Joining Our Nation Definitions

Plain Speaking

If you say that someone is plain-spoken, you mean that they say exactly what they think, even when they know that what they say may not please other people. Taken from Collins English Dictionary.

Critical Thinking

A well cultivated critical thinker:

• raises vital questions and problems, formulating them clearly and precisely;
• gathers and assesses relevant information, using abstract ideas to interpret it effectively comes to well-reasoned conclusions and solutions, testing them against relevant criteria and standards;
• thinks openmindedly within alternative systems of thought, recognizing and assessing, as need be, their assumptions, implications, and practical consequences; and
• communicates effectively with others in figuring out solutions to complex problems.

Taken from Richard Paul and Linda Elder, The Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking Concepts and Tools, Foundation for Critical Thinking Press, 2008, cited by CriticalThinking.org.

Civic Engagement

Civic engagement describes how individuals become involved in their community to make a positive difference in the lives of their fellow citizens. Drawing on the ideology of communitarianism, the active involvement of people through civic engagement seeks to secure the common good. Taken from Thoughtco.com.

Ethical Living

Ethics seeks to resolve questions of human morality by defining concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, and justice and crime. Taken from Wikipedia – Ethics.