TOPIC:   Critical Thinking – A Quick Course

SPEAKER: Pierce Howard, Ph.D

Beginning with a definition of critical thinking–and in the spirit of critical thinking, Pierce will offer several definitions. What it is, and what it is not.

The core is questioning, so we will explore the world of asking questions that most support critical thinking. Then Pierce will identify obstacles to thinking critically, followed by qualities that foster critical thinking.

This all leads up to identifying System I (instincts) and System II (processes) mental functions, what Daniel Kahneman described in his Thinking, Fast and Slow (2013). We will close with a daily tool bag that includes five basic skills of critical thinking.

NOTE: This meeting is Zoom only. PUMC is closed on 3/14/2025.

BIOGRAPHY

Pierce J. Howard, PhD, was born in Kinston, North Carolina. Making his way through public schools, he learned to love reading, writing, mathematics, music, and nature. Four years at Davidson College stoked his passion for literature, music, philosophy, and psychology. Three years in the U.S. Army as a Military Intelligence Specialist molded his penchant for research and investigation. During graduate school at East Carolina University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he changed his major from literature to educational psychology.

His first job was with the North Carolina Advancement School in Winston-Salem. Moving to Charlotte in 1977 to teach at West Charlotte, Pierce then co-founded LEAD (long E) Associates in 1979. Between arriving in Charlotte and retiring, Pierce also served as an adjunct professor at UNC–Charlotte, Pfeiffer University, and most recently the McColl School of Business at Queens University.

In 1986, along with his wife, Jane, he started a consulting company, now named Paradigm Personality Labs. Over 32 years, they offered training, team building, coaching, and personnel research to clients on six continents. In 1994, Pierce wrote and published The Owner’s Manual for the Brain, now in its 4th edition and published by William Morrow. He even appeared as a guest on “Oprah” in1995. Subsequently, he wrote more than 20 books. The Howards’ core service has been through several personality assessments that they developed: the WorkPlace Big Five Profile, the SchoolPlace Big Five Profile, the WorkPlace Values Profile, and the WorkPlace Performance 360. In 2018, Pierce retired as the Chief Innovations Officer at Paradigm, but in retirement, he’s now writing The Owner’s Manual for Critical Thinking.