Critical Thinking , A Checklist for Safety

Many people think they are good critical thinkers. This is because the common definitions of critical thinking is not based on critical theory. Typically, critical thinking is defined as:

… a kind of thinking in which you question, analyse, interpret, evaluate and make a judgement about what you read, hear, say, or write

Another definition is:

Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action. In its exemplary form, it is based on universal intellectual values that transcend subject matter divisions: clarity, accuracy, precision, consistency, relevance, sound evidence, good reasons, depth, breadth, and fairness. (https://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/defining-critical-thinking/766 )

Interestingly, common definitions don’t involve: the contesting of ideas, testing assumptions, deconstructing Discourse, semio-ethics or socio-political constructs.

Often, what one thinks of critical thinking depends on: source, tradition, discipline and experience in Historiography.

So many of the approaches to so called ‘critical thinking’ amount to little more than problem solving. This ‘spectrum’ of critical thinking was covered by Dr Ashhurst at the SPoR Convention in September (https://safetyrisk.net/access-to-spor-convention-2025-videos-online/). In his presentations, Craig used the semiotic of a prism to rainbow to capture the many approaches to critical thinking.

He also discussed critical thinking ‘dispositions’ as a way to better understand the dimensions and breath of how ‘critical thinking’ is defined.

He also helped participants surface which particular strategy/definition of critical thinking, was being used.

In many of the traditional Disciplines (eg. engineering and science) people seem to accept that there is only one form of critical thinking, and that is the form anchored to the discipline from which one originates.

Dr Ashhurst went further to demonstrate how across-disciplinary thinking (Transdisciplinarity) helps surface how multiple traditions and disciplines understand ‘critical thinking’.

He then investigated ten common models of critical thinking and the need for developing a sense of ‘collective coherence’ when considering critical thinking. This is particularly important when trying to tackle ‘wicked problems’ (https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/wicked-problem/about/What-is-a-wicked-problem).

If you want access to Dr Ashurst’s presentations and slides, email here: admin@spor.com.au

Then, in his presentations, Dr Long went even deeper into Worldviews, Social Psychological. Socio-political and Semio-ethical approaches to critical thinking. He also started with teaching how to use the iThink Clock Method© for critical thinking.

Once this method is learned, one is able to really ‘pull apart’, deconstruct and reconstruct ideas in the kind of thinking most associated with socio-psychological, semiotic and ethical traditions. None of these approaches are found anywhere in the risk and safety industry curriculum. So when SPoR speaks of ‘critical thinking’ it is not referring to traditional approaches to problem solving and analysis.

In order to help with understanding the SPoR approach to critical thinking, the following checklist is helpful:

• Can you ‘deconstruct’ text, in writing and person?
• Have you some background study in Linguistics and Para-linguistics?
• Can you analyse both argument and assumptions in Discourse?
• Have you undertaken education in critical theory and cultural theory?
• Can think beyond compliance, regulation and cultural norms?
• Are you focused on compliance and agreement?
• Do you understand social-political discourse and the power in Discourse?
• Have you been ‘indoctrinated’ in the safety curriculum?
• Do not have post nominals demonstrating safety indoctrination?
• Do understand propaganda, historiography and the nature of evidence?
• Have studied majors in social sciences and humanities?
• Do you hold a heavy and healthy sense of scepticism?
• Do you read and research outside of the discipline of safety?
• Do you know about semiotics, religious studies and anthropology of mythology?
• Are imagination, intelligence, creativity, intuition, emotion and symbology outside of the confines of engineering and scientism important to you?

All of these are critical to thinking in the tradition of social psychology, ethics, religious studies and social-politics.

If any of this is of interest, to you can request access to all the videos, presentations, workshops and resources on critical thinking in SPoR by emailing here: admin@spor.com.au

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Prof. Robert Long

Expert in Social Psychology, Principal & Trainer at Human Dymensions

Latest posts by Prof. Robert Long (see all)

• You Don’t Do AI, AI Does You! Where Next for Safety? - November 14, 2025
• The Myths of Safety Investigations and the Taste of Sausages - November 11, 2025
• Where is Your Energy Focused in Safety? - November 10, 2025
• AI Looks Back, as Does Safety so, Where Will Innovation Come From? - November 9, 2025
• An Introduction to Semiotics and Risk - November 9, 2025

PhD., MEd., MOH., BEd., BTh., Dip T., Dip Min., Cert IV TAA, MRMIA Rob is the founder of Human Dymensions and has extensive experience, qualifications and expertise across a range of sectors including government, education, corporate, industry and community sectors over 30 years. Rob has worked at all levels of the education and training sector including serving on various post graduate executive, post graduate supervision, post graduate course design and implementation programs.