We explain what the criterion is, the origin of the term and its various meanings. Also, what is an evaluation criterion and the lack of criteria.
What is the criterion?
With the word criterion, in general, we refer to a norm or scale from which it is possible to know the truth or make a decision determined. What we need to take into account, or that should be considered in a timely manner, make up the criteria with which we make or judge a matter.
This word comes from Greek kriterionwith the same meaning, and which in turn comes from the Greek verb krineintranslatable as “sieve”, “divide” or “separate”. Seen this way, the criterion is figuratively that which helps us to classify, divide or separate a matter into its parts.
For example, if we must organize a set of books on a library shelf, we can apply an alphabetical criterion by titles or by authors, an editorial criterion (according to the company that published them), or even a thematic criterion, thus creating compartments or classifications. among which all the books are distributed.
The criteria for a matter, therefore, can be immensely varied and are part of the rational apparatus with which human beings face reality and formulate judgments, opinions or thoughts. That is why people often “change their criteria”, that is, they change the parameters with which they judge a reality and therefore also change their opinion or verdict about it.
Hence, the word criterion ended up being more or less synonymous with “opinion” or “point of view”, and also with rationality or good sense: when someone does something “according to their criteria”, we understand that they do it according to their understanding, as product of a decision made consciously.
The same thing happens, in the opposite sense, when it is said that someone “lacks judgment” (that is, has no idea) or has “poor judgment” (that is, they think little or badly about things).
Evaluation criteria
The evaluation criteria, as can be seen from the previous explanation, are the scales that we use when determining a result, especially of an exam, a test or an evaluation of some type. This refers to what we take into consideration to be able to discern between what is good and what is badbetween correct and incorrect answers, etc.
For example, school teachers manage an already structured evaluation criterion, with which they can know which of our answers in an exam are good and which are not, in order to evaluate us without intervening (or doing so as little as possible). ) their personal affections or their subjectivity. Given that an evaluation criterion can be explained, transmitted and reviewed.
Divisibility criterion
The divisibility criterion It is a rule of mathematics that allows us to determine if a number is divisible by anotherreturning an integer as a result, or not.
Generally, these criteria state that one number is divisible by another as long as it meets certain requirements; For example, all even numbers are always divisible by 2, or another even number. Or for a number to be divisible by 3, the sum of its digits must always be a multiple of 3.
So: when a number does not meet the established divisibility criteria, we will not be able to carry out the division and obtain integers as a result.
Lack of judgment
We speak of “lack of judgment” to indicate that someone performs an action or a value judgment without being clear about what things should be taken into account for itthat is, without having much idea of what he does or says.
Thus, a person may lack the judgment necessary to make certain important decisions, or to carry out some planning, just as someone does not know according to which point of view a set of books should ideally be classified.
On the other hand, it is normal that “lack of criteria” is used as a synonym for “poverty of criteria”, that is, that lacking criteria is equivalent to having bad criteria. In colloquial speech the term It is used to say that someone reasons very poorly or hastilywho does not take important things into account when doing so, or who acts in an erratic, clumsy or unaware of the consequences.
Continue with: Axiom
References
- “Criteria” in the Language Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy.
- “Radication of the word Criterion” in the Online Spanish Etymological Dictionary.
- “Criteria” in Wiktionary.
