The Urgency of Critical Thinking in Information Consumption

It is my opinion that people, for the most part, could and very well should be more critical. This is especially true when referring to the consumption of information. Unfortunately, many people do not share this viewpoint and shy away from being critical, because criticism, by it’s own definitions, carries negative connotations. So, people avoid being critical, for fear of being labeled “nitpicky” or a “downer” amongst friends and colleagues. This is unfortunate because it promotes a lack of critical thinking that can be every harmful, even on a smaller, more personal scale. Too often people blindly accept what’s on television without ever having taken their own initiative and carried out their own personal research to get the bigger picture. It is

It is better to know a few things that are true, then to know a lot of things that can easily be refuted. From a very young age we are taught to hold back any criticisms we may have for those of authority, be they our parents, teachers, bosses, or elders. Through minute everyday interactions throughout our childhood, minute interactions can often result in unintentional lifelong lessons. This backfires because in turn, many are not taught that criticism is not exclusively negative. Though I do believe it is very important to respect the authority figures in our lives, i do not believe withholding criticism is a sign of respect. Rather I see it as a result of intimidation or fear. People should instead realize that critical thinking as a whole is not inherently negative, and encompasses a far more broad process of understanding, beyond simple negativity. People no matter how high of a position of authority they possess are still only human and are therefore very capable of making mistakes. In such cases it’s important to point out these mistakes. This does not mean one would have