Abstract
Richard Nisbett's The Geography of Thought is one of several recent works that have highlighted purported differences in thinking patterns between East Asians and Westerners on the basis of empirical research. This has implications for teaching and for other issues such as cultural integration. Based on a framework consisting of three distinct notions of rationality, this paper argues that some of the differences alleged by Nisbett are either not real or exaggerated, and that his geography of thought fails to provide an adequate account of thinking styles across cultures. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications for teaching and learning critical thinking that can be drawn from the framework developed.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 308-403 |
| Journal | Educational Philosophy and Theory |
| Volume | 39 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2007 |
Bibliographical note
Full text of this publication does not contain sufficient affiliation information. With consent from the author(s) concerned, the Research Unit(s) information for this record is based on the existing academic department affiliation of the author(s).Research Keywords
- Geography of thought
- Western thinking styles
- Asian thinking styles
- Richard Nisbett