On Crafting Introductory Remarks: Developing a Synthetic Conception of Critical Thinking

This article argues that philosophy instructors in general, and critical thinking instructors in particular, profit from developing concise preparatory remarks for introductory classes. To this end, it argues for two simple, but effective, introductory descriptions of philosophy: (1) talking about how we do what we do and why we do what we do, and (2) critical thinking applied to writing. Of particular interest with respect to the second formulation is an introductory treatment of the concept of thinking, emphasizing critical thinking as a synthetic as well as analytic activity. The article also includes a suggested application of its thesis, namely, “the index‐card exercise,” in which students engage in philosophical writing from day one of an introductory course, and use the results to structure and write philosophical papers.