CRITICAL THINKING
Lesson 1: Why is Critical Thinking Important?
INTRODUCTION
"What we must do is to survey all those gifts of mind and temperament that in combination bear upon military activity."
- Vom Kriege, On War
, 100
Carl von Clausewitz (1780-1831)
Critical thinking skills are transferable to a wide range of experiences one can reasonably expect to encounter through the course of a military career. For that
reason, the ability to think critically has been of recognized value by great captains and scholars of military science alike. Engaging with ideas about levels of
learning and introducing problem solving models helps display the importance of critical thinking and lay a foundation for further learning.
WHY IS CRITICAL THINKING IMPORTANT?
Maj Gen George A. Custer
The content for Lesson 1 is a three-part video lecture by Dr. Matthew Stafford entitled "Critical Thinking: Something to Think About." Dr. Stafford is the Dean of
Faculty at the Federal Executive Institute in Charlottesville, Virginia. Previously, he was Director of Planning and Programming for the Spaatz Center, Air University,
and was also Chief Academic Officer for Squadron Officer College. REQUIRED MATERIAL
Stafford, Critical Thinking: Something to Think About, Part 1 (2012) (2022)
Stafford, Critical Thinking: Something to Think About, Part 2 (2012) (2022)
Stafford, Critical Thinking: Something to Think About, Part 3 (2012) (2022)
CONCLUSION
This lesson has presented a broad explanation of why critical thinking is important to military leaders. A lecture by Dr. Matthew Stafford provided the primary content
for the lesson. Dr. Stafford's lecture described how a deficiency in critical thinking led to defeat in two historic battles and how one of those defeats was the impetus
for a young army officer, Carl von Clausewitz, to formulate a broad theory of warfare based on principles of critical thinking. Dr. Stafford also summarized some
prominent problem-solving models (e.g., Col. John Boyd's OODA Loop) used by the Air Force and Space Force, explaining in general terms their ability to both help
- and hinder - the decision-making process.
The next lesson will provide an in-depth examination of critical thinking by introducing the six basic critical thinking skills and then linking them to the OODA Loop.
The lesson will also focus on the primary obstacles to critical thinking and how these can be overcome.
