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The importance of critical thinking to human existence
Essays on the utility of critical thinking
Essays on the utility of critical thinking
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In his essay Critical Thinking: What Is It Good For? (In Fact, What Is It), Howard Gabennesch explains the importance of critical thinking by drawing attention to how its absence is responsible for societies many ills including, but not limited to, the calamity in Vietnam. Yet, at the end of his essay, Gabennesch also mentions that, despite “the societal benefits of critical thinking, at the individual level, uncritical thinking offers social and psychological rewards of its own.”(14). Similarly, it is these rewards that, like the bait on a fishhook, often make individuals hesitant to engage in critical thinking despite the resulting harm to both them and society. However, before examining some of the rewards of uncritical thinking it would …show more content…
A shibboleth, according to Gabennesch is “a belief that serves the purpose of identifying the believer as one of the good guys, prominently planted on the side of the angels.”(13). Similarly, indulging in these “shibboleths” showers individuals with various psychological rewards such as the sense of always being in the right and the comfort that, regardless of what decisions they make, they will always be practically and, especially, morally good ones . Moreover, these rewards, especially in our current world where the majority of choices, rather than simply being black and white, are various shades of grey and where the definitions right or wrong can change in a heartbeat, can be exceptionally appealing, particularly to those those in legal, military, and government professions whose lives revolve around making difficult decisions. However, these rewards come at the price of an individual’s ability to examine one’s actions and determine, based on facts, whether they are really acting as one of the “good guys”. Likewise, individuals willingly paying this price have caused some of the greatest tragedies in human history, ranging from murders to massacres to even holocausts. Yet, despite the fact that I personally believe that a some of these tragedies could be avoided if the individuals in question had taken even a moment to think critically about their actions I also do not doubt that it is difficult to turn away from the rewards of uncritical thinking. After all, rejecting uncritical thinking, especially when it is related to such concepts and shibboleths, puts an individual in an awkward position where they again have to constantly question their own motives and actions as well as the motives and actions of others. The world around them, which had previously seemed so neatly ordered and structured, suddenly becomes chaotic and jumbled. However, from this chaos emerges an
In January 2002 James Waller released the first edition of the book “Becoming Evil – How Ordinary People Commit Genocide and Mass Killings.” Dr. James Waller is a professor at Keene State College in New Hampshire and is home to one of the nation’s oldest Holocaust resource centers, the Cohen Center for Genocide and Holocaust Studies. Becoming Evil uncovers the historical and modern day reasons to why people do evil and attempts to debunk common explanations for genocide and mass killings. Some of Waller’s other notable works include “Prejudice across America” and “Face to Face: The Changing State of Racism Across America.” Waller takes and in depth look at the societal, psychopathological and cultural reasons that would make a good person commit such heinous acts of evil. “What culture, society, or nation, what ideology, historical prejudice, or ethnic hatred, what psychological profile or cluster of personality traits, what unusual situation or special circumstance is to be deemed the cause of such aberrant human behavior?” (Browning/Waller) Why do humans commit genocide and mass killings?
Have you ever pictured yourself as a Nazi? Many would immediately deny the claim that they could resemble the traits of one of Hitler’s officers; however, many similarities have been found throughout experimental research. While the 21st century is strides ahead in the area of equality and civil rights, the morality of these times continues to be under question. The majority of this generation would fall victim to the pressures of obedience, persuasion, and conformity. When people become unaware of the effect of these influences, they lose sight of morality and make choices similar to the ones made by Nazis during the Holocaust.
moved to condemn it and to consider their own actions in their own society. Gerald and the Birling’s conclude that if
Human beings are subjected to living in a world filled with chaos, hate, war, inequality, and genocide, which makes exhibiting sheer goodness a challenge. Often times, individuals confuse being “good” with following an established list of rules. However, there are times when good, or even ethical and moral behavior goes beyond following a rigid set of regulations as we recognize that certain demands are amoral. The genocidal extermination of millions of Jews orchestrated by Adolf Hitler at the time of Nazi occupation during World War II transformed Europe into a dark place. However, with many tragedies, there are often glimpses of goodness that shine through.
Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing written by; Gary Colombo, Robert Cullen, and Bonnie Lisle, Eighth Edition, published April, 2007 by Bedford/St. Martin’s, is a textbook about writing and critical thinking. In the first chapter of Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing, “Thinking Critically, Challenging Cultural Myths”, the Authors begin by setting a relatable scene of what it’s like for a college student. How a new found independence can be overwhelming, especially with regards to critical thinking, showing that what we have learned, needs to be re-evaluated and that an open mind in essential. "What Is Critical Thinking" In this section of the chapter the editors explain what it means to be a critical thinker. They explain that critical thinking is not just studying dates and facts, but rather taking those facts and examining them. The editors then proceed by explaining how having an open mind, and taking others' perspectives into account when formulating our own opinions on what the author is trying to say to us is important. A critical thinker takes all aspects into account and reflects on personal experience as well. The editors also point out that different cultural experiences bring different opinions. They suggest that we need to become active learners, continuously questioning the meaning behind everything, testing not only the theories of others but also our own experiences and analyzing the text rather than going for the obvious. They show that thinking outside the box is the epitome of critical thinking. Basically, we need to step outside our comfort zones and what we have always been taught. The editors also suggest that we need to re-evaluate our per...
We play into the hands of the chaos this deviance brings about when we accept what damages us. The moral thread of our society is one that holds together civility and the refinement of our culture. We must take better care of this thread, else we shall suffer from the wounds that a lack of moral integrity can leave. Challenge yourself to start changing your attitude from one of injurious tolerance, to one of an idealistic quest for improvement. Works Cited Slouching Towards Gomorrah, Robert Bork, Harper Collins Publishers, Inc. 1996.
Introduction Individuals often yield to conformity when they are forced to discard their individual freedom in order to benefit the larger group. Despite the fact that it is important to obey the authority, obeying the authority can sometimes be hazardous, especially when morals and autonomous thought are suppressed to an extent that the other person is harmed. Obedience usually involves doing what a rule or a person tells you to, but negative consequences can result from displaying obedience to authority; for example, the people who obeyed the orders of Adolph Hitler ended up killing innocent people during the Holocaust. In the same way, Stanley Milgram noted in his article ‘Perils of Obedience’ of how individuals obeyed authority and neglected their conscience, reflecting how this can be destructive in real life experiences. On the contrary, Diana Baumrind pointed out in her article ‘Review of Stanley Milgram’s Experiments on Obedience’ that the experiments were not valid, hence useless.
Hanson’s op-ed piece “Heavy Price Of Defense Spending Cuts: nations that choose butter over guns atrophy and die” contains significant thinking shortcomings. Using Gerras’ paper, “Thinking Critically About Critical Thinking: A Fundamental Guide for Strategic Leaders,” one gains insights to analyze these shortcomings.
A majestic and ancient sentinel encompasses the horizon. It began its ascertainments before the dawn of time. From the first creature to scale its eminence to the now senescent thickets spanning its plateau, it mutely observes the delicate world born upon itself. Eons of wisdom and antiquity have entrenched its vista. An unspoken understanding of a simple balance ensconced within its acclivity still eludes the human mind. Humans capable of creating such magnificent, beautiful works of art, prose of thought, and music defying description are also capable of pure devastation and destruction of this very delicate and life sustaining balance of the planet. If the human mind were as evolved and experienced as the mountain in its understanding of
Every day in our life we take many decisions, some are trivial and inconsequential, but there are certain decisions which carry substantial consequences. These decisions of substantial consequences are difficult to accomplish and to make the right and appropriate decisions, a person should think critically. Critical thinking is a skill of evaluating arguments or propositions with an open mind and making a judgment after proper analysis, interpretation, and evaluation of the situation, and further taking any action. Decisions can be very simple like what you are going to wear today, or very complex like deciding how you want to build your career. Thus, the time taken to decide depends on the complexity of situation
What is not easily recognized is the fact that the very fabric of life is dependent on the ability to think properly and make good decisions. Improper thinking is costly in the quality of life and monetarily. The result of a critical thinker that has worked to cultivate proper thinking skills includes: the ability to ask vital questions and to identify problems with clarity. A critical thinker also collects relevant information while effectively interpreting it, thinks with an open mind, uses alternative systems of thought, and understands how to communicate while working to formulate a strong solution. In summary, critical thinking is self-disciplined, self-monitored, and self-corrective thinking. Above all else, the standards of excellence are rigorous, and it entails the prospect of overcoming the challenge of sociocentrism and
Zimbardo, P. G. (2004). A Situationist Perspective on the Psychology of Evil: Understanding how good people are transformed into perptrators. In A. G. Miller (Ed.), The Social Psychology of Good and Evil (pp.21-50). New York: Guilford press.
As children, we are forced to learn the curriculum our teachers create in order to educate our minds and fill us with knowledge we can use for the future. Through time, we combine all of this knowledge and take different tests that will decide whether or not we can go to college and be _____ into higher education. However, when it comes to truly understanding the subject, students tend may not think critically enough of what they are learning. When I was young, I remember when I was taught _________. As I look back, I always had questions about the subject, but whenever I asked them, they never had an answer that satisfied me. I could never connect with the subject and fully understand the importance of it. This kind of gap between knowledge
Critical thinking is a process I have valued since day one of my education. The ability to think clearly, adapt to new ideas quickly, and assess my own critical thoughts allows me as a student to produce my best work. That being said, thinking critically is often something that is overlooked in the educational field and not enough time is spent teaching students the importance of critical thinking and how it applies to every facet of our lives. When I think about applying critical thinking skills, I think first about the process of critical thinking. The process starts by realizing what is it that we are critically thinking about. This could be number of options, but by assessing and identifying a clear objective in critical thinking, it allows
Today my kids go to school with a big focus every year. That focus it to get a good score on the CAASPP test (the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress). Teachers now have to force there efforts on teaching the kids what is on this test to help them be ready to pass it. In my opinion by forcing teacher to teach this way and kids to learn this way we are missing a vital part in are children education. That vital part we are missing is critical thinking. I feel as we need to add games to are teaching that will teach are kids how to become better and more effective critical thinking.