The Introduction of Critical Thinking

By: Ross Lincoln
Submitted: 2007-01-17 16:41:51
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Critical thinking is a process which takes place in the mind of an individual. It analyzes or evaluates information, which can either be in the form of propositions or statements provided to you as true. But you never easily believe it is true, thus you reflect on it, thoroughly examine the reasons and evidences before you formulate your own judgment about the information.

Every day, there is a lot of information that an individual may learn. For prehistoric man and animals, this information was considered firsthand. It includes the things that they see, touch, hear, smell, and taste. This firsthand information provides an access to secondhand information. Second hand information is another type of information most encountered by today's generation.

This information is stored in your brain, and later on, being called as memories. If it is combined with cognitive framework, then it becomes a worldview. Worldview can affect every decision that you will make. Thus in different ways, it defines your personality. Take note, the information which created your worldview has an origin.

The information which you have learned is all secondhand. It came from your parents, friends, teachers, books, television, or conversation. This vast majority of data which bombarded you will give you a hard time in identifying its original source. You are then challenged by even a single piece of data in your head. So, you will vehemently argue to justify your side. But then, it will be difficult since you don't have any idea of its original source. You will then doubt whether the information was correct or not since you have no evidence that will corroborate it. However, it is the usual way that you are going to defend any challenge on the information that you have learned. It is despite your lack of justification.

Compared to the information received by your prehistoric ancestors, information being given today is really very different. Considering the mass media, it has the power to create a virtual disharmony among the minds of many people.

Take for example some of the advertisements. It is very far from unprejudiced information yet many people are letting it to slip in their minds. Then, it will influence future decisions that will change the direction of your life. Be careful, information today is a matter of a shouting game where you immediately tend to believe. If whoever tell you a bit of information in the longest and the loudest way, you may eventually accept it as true regardless of its merit.

This approach seems to be poor. Since all the collaged information in your mind sometimes have no basis at all. So, the created viewpoint might also have a weaker foundation. No matter how important a viewpoint to a person is, where he or she based most of life's major decisions or even just a single decision is considered to be crafted.

These explanations focus on how critical thinking happens. Critical thinkers gather the information from experience, observation, communication, or reasoning. Then by incorporating critical thinking on the acquired information, the person can extract intellectual values on the subject-matter. They study each division including accuracy, clarity, precision, thoroughness, fairness, and evidence. It is very important because it decreases the risks of believing false ideas which can result to fatal errors.

Critical thinking just responds to various situations and subjects so that connections between them could be found.

Article source: Expert Articles