1-987-1551111308.

Paul, R. and L. Elder. 2012. The Thinker’s Guide to Scientific Thinking. Based on Critical Thinking Concepts & Principles. Foundation for Critical Thinking. Thinker’s Guide Library. ISBN 13-978-0944583180.

Download references

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

Research Associate Professor Director Environmental Science Program Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA

Jennifer Pontius

Professor Emeritus, Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA

Alan McIntosh

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Pontius, J., McIntosh, A. (2020). Critical Thinking. In: Critical Skills for Environmental Professionals. Springer Textbooks in Earth Sciences, Geography and Environment. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28542-5_4

Download citation

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28542-5_4

Published : 21 December 2019

Publisher Name : Springer, Cham

Print ISBN : 978-3-030-28541-8

Online ISBN : 978-3-030-28542-5

eBook Packages : Earth and Environmental Science Earth and Environmental Science (R0)

Share this chapter

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

• Publish with us

Policies and ethics

• Find a journal
• Track your research

Chapter 1: Environmental Science and Critical Thinking

1.1 Encouraging Signs/Continuing Challenges

Although there are some signs of improvement, the vast majority of the environmental trends show signs of movement away from sustainability.

There are many positive changes in perception and policy that have led to real progress in solving local, regional, and global environmental problems. Unfortunately, the problems still outweigh the solutions.

1.2 What is Environmental Science?

Environmental Science is a multidisciplinary endeavor that seeks to understand and solve a wide range of environmental problems.

1.3 Science and Scientific Method: Keys to Understanding Environmental Issues and Creating Lasting Solutions

Science is a body of knowledge and a method of acquiring further knowledge about the world around us.

Scientific Method: The Basis of Good Science Scientific knowledge is often gained through a deliberate process of observation and measurement, which leads scientists to formulate hypotheses that can then be tested through experiments. This is a form of inductive reasoning.

Experimentation: Testing Hypotheses Experiments enable scientists to test hypotheses and gain new knowledge, but experiments must be carried out very carefully. Good experiments often require control and experimental groups. Studies on the effects of chemicals on humans are often performed by comparing carefully selected groups of individuals exposed at work or at home to individuals of the same sex and age who were not exposed. These are known as epidemiological studies.

Scientific Theories and Paradigms As scientific knowledge accumulates, scientists are able to formulate theories that explain their observations. Overarching theories or paradigms emerge and profoundly shape scientific thought and our perceptions of reality.

Science and Values Scientists seek to be objective in their work so that science is fact-based and value-free. However, biases do cloud objectivity at times. Nonetheless, scientific knowledge can also affect human values. 1.4 Critical Thinking Skills

Critical thinking is an acquired skill that helps us analyze issues and discern the validity of experimental results and assertions.

Gather All Information Critical thinking requires one to know as much information about an issue as possible before rendering an opinion or making a decision.

Understand All Terms To think critically about an issue, one must understand the terms and concepts related to it.

Question the Methods Critical thinking requires that we know how information has been acquired and that we question the methods by which it was derived.

Question the Source Critical thinking requires one to search for hidden biases and assumptions that may influence one’s understanding of an issue or interpretation of data.

Question the Conclusions Critical thinking requires us to question the conclusions drawn from facts to see if other interpretations might be possible.

Tolerate Uncertainty Our knowledge of the world around us is evolving, so it is necessary to accept uncertainty as an inevitable fact of life and make decisions with the best information possible.

Examine the Big Picture To become a critical thinker it is necessary to examine the big picture – relationships and entire systems.

• _10+2 EVS LECTURER
• _SCIENTIST-A IN PCB

Critical Thinking Skills in Environmental Sciences

A Problem well stated is a problem half solved. - Charles Kittering

Critical Thinking Skills

•       One of the chief tools a good scientist (and many a great thinker) has is a skill called critical thinking.

•       Critical thinking is a capacity to distinguish between beliefs (What we think is true) and knowledge(facts that are backed by accurate observation and valid experimentation).thus critical thinking helps us separate judgment from facts.

•       Critical thinking involves subjecting facts and conclusions to careful analysis, looking for weakness in logic and other errors of reasoning.

•       Critical thinking skills are essential in analysing a wide range of environmental problems, issues, and information.So how can one think critically?

•       Clearly, there is no single formula. however, most critical thinkers would agree that several steps contribute to this process.

Key concept : critical thinking is an acquired skill that helps us analyse issues and discern the validity of experimental results and assertions.

  Critical thinking rules or principles or steps

1. Gather all information.

•       Dig deeper.

•       Learn all you can before you decide.

•       Don’t mistake ignorance for perspective.

2. Understand all terms.

•       Define all terms you use.

•       Be sure you understand terms and concepts others use.

3.Question how information/ facts were derived

•       Were they derived from scientific studies?

•       Were the studies well conceived and carried out?

•       Were there an adequate number of subjects?

•       Was there a control group and an experimental group?

•       Has the study been repeated successfully?

4.Question the source of information

•       Is the source invested in the outcome of issue?

•       Is the source biased?

•       Do underlying assumptions affect the view point of the source?

5.Question the conclusions.

•       Do the facts support the conclusion?

•       Correlation doesn’t necessarily mean causation.

6.Expect and tolerate uncertainty .

•       Hard and fast answers are not always possible.

•       Learn to be comfortable with not knowing.

7.Examine the big picture.

•       Study the whole system.

•       Look for hidden causes and effects.

•       Avoid simplistic thinking.

•       Avoid dualistic thinking.

Key concept : to be a critical thinker it is necessary to examine the big picture- relationships and entire systems.

To be ignorant of one’s ignorance is the malady of the ignorant. -Bronson Alcott

Contact form

Who is an essay writer? 3 types of essay writers

Customer Reviews

Our team of writers is native English speakers from countries such as the US with higher education degrees and go through precise testing and trial period. When working with EssayService you can be sure that our professional writers will adhere to your requirements and overcome your expectations. Pay your hard-earned money only for educational writers.

4 reasons to write my essay with us!

You are always welcome to check some of our previously done projects given on our website and then judge it for yourself. Apart from that, we can give you 4 significant reasons to be a part of our customer base:

• Only professional ‘my essay writer', who are highly qualified and a master in their academic field, will write for you
• Quality control is rigorously maintained by us and is thoroughly aligned with the given question brief and instructions.
• We will also provide you with a thorough Plagiarism report by the Turnitin software which will ensure the originality of the draft
• You are free to revise your draft with us till you are contented with the subject matter.

1555 Lakeside Drive, Oakland

Extra spacious rarely available courtyard facing unit at the Lakeside…

Finished Papers

Our team of paper writers consists only of native speakers coming from countries such as the US or Canada. But being proficient in English isn't the only requirement we have for an essay writer. All professionals working for us have a higher degree from a top institution or are current university professors. They go through a challenging hiring process which includes a diploma check, a successful mock-task completion, and two interviews. Once the writer passes all of the above, they begin their training, and only after its successful completion do they begin taking "write an essay for me" orders.

Customer Reviews

offers a great selection of professional essay writing services. Take advantage of original, plagiarism-free essay writing. Also, separate editing and proofreading services are available, designed for those students who did an essay and seek professional help with polishing it to perfection. In addition, a number of additional essay writing services are available to boost your customer experience to the maximum!

Advanced writer

Add more quality to your essay or be able to obtain a new paper within a day by requesting a top or premium writer to work on your order. The option will increase the price of your order but the final result will be totally worth it.

Top order status

Every day, we receive dozens of orders. To process every order, we need time. If you’re in a great hurry or seek premium service, then choose this additional service. As a result, we’ll process your order and assign a great writer as soon as it’s placed. Maximize your time by giving your order a top status!

SMS updates

Have you already started to write my essay? When it will be finished? If you have occasional questions like that, then opt-in for SMS order status updates to be informed regarding every stage of the writing process. If you’re pressed for time, then we recommend adding this extra to your order.

Plagiarism report

Is my essay original? How do I know it’s Turnitin-ready? Very simple – order us to attach a detailed plagiarism report when work is done so you could rest assured the paper is authentic and can be uploaded to Turnitin without hesitating.

1-page summary

World’s peace isn’t riding on essay writing. If you don’t have any intent on reading the entire 2000-word essay that we did for you, add a 1-page summary to your order, which will be a short overview of your essay one paragraph long, just to be in the loop.

How to Order Our Online Writing Services.

There is nothing easier than using our essay writer service. Here is how everything works at :

• You fill out an order form. Make sure to provide us with all the details. If you have any comments or additional files, upload them. This will help your writer produce the paper that will exactly meet your needs.
• You pay for the order with our secure payment system.
• Once we receive the payment confirmation, we assign an appropriate writer to work on your project. You can track the order's progress in real-time through the personal panel. Also, there is an option to communicate with your writer, share additional files, and clarify all the details.
• As soon as the paper is done, you receive a notification. Now, you can read its preview version carefully in your account. If you are satisfied with our professional essay writing services, you confirm the order and download the final version of the document to your computer. If, however, you consider that any alterations are needed, you can always request a free revision. All our clients can use free revisions within 14 days after delivery. Please note that the author will revise your paper for free only if the initial requirements for the paper remain unchanged. If the revision is not applicable, we will unconditionally refund your account. However, our failure is very unlikely since almost all of our orders are completed issue-free and we have 98% satisfied clients.

As you can see, you can always turn to us with a request "Write essay for me" and we will do it. We will deliver a paper of top quality written by an expert in your field of study without delays. Furthermore, we will do it for an affordable price because we know that students are always looking for cheap services. Yes, you can write the paper yourself but your time and nerves are worth more!

We use cookies to make your user experience better. By staying on our website, you fully accept it. Learn more .

Customer Reviews

4 reasons to write my essay with us!

You are always welcome to check some of our previously done projects given on our website and then judge it for yourself. Apart from that, we can give you 4 significant reasons to be a part of our customer base:

• Only professional ‘my essay writer', who are highly qualified and a master in their academic field, will write for you
• Quality control is rigorously maintained by us and is thoroughly aligned with the given question brief and instructions.
• We will also provide you with a thorough Plagiarism report by the Turnitin software which will ensure the originality of the draft
• You are free to revise your draft with us till you are contented with the subject matter.